“Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance – each beautiful, unique and too soon gone.”
The wind is howling and the trees are swaying and bending, especially the tall pines. I expect limbs to snap and fall. The brown dead oak leaves hanging from the ends of the smaller branches almost look frantic as they blow. The rain has stopped but a cold, grim day has taken its place. The wind is from the north, never a good thing.
Today has no list, no errands. I did bring the laundry down, but it has been known to sit by the cellar door for days. I think, though, that it may end up being washed as I need to go downstairs to get my Christmas cards. Because I’m going anyway, I might as well haul down the laundry. Yesterday I brought up my first decoration: the ugly fake scrub pine I always put in my dining room. It is decorated with old, vintage ornaments and on the top is a plastic lit up star from the 50’s. Two of the ornaments hanging from the tree are small square candy boxes. They have a white string for carrying and scenes on both sides, of the Nativity and the kings. The boxes were filled with hard Christmas candies which usually stuck together. The nuns always gave each of us one as a Christmas gift. Last night I lit the tree for the first time this season, rearranged a few of the ornaments and straighten some branches. To me the tree looks beautiful.
My outside lights aren’t synced too well even though I did set them to come on at the same time. One side of the front is first followed a few minutes later by the other side and then a while after that the deck lights come on. The two front timers are the same kind on the same setting so I’m bewildered as to their idiosyncratic lighting. The back is different, and I’m okay with the later lighting as you can’t see it from the front.
Lots of houses are already lit. Soon enough it will be time for my annual light tour. Gracie gets to come, and I give her a running commentary on the houses we see. A few are must visits every year. One of my favorites is the simplest. A lit tree sits in the middle of a cranberry bog. It is take your breath away beautiful.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: bent branches, decorated candy box, furiously blowing leaves, hard candy box, howling wind, laundry day, light ride, light timers, light tour, north wind, outside lights', scrub pine tree, vintage Christmas decorations
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December 7, 2014 at 12:07 pm
Gaudete Sunday next week, I said to Father Jerry. Rejoice said Father Jerry and so the second candle of the Advent was lit and we reflected and celebrated
The tree is lit and decorated. Mrs MDHS and I challenged each other to remember the origin on each item, we did quite well.
On our tree ornaments have always moved as the children reposition their school masterpiece and relegate a siblings effort to the rear or low branches. The tree has been set up to especially irritate our daughter . Ornaments will move, it’s part of the season.
December 7, 2014 at 12:50 pm
My Dear Hedley,
The season is moving far too quickly. I have done little. This will be the week to finish so I can be ready for Gaudete Sunday. When I was growing up, we lit the Advent wreath, but the tradition somehow disappeared. Perhaps it is time to bring it back.
I remember many of the origins of the ornaments bought on our travels or handmade by my mother. I also have the ones I made for her. They used to grace her tree every year.
I have no particular spot for most ornaments, but the very large glass ones which were on my tree growing up go on the top branches because my mother always put them there on our family tree so they woudn’t end up broken somehow.
I have such treasured memories of Christmas.
December 7, 2014 at 12:16 pm
Much the same weather here but we still have the rain and the wind comes from west/ south west. I guess Your cold grim day is very much like our unusually warm evening 🙂 We’ve had over 40F here all day and it looks like it will stay very close to that during the night too.
I’ve done the chore I had, the laundry. It still hangs on the patio most liely as wet as it was when I hung it there 🙂 The wind is so strong that the rain most likely reach the laundry. No problems, it can hang there for a while before I need to bring it in to dry properly.
I’ve spent most time indoors so no lights in my garden yet. I might however move the light chains from the apple tree to the hedge instead.
Have a great day!
Christer.
December 7, 2014 at 12:56 pm
Christer,
So far this December has had such ugly weather. I’d love a little sun.
I need to do my cards today then start decorating and wrapping. My Colorado gifts have to be sent within the week. I’ll decorate during the day and wrap at night. I think I’m going to be busy.
Have a great day!
December 7, 2014 at 3:32 pm
Hi Kat,
No decorating here. The only Christmas items out now have been out since last Christmas. The little Norfolk Island Pine has to stay out but I didn’t have to leave its little balls on or the big gold star that sticks out of the pot. It does look festive that way, though.
I’m awaiting Christmas cards. I designed and ordered them and now hope they get here before Christmas so I can send them out. My gifts are purchased and don’t need to be wrapped. Except for figuring out what food to bring to various parties, I’m pretty much done.
It was damp and cold this morning. Now it’s sunny and cold. I sat out in the sun with the dogs for a bit because we’re apparently not going to see it much next week.
Enjoy the day.
December 7, 2014 at 3:37 pm
Hi Caryn,
I haven’t done anything yet except read a bit. I am just cold and tired; however, I am going to do those cards. They are, after all, the only things on my list today.
I have lots to wrap.
No sun here again! The wind is still howling, and I had to shut the backdoor as the cold was coming through the dog door. I’m glad you got some sun!
Have a great evening.
December 7, 2014 at 5:09 pm
Hi Kat,
Today is the day that will live in infamy according to President Franklin Roosevelt. It’s Pearl Harbor day. Today in 1941 the U.S. entered World War II as a direct result of an unprovoked attack on our Pacific fleet on a Sunday morning similar to today. We should all take a moment to remember the men and woman who were killed that day and those killed during the next four years of global conflict. Many of the veterans of that war are in their 90s and those who witnessed those terrible years will be gone leaving only the historians to pass on the accounts of their deeds to future generations.
Christmas 1941 must have not been very merry. However, defeating the axis powers resulted in the holiday seasons that followed to be wonderful for our generation and generations to come.
December 7, 2014 at 7:45 pm
Bob,
I remember Pearl Harbor and watched a couple of programs today and it won several awards. It was made in 1943. This was in b&W and started out with radio signals being sent by Japanese on the island.
I can’t imagine what Christmas was like that year. So many men had enlisted immediately after the attack. Joyous was not pat of the holiday.
December 7, 2014 at 9:32 pm
Among the things my father left me were some old family B&W photos. One photo was of a friend of my dad wearing a sailor cap and navy uniform taken on the island with palm trees in the background. The date November 1941 was written on the back of the photo. His name was Les and my dad said he was killed on the Battleship Arizona. I hadn’t thought about that photo in several years until I wrote my post.
December 7, 2014 at 9:42 pm
Bob,
What a terrible thing to have happened. I’m sure your father remembered his friend every year. To think that picture was taken only a month before he died. What a tragedy.
December 7, 2014 at 5:13 pm
You could set the dilatory timers to activate ‘x’ seconds before the current leader.
Cheers
December 7, 2014 at 8:15 pm
minicapt,
There are hours listed, and notches where you put the wheel in front of the hours you want. You can’t leave the wheel in the middle.