Holiday Meme

A holiday meme I found at The Blue Door.

1. Candy cane or peppermint patties? Peppermint patties. I'm not a candy cane fan.
2. Sugar or gingerbread cookies? Um...Thumbprint cookies, actually. I'm not a fan of the roll out and cut out kind of cookies.
3. Tinsel or beaded strands? No tinsel! As part of our marriage vows ;o) we have neither tinsel (I don't like it) nor blinking lights (S doesn't like those). That was one of our first big compromises. Sometimes I put on some red wooden bead strands. We also have a few little glass icicles on our tree, and I love those.
4. Multi-colored or same-colored lights? Usually multi-colored lights. Last year was the first year I used white lights and that was to coordinate with the new multi-colored LED lights I had in the window.
5. Flashing or still lights? Still. See #3.
6. Wreaths or mistletoe/holly? Mistletoe and holly, though I rarely decorate with either.
7. Rudolph or Frosty? Rudolph. I'm not a big fan of snow, and Frosty actually has nothing to do with Christmas.
8. Sledding or snowball fights? Did I mention I'm not a bit fan of snow? My main snow activity is, unfortunately, shoveling.
9. Snow or ice/icicles? Gently falling snow, especially if I have no where to go. Icicles brings up a whole other topic.
10. Snow hat or earmuffs? Hat, although it has to be really cold for me to wear a hat. I'm much more likely to tie a scarf around my head.
11. Getting or giving? Giving. I wish I were better at it.
12. Snow days or plow trucks? I long for the days when I could stay home for a snow day.
13. Stockings or presents? Both, baby! Sockings are a big deal at our house.
14. Cookies & milk or letter to Santa? We always leave cookies & milk, and carrot sticks for the reindeer. Never left a letter.
15. Christmas Eve or Christmas Day? I love them both for different reasons, if the wrapping is done! We open presents on Christmas Day.
16. Log Burning Channel or real thing? There’s a log burning channel? I grew up in a house with a fire place complete with formal mantle where we hung our stockings, but we don't have one now.
17. Cards or emails? Cards. I do cards every year. 50-60 of them.
18. Shoveling or cleaning off the car? We do both around here.
19. Hot cocoa or eggnog? Hot cocoa. Stephen's. The hazelnut is my new favorite. Never eggnog. Blech!!!
20. Jack Frost or Little Drummer Boy? I'd say those two are scraping the bottom of the barrel for Christmas music! How about "Mary Did You Know?" or Bing singing "White Christmas."

Ed

As, I mentioned previously, my husband's "uncle" Ed passed away. He was actually my father-in-law's cousin, but my husband regarded him as more of an uncle figure.

We went to the funeral on Friday. It was held at the country club in a nearby town. Odd, but fitting venue.

I must say that for a funeral not of my faith (because my church has the best funerals,) it was the best funeral I have ever been to.

I can sum it up in two words. Humor and Love. Ed was a funny guy. He knew how to tell a joke, how to turn a phrase, how to write a ditty, how to deliver a punchline. The minister wasn't too preachy or too optimistic, and the other speakers talked about Ed's humor, so there was lots of laughter. When his son spoke, the feeling of love in the room was palpable. When his granddaughter spoke on behalf of all of the grandchildren, the feeling continued and was carried on by the friend who spoke. It was incredibly moving.

It has really made me ponder how the choices we make, the little everyday choices, affect the legacy we leave.

A (Stolen) Saturday Six

These are six things I am not doing for Christmas this year:

1. Putting lights in my window--The tree will be lit and in the window, but there will be no lights put up in the window. It's a tribute. Don't ask.
2. Drinking eggnog--But then, I never do. (Blech)
3. Over-spending--It's a new concept. It's called the Christmas Budget. It is an acknowledgement that we buy a $500.00 plane ticket so K can come home, and the money has to come from somewhere!
4. Entertaining--But then I never entertain anyway. No room in this house.
5. Going to the Church Christmas party--It is at 10 am on a Saturday morning in December. I work full-time. I need my December Saturday mornings for Other Things.
6. Staying up late on Christmas Eve to wrap presents. It's going to be done early. Really!

