It’s almost midnight. The holiday tunes are playing softly, crowding the room with nostalgia. There’s nothing like the old tunes to bring on a festive mood. “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas” is playing now, and it would be nice to see a little snow on the rooftops, but it doesn’t look good with the line-up of mild temperatures.
Our tree is adorned with all the twinkle and bling from boxes the attic. I love a well-lit tree. One of the greatest inventions was the miniature sparkling lights, like hundreds of little glittering stars. We have a really nice tree this year, perhaps the best one ever. It’s smallish and thin like me, ha! Our living room isn’t overly large so we choose a tree that doesn’t eat up too much space so there is less displacement of furniture to accommodate it. A smaller tree means more lights to cover it and therefore it’s ablaze this year.
Shortbread cookies are in the oven and I am starting to smell them. If anyone asked, what do I think about when i remember childhood Christmases it wouldn't take me long to zero in on this cookie. For me they are synonymous with the holiday, like butter is to toast. This sweet aroma wafting the air takes me back to my mother in her kitchen. She was the best baker; sorry Martha, you'd be a pale second. My mom made the best pies and cakes, especially her pound cake and her apple crisp, but the shortbread; they are hands down the best I've tasted. I do my best with her recipe and I come close but there must have been a magical ingredient that made hers better. Maybe I don't make them with enough love, maybe my baking is selfish, they’re basically for me, whereas she made hers for the family. Everything she made was better; more crunchy, fluffy and flavourful . She was a dynamo and I miss her at Christmas time more than other times of the year. My mother loved the holidays and had more peace and joy that time of year.
All the old traditions are gone now. We’ve had to adopt our own and Hubby and I never go over the top. The holidays are spent relaxing and unwinding, not shopping and beating the pavement for presents. This year, we are having a very subdued, low key, champagne taste on a beer budget holiday. We’re keeping it small, doing the two T’s of Christmas. Tree and turkey. Hubby might have a lean year in 2016 for work; there’s not much good news coming out of Alberta right now so we are buckling down for a long dry spell. We never really go big on Christmas anyway but this year we stayed clear of the stores. Hopefully others were out in spades to keep our economy going. We laugh and say once we are out of money we’ll start eating out every night. What evening would you like us at your house, we’ll pencil you in!
Quite frankly, although the crow in me likes to see foil wrapped gifts under the tree, there is absolutely nothing we need. We have too much stuff to begin with, let alone bringing more in to find a place for. We’ve had lean years in the past and I can’t say that it impacts on the day at all. Good food and good friends is what makes the holiday a thumbs up. We have a meal fit for royalty and usually play games or watch a couple of movies. We play with the pups. They have so many toys we have to rotate them so we wrap some of the older things and reintroduce them. They don’t care, it’s the crinkling tissue paper that thrills them, what’s inside is irrelevant.
We were invited out for Christmas day for dinner at a friend’s house. The Little’s feast will be made on Boxing Day. Now that Shane is married we have to share our kids between the two families, and we had them last year for the 25th. It’s no hardship, turkey either day is still a celebration. Traditions evolve to accommodate the changing times, all is good, all is bright.
We’ve been really busy with work so I haven’t had much time to write this week but then again you probably didn’t have much time to read so it all worked out. I get up in the morning, blink my eye and then it’s time to go to bed. If I could have one thing for Christmas it would be an extra hour in the day to get more done. I hope to hook over the holidays and do nothing more than sit on my rump, enjoy my family and being home. Maybe pile the last bit of firewood, eat turkey, cranberry and mayo sandwiches, and wear out my pajamas. That’s pretty much the way I’ll roll.
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is playing. Wonderful words for this beautiful season. From all of us to all of you “We hope you all have a safe and happy holiday”.
Our tree is adorned with all the twinkle and bling from boxes the attic. I love a well-lit tree. One of the greatest inventions was the miniature sparkling lights, like hundreds of little glittering stars. We have a really nice tree this year, perhaps the best one ever. It’s smallish and thin like me, ha! Our living room isn’t overly large so we choose a tree that doesn’t eat up too much space so there is less displacement of furniture to accommodate it. A smaller tree means more lights to cover it and therefore it’s ablaze this year.
Shortbread cookies are in the oven and I am starting to smell them. If anyone asked, what do I think about when i remember childhood Christmases it wouldn't take me long to zero in on this cookie. For me they are synonymous with the holiday, like butter is to toast. This sweet aroma wafting the air takes me back to my mother in her kitchen. She was the best baker; sorry Martha, you'd be a pale second. My mom made the best pies and cakes, especially her pound cake and her apple crisp, but the shortbread; they are hands down the best I've tasted. I do my best with her recipe and I come close but there must have been a magical ingredient that made hers better. Maybe I don't make them with enough love, maybe my baking is selfish, they’re basically for me, whereas she made hers for the family. Everything she made was better; more crunchy, fluffy and flavourful . She was a dynamo and I miss her at Christmas time more than other times of the year. My mother loved the holidays and had more peace and joy that time of year.
All the old traditions are gone now. We’ve had to adopt our own and Hubby and I never go over the top. The holidays are spent relaxing and unwinding, not shopping and beating the pavement for presents. This year, we are having a very subdued, low key, champagne taste on a beer budget holiday. We’re keeping it small, doing the two T’s of Christmas. Tree and turkey. Hubby might have a lean year in 2016 for work; there’s not much good news coming out of Alberta right now so we are buckling down for a long dry spell. We never really go big on Christmas anyway but this year we stayed clear of the stores. Hopefully others were out in spades to keep our economy going. We laugh and say once we are out of money we’ll start eating out every night. What evening would you like us at your house, we’ll pencil you in!
Quite frankly, although the crow in me likes to see foil wrapped gifts under the tree, there is absolutely nothing we need. We have too much stuff to begin with, let alone bringing more in to find a place for. We’ve had lean years in the past and I can’t say that it impacts on the day at all. Good food and good friends is what makes the holiday a thumbs up. We have a meal fit for royalty and usually play games or watch a couple of movies. We play with the pups. They have so many toys we have to rotate them so we wrap some of the older things and reintroduce them. They don’t care, it’s the crinkling tissue paper that thrills them, what’s inside is irrelevant.
We were invited out for Christmas day for dinner at a friend’s house. The Little’s feast will be made on Boxing Day. Now that Shane is married we have to share our kids between the two families, and we had them last year for the 25th. It’s no hardship, turkey either day is still a celebration. Traditions evolve to accommodate the changing times, all is good, all is bright.
We’ve been really busy with work so I haven’t had much time to write this week but then again you probably didn’t have much time to read so it all worked out. I get up in the morning, blink my eye and then it’s time to go to bed. If I could have one thing for Christmas it would be an extra hour in the day to get more done. I hope to hook over the holidays and do nothing more than sit on my rump, enjoy my family and being home. Maybe pile the last bit of firewood, eat turkey, cranberry and mayo sandwiches, and wear out my pajamas. That’s pretty much the way I’ll roll.
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is playing. Wonderful words for this beautiful season. From all of us to all of you “We hope you all have a safe and happy holiday”.
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