“Heap on more wood! the wind is chill; But let it whistle as it will, We’ll keep our Christmas merry still.”
Last night dropped to the teens, as low as 14°, but, luckily, I was home warm and cozy wearing slippers and wool socks to complement my usual nighttime winter ensemble. Today feels warm at 39°. If the wind would disappear, it would feel even warmer. It’s strong enough to sway the big feeder and take the birds for a ride. I’d get car sick if I went back and forth that many times.
I never did get to the grocery store with my list but, instead, I went to a smaller store to pick up cat food and paper towels; however, I can procrastinate no longer and will leave for the Stop and Shop as soon as I finish here. I need to do my Christmas baking.
December 23rd was usually when we got out of school for vacation. We went to school the same as usual that morning, but it was never really a usual school day. We were far too excited to learn anything so the nun, knowing she was facing a losing battle, would vary the activities. In the morning we’d color Christmas scenes and make Christmas cards for our parents. In the afternoon we’d have a party.
My Christmas cards were seldom works of art. Most had a tree on the front because trees were easy to draw and decorate. I used a yellow crayon to make garlands because the white crayon was never any good to use. You couldn’t see it. You could feel it but not see it. I made dots of color for the lights but never ventured into ornaments. They would have looked like blobs. My inside messages tended to be on a slant and sometimes I ran out of space and had to loop my words. My mother made a big deal oohing and ahhing when I gave her my card. It was as if I had given her a real masterpiece. I always felt proud.
Christmas Day is a Sunday this year. When I was a kid, I loved it being on a Sunday. It was like cheating a little as it counted twice. It was both a Sunday mass and a Christmas day mass. We often went to the very first mass of the day walking to church in the cold darkness so we could hurry home to play with our new toys. I remember thinking we were the only people in the world awake that early. All the houses were dark, but, on the way home, the sky was light and the people were awake. We could see tree lights shining when we looked at the windows as we quickly passed by them. We were in a hurry to get home.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: Christmas, Christmas mass, Grocery store, holidays, making cards, Mass (liturgy), school vacation, Sunday
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December 19, 2011 at 1:03 pm
As a special christmas treat, GOOGLE has an easter egg hidden.
go to http://www.google.com and in the search box, type in LET IT SNOW.
snow will fall and the screen will fog up.right click & hold to wipe the screen. Or just click the defrost button.
December 19, 2011 at 5:46 pm
Thanks, Morpfy
I’m glad it’s raining on my screen and not in my yard! I had to defrost once!
December 19, 2011 at 1:18 pm
I really can’t remember what we did the last day in school. I do think our teacher read all the last chapters in the boook she had been reading every morning in december. Lots of julmust and cookies that morning while listening 🙂
The christmas things were made all december though. I remember we always made a christmas trre in green paper. We just draw a bif tree on the paper and cut it out, then we placed it on the green paper again and cut out one more. Then we cut one of the trees in the middle in the top half way down and the same on the other tree but from the bottom. We put them together where they had been cut and it then could stand by itself.
After that we cut out ornaments and lights in different colored paper with glue on the backside of it, the kind one had to lick on. I remember my trees being fantastic but I really can’t remember any ooohing or ahhing when I brought it home 🙂 🙂 🙂
I don’t know why they even bothered to put white cryons in that box 🙂 🙂 It really was useless in all ways 🙂 🙂
Have a great day!
Christer.
December 19, 2011 at 5:50 pm
Christer,
I don’t remember ever being read to in scholl, and I think I would have liked it.
You were far more creative than I was in school. At home we used construction paper to make stuff for Christmas but i can’t remember doing it at school. I know exactly how you tree looked.
You got to make your decorations-a lot cooler than coloring them. I think my mother was just being a mother as our cards weren’t all that great. I was the worst artist.
Really useless crayon-white.
December 19, 2011 at 1:38 pm
Yesterday I skyped with my cousin Peter who lives on Vancouver Island……”BC Lions are Grey Cup Champions”, says I, “How did you know that?” says cousin Peter. I acted worldly and didnt try to explain the whole KTCC thing.
December 19, 2011 at 5:51 pm
My Dear Hedley,
I’m glad we had Minicapt keeping us up to date about the BC Lions-you got to impress your cousin. Like that-acted worldly!