The Postponed Thursday Thoughts, Edited

1. The past three days I have talked to a life-long (that's better than saying old, isn't it?) friend and the two siblings I communicate with the least. That's the upside.
2. I am feeling fairly relaxed about Christmas, at this point. I recently read last year's Christmas post and I think I have a better grip on things this year. It could be the lack of snow (so far) or the lack of the (happy) stress of a major life-changing event in the offing.
3. The two major stumbling blocks of Christmas preparation for me are Christmas cards and gift wrapping. Baking used to be in there too, but now, since K can help (or just take over and do it) it is not as much of an issue.
4. I have a hard time getting other stuff done if my Christmas cards are not done. I have lived in seven states, and have friends all over the country, and this is the once-a-year attempt I make to keep in touch with most of them.
5. I rarely, if ever, wrap Christmas gifts ahead. First, I have usually had no place to put them. Stuff takes up lots less room all stuffed together in shopping bags. We don't usually get our tree as early as we did this year either. Second, I don't ever have time to wrap early. It's the thing I do when everything else is done. Which sometimes is never. So I'm up late on Christmas Eve. Wrapping.
6. For as long as I can remember, I have always called the span of time from Thanksgiving right on through Christmas, New Year's and my husband's birthday, The Holidays. At our house, we celebrate a Christ-centered Christmas, have a Christmas tree, give Christmas presents, send Christmas cards, say "Merry Christmas," and I resent that I am maligned for using the generic term "holidays".
7. There was something else I was going to snark about, but for the life of me, I can't remember what it was. EDIT ALERT: Here I am, two and a half weeks later, and I remembered what it was! I was going to complain that radio stations who play Christmas music play the song from The Sound of Music, My Favorite Things. My Favorite Things is NOT a Christmas song! Nothing in the song indicates Christmas whatsoever. What is up with that?
8. I have big plans this weekend to get my Christmas cards done and to stay home all day Saturday and get one or two big projects done that have been on my list for months that I really need to get done before I decorate. However, I may have to sneak out for the Meijer Saturday sale, but maybe not.

Skipping Today

I'm not going to post my planned post today. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.

I found out today that my friend's funeral is tomorrow. Many miles away from here.

My husband's "uncle" has passed away, and his funeral is also tomorrow.

My sister-"in-law" is in the hospital with transverse myelitis, paralized from the chest down. Prognosis, generally poor.

And it is snowing for the first time this winter. Blah.

Maybe tomorrow.

Random Lists

Stolen Inspired, as usual from Blackbird at Say La Vee

Things I like:

• Dark chocolate covered pecans and dark chocolate orange gels from McDonald's Homemade Candies.
• My black every day shoes.
• Blue skies in December.

Not so much:

• The thought of the snow that is on the way.
• Aggressive drivers.
• Spending all of my prime time at work.

Things we did yesterday:

• Cut our Christmas tree.
• Sorted through a big pile of books and puzzles and boxed up 5 boxes to donate.
• Ate wings and pizza at a little neighborhood place.

My radio stations on Pandora:

• Andrea Bocelli
• Anton Webern
• Nickel Creek
• Dave Matthews

Things to be happy about:

• Christmas shopping is almost done, or at least under control.
• I have no plans/need to leave the house on Saturday, so I can get a couple of big projects done before I decorate for Christmas.
• K will be home in 16 days!

Ten on Tuesday

From Ten on Tuesday

Ten things you want but won't buy for yourself.

1. An iPod.
2. An expensive leather purse.
3. A dress coat.
4. A flat screen TV.
5. A comfy chair.
6. A DVR.
7. A new dress.
8. A pair of leather gloves.
9. A laptop.
10. A new bed.