I’d love to get pajamas. Good, nice and warm flannel ones.”
I had every intention of writing this morning, but I thought I’d take a small nap first. Well, that small nap lasted for hours, catch-up time for what had been a rough night. Gracie joined me. She snored, but I was glad for her company so I ignored her and fell asleep anyway.
I could hear today and see it from my window. The wind blew loudly, and I could almost feel the cold. Birds were at the feeders, mostly gold finches, and they flapped their wings against the wind to keep their balance. A nuthatch flew in, took a seed and then flew to a sheltered branch to eat it.
We had a bit of snow, some rain then snow again. I’m guessing we had maybe three or four inches, but the snow blew sideways and drifted in the wind which made an estimate difficult. The wind is still blowing, but the snow has stopped. It is a night to be close to hearth and home.
On days like today I stayed dressed in my flannels and sweatshirt. They keep me warm and cozy. When I was a kid, I wore flannel pajamas every night all winter. I was too old for the footed pj’s so I envied my sisters wearing theirs. On my feet were sock slippers, the new ones I got every Christmas, so my feet stayed warm even without the pj’s. My favorite part of those slippers was the soft leather soles which made a scruffy sound on the floor when you dragged your feet. We used to do it on purpose to drive my mother crazy.
My flannel pajamas were always two parts: a top and bottom. They always had a print and it was usually flowers, not a print I’d choose. The top had buttons and the bottom had an elastic waist. The flowers were small and I swear they were always red. I suspect I got the exact same pair every Christmas for ten years, but I can’t prove it. They wore out quickly as I wore them often and my mother washed them in her wringer machine which was hell on clothes.
My mother was cleaning as I walked in the door after school one day. Right away I recognized the rag she was using to dust and polish the living room furniture. I could barely see the red roses, but I knew that rag had once been part of a set of flannel pajamas.
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December 27, 2010 at 8:29 pm
“My flannel pajamas were always two parts: a top and bottom.”
One year we tried the new version, with the left and right bits. Very difficult to line up the buttons properly … also quite drafty … in the shocking places.
Cheers
December 28, 2010 at 7:29 pm
Minicapt,
The shocking places must never be drafty.
You reminded me of the one piece long underwear we had. Often the back came undone and that too was a bit drafty.
December 28, 2010 at 2:48 am
I can´t remember ever getting a pajamas at christmas. Socks, underwear,sweaters and everything else but not a pajamas 🙂
But You did make me think of the christmas I liked the most 🙂 To long story to write here I´m afraid, I think I´ll write about it in my blog today.
They say that if it´s not cloudy today it will get nasty cold again, but if we have clouds it will most likely snow. It´s like choosing between plaig or cholera 🙂 🙂 🙂 But I have to admit that all this snow has made my village look like a fairy tale village 🙂
Have a great day now!
Christer.
December 28, 2010 at 7:30 pm
Christer,
I think we got pajamas so we’d look good for the Christmas morning pictures as we were allowed to open them on Christmas Eve.
It’s really cold here.
December 28, 2010 at 5:42 am
How well I remember those flannel “jammies” and moc-a-sox slippers. Loved them! I remember that I requested boys pjs one year, as I was madly in love with Roy Rogers and I saw these pjs with a cowboy theme. I wore those pjs until they literally fell apart. Back then, my grandmother hung clothes in the basement during the winter months. Those flannel pjs could be pretty scratchy when you first put them on, but it didn’t take long before they would soften up a bit.
December 28, 2010 at 7:32 pm
Rita,
My mother didn’t have a drier either and the clothes were hung outside on the line on good days and in the cellar on lines on rainy or really cold days.
I don’t remember having favorite pj’s, but those flannel ones were really warm.
December 29, 2010 at 9:17 am
Ahhh the clothes line and clothes pegs. But for my Mother the whole world was revolutionized by the arrival of the Hills Hoist.
The Hoist was to travel through various homes and even emigrated to the United States. Today its whereabouts is unknown but it did great service
December 28, 2010 at 10:58 am
Yeah, we called them “Jammies” too. How well I remember but Kat, you bring back the best. I would never have remembered going to bed each night in those cotton comfortable clothes. Hope you have a Happy New Year! Get someone to bring in the egg nog.
December 28, 2010 at 7:34 pm
Z&Me,
I love egg nog with something special added. I have a great recipe I make every Christmas.
I was always warm and cozy going to bed-love those pajamas!
December 29, 2010 at 10:34 am
Hello,
I finaly found your blog again- courtesy of The Cottage by Crane Lake= thank you.
Hope you had a god holiday. I was reading a little and saw you had back surgery- hope your recovery is easy and quick. I had a knee replacement this summer, and it was not my favorite thing!
I am glad to find you again- missed your great posts and music. Also, I am in education and looking to retire in 8 years. But the way things are going, it will probably be 18!
December 29, 2010 at 7:11 pm
Marge,
Welcome back! Blogger unceremoniously kicked me out so I had to find a new home. I’m quite happy here, but I had the regret of knowing I’d lost Coffee friends, but, like you, they’re returning slowly.
I think I am on the way to complete recovery. It has been rough. The surgery was the easy part; the sciatica which followed was hell.
I intend to drive Saturday for the first time since surgery. Whoopee!!!
December 29, 2010 at 12:49 pm
My mother loved to tell the story of when our downstairs neighbor, Mrs. McCullough, baby sat for us while she was in the hospital delivering my sister Katy.
As she was getting us ready for bed, Mrs. McCullough brought out a pair of pajamas for me to wear. Horrified, I looked at her and said, “Mrs. Culla, I can’t wear those. Those are my ‘mergency pajamas!”.
OK, it sounded funnier, and cuter, when Mom said it.
December 29, 2010 at 3:52 pm
My absolutely favorite Christmas movie is ‘The Christmas Story.’ I love the scene where the main character, Ralphy, gets a one piece, zip up footy pajamas from his grandmother complete with rabbit ears and a puffy white tail. Of course his mother has him model the PJs on Christmas morning.
Unfortunately, Jean Shepard, the narrater upon whose work the movie is based, passed away several years ago. The film is worth seeing for the scene where Ralphy asks the department store Santa for a Rough Rider be-be gun with a compass in the stock. The Santa remarks back without a second thought, ‘Hey kid, you’ll shoot your eye out!’
December 29, 2010 at 7:13 pm
Bob,
I have watched that movie every Christmas and love it. The rabbit PJ scene was hysterical. and I love his mother’s reaction as to how cute he looked.
I have a nightlight which is the lamp he won-the big prize. It sits proudly in the downstairs bathroom outlet so everyone can see it. Fragile
December 29, 2010 at 6:49 pm
John,
I bet it sounded far cuter than you imagined. Mrs. McCullough probably lived off that story for a while.
December 29, 2010 at 8:51 pm
My Dear Hedley,
I looked up the Hills Hoist and found it totally familiar. Many yards had them, but I just called it a clothes line nit realizing it had a proper name.