December 19, 2011 at 1:53 pm
We opened our gifts and went to 11am Mass. That meant we couldn’t wait to get back home. But the 11am Mass was the Mass that offered up gooey buns, milk, coffee and tea for the adults and my parents would linger until we pulled them by a pant leg to the car. It wasn’t until High School we started to go to Midnight Mass. Then home to gather around the fireplace to open a few gifts. The kid side of Christmas slowly disappeared to the anxiety of hoping you picked the right gift for family members. And trick gifts too. I loved those Christmases the most.
December 19, 2011 at 5:53 pm
Z&Me,
I could hardly wait until I was old enough to go to midnight mass, and it was when I was in high school for me too. The church seemed especially beautiful at midnight mass and the boys’ choir was magnificent.
We got to open a real present on Christmas Eve when we were older, no more pajamas.
I still throw in a few trick gifts in stockings.
December 19, 2011 at 5:55 pm
76 here today with winds blowing 45 mph! The cold front is visible out the back door and will arrive in a few minutes. Tomorrow night it is supposed to get down to 36. Our blood is just too thin for that temperature and we will feel like it is the end of the world.
My Christmas mornings were always full of wonder. I never tried to sneak an early peek. The gifts were wrapped and that was that. It wasn’t until I was in Jr. high school that *I* ever actually bought my mother a present with my own money. At that point, to get money, I had to skip lunch. I had no other way to get money. We were that poor. When I started a paper route in high school, then I began to have a few dollars for gifts beyond clip-on earrings.
But I’ve NEVER been good at wrapping packages. I think I over think the project.
December 20, 2011 at 11:51 am
Rick,
Wow, 76° is becoming unimaginable as the temps drop here. 36° sounds more familiar. Bundle up and layer!
The presents from Santa were never wrapped at our house. They were always around the tree in separate piles for each of us so when we came downastairs we were almost overwhenlmed with the bounty.
I used to save my allowance for presents. I could never buy much until I worked summers when I was in college.
I love to wrap.
December 19, 2011 at 6:30 pm
Hi Kat,
Yes, white crayons were always a disappointment unless you had black construction paper.
I don’t remember what we did in school the last day before Christmas break. Well, except for the time in 7th grade when the science teacher asked me to bring home the lab rat.
Christmas morning we would come downstairs well before my parents were awake. They were smart, though. They left Santa’s gifts unwrapped so we were allowed to play with those and they were allowed to sleep a little longer.
Freezing wind chill factor today. The lake had a thin skim of ice for the first time. I was out there in the near dark taking photos because the lights are pretty reflecting off the ice.
Enjoy the evening.
December 20, 2011 at 11:55 am
Hi Caryn,
I don’t think I ever used much black construction paper, maybe for Santa’s boots.
The last day is emblazoned in my memory as it meant we were really close to the BIG day. It also meant the start of vacation, a blessed time for any kid.
Like your parents did, ours also left the Santa gifts unwrapped. They wrap a couple from them byt most were from Santa. My parents dragged themselves downstairs having gotten to sleep close to when we woke up. They’d go to midnight mass then the gifts came out and were put around the tree. My sister Moe was always up early. I still remember my mother looking at the gifts we’d show her as if she’d never seen them before.
Cold, cold night last night but warmer today.
December 21, 2011 at 2:55 am
Hi Kat!
Yep, finally got back to paradise from the sandbox. Spent a few more days there than I had anticipated. It was fortunate that there was a sandstorm the day I was to leave and the flight was cancelled with a certificate for a later flight of my choice.
New grand daughter (7months now) was wonderful to play with as she is really ready to learn.
Been catching up a bit and will continue to do so, but wanted to wish you a Very Merry Christmas and another Wonderful New Year!
To tell the truth, I’m accumulating so much time between now and the first ‘out of school’ for Christmas that it is a bit difficult to recall exactly what it was like, but I’m sure it was about the same way as yours. I do know that the drawing on my cards was terrible and I never did claim them. It hasn’t improved much since either.
MT C
December 21, 2011 at 1:52 pm
Welcome Back, Carl
I am also wishing you a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and the Blessings of the Season.
My memory saves the oddest information. Ask me why I’m in the kitchen, and I have to think about it, but ask me about 40 years ago, and I can go on and on.
Have fun with your granddaughter!