“The day you stop getting excited about Christmas is the day you become officially old.”
The sky is still cloudy. The sun right now is taking a break, but it is warm at 44˚. Tonight will be a snuggle under the comforter night as it will get to the 20’s. I am declaring today a sloth day. Yesterday I washed the kitchen floor. Anything is better than laundry which still sits upstairs with the heap getting taller. Last night it rained. The paw prints are back.
After Thanksgiving, it was time to start Christmas. We checked the mail every day waiting for the Sears catalog. I remember the pages were brightly colored, but it was only the toy pages we cared about. Decisions were never made lightly and were seldom permanent. I’d circle what I wanted but keep looking until something else caught my eye and then I’d circle that. I’d put a K inside my circles. I didn’t want my choices to go to someone else. When I was little, dolls and their wardrobes and furniture were within most of my circles. As I got older, dolls were off the list. I wanted games and books and maybe a sled or new ice skates. I remember the year I got a Sorry game. It was front and center under the tree. Sorry is a forever game.
We had two closets in the living room. One was right by the door, and the coats were stored there. Between the living room and kitchen was a small space within an arch. On the left was the door to the cellar. On the right was another closet. It mostly held cleaning supplies. I remember one year I was getting a broom when I noticed a few brown bags on the top shelf. I had to investigate. Inside were three books, all part of a series. I knew they were for me. I read two of them. I just couldn’t help myself. I think I practiced being surprised so my mother would never know I’d read them. She never did find out, but that never happened again. I love surprises.
Catalogues have taken over. Sears is no longer. I get catalogues every day. They fill my mailbox, but I go through them all, each a Sears in its own right. I look for just the right gifts for friends and family. I circle my choices and put names inside the circles. Christmas habits are hard to break.
Explore posts in the same categories: Musings
November 29, 2021 at 1:51 pm
Hi Kat,
This morning my spouse did me a favor and switched on the heat which took away the morning chill from the bedroom. We still haven’t had our first freeze. Today the predicted high will be 72° under clear skies. By Friday the temperature could hit 80° with no rain forecasted. Unfortunately, in my office sitting at my desk I’m wearing my lightweight jacket and I’m still freezing.
We never received the Sears Catalog, but the joke was that it made for good reading in an outhouse and was more comfortable than using a corn cobb. 🙂 We did receive a lot of other catalogs in the mail including the best one from Neiman Marcus. They always had an extravagant his and her gifts on the cover. One year they suggested a his and her matching pair of Beechcraft Bonanza single engine airplanes. My parents had a Neiman Marcus charge account which brought us the catalog but we rarely shopped at Neiman’s.
We knew there was no Santa Clause so we just told our parents what we wanted for Chanukah. The Mench on the Bench hadn’t been invented yet. 🙂 Now, we don’t receive any catalogs only tons of advertisements to buy Medicare Advantage insurance, or senior living facilities, or free lunch invitations to try and sell us Annuities. All of which go directly into the circular file. I don’t even open the envelopes. 🙂
November 29, 2021 at 5:00 pm
Hi Bob,
We here on the cape haven’t had a frost either. The cold hasn’t been cold enough. North of Boston had snow flurries but they didn’t last. The highs the next few days will be 40˚. My hey is always on though lower at night.
I never heard the Sears outhouse joke. I guess we were too far removed from outhouses. I did use some outhouses I’m Africa, but there we always carried toilet paper. It was an essential travel item.
I don’t remember when I realized there was no Santa Claus, but we did keep up the pretense for my younger sisters. I really enjoy shopping from catalogues. I often find some neat stuff in some of the off-beat catalogues. I don’t often get envelopes of advertisement. The only one I get is from a local Beltone.
November 29, 2021 at 1:58 pm
Mrs MDH’s birthday is October 2, so the 3rd is the official start of Christmas. Having almost exhausted myself with birthday stuff I have to regroup to prepare the advent calendar and Christmas gifts. In the days when we could travel, it was easy to pick up items for the advent box but in todays no travel pandemicy world the effort has changed.
I wrap as I go. Mrs MDH goes to the store and I am blasting in to the rolls of Christmas paper. Everything is done at this point and I am waiting for the last item to be shipped. A few days left to get it done before I go off radar for a while
November 29, 2021 at 3:53 pm
Have you considered gift bags? My dexterity with wrapping paper gets a D minus during the best of times. Purchasing a few gift bags, plus stick on bows, and some tissue paper to top off the opening is a godsend.
November 29, 2021 at 5:08 pm
I love to wrap and always buy neat little trinkets to put on the presents. I buy small ornaments and thongs like that for the gifts.
November 29, 2021 at 5:06 pm
My Dear Hedley,
I find myself shopping in all the unique little stores around the cape where there are always fun finds. I shop for months. My room is filled with boxes and bags so I need to put everything in family order. That will be my Wednesday job. Wrapping is next from dawn to dead of night.
I should wrap as I go. Every year I vow to do it the next year and never do.