On the first day of Christmas.....

As promised…. Here it is, the inaugural post in my series of very personal Christmas experiences and impressions of the season as a whole. I’ll be sharing things very close to my heart in a lot of these posts so get ready to be tantalized by what will prove to be a weird and wonderful expedition into the ugly reality lurking behind all the tinsel and glitter!!!! Whatever… just get on with it…

On the first day of Christmas…. I’ll kick off with something from my childhood, may as well start at the beginning right? I do recall way back when, and I’m talking waaay back.. when I was about four or so, circa 1973/4, I was tremendously excited to receive a little stuffed panda and a book called the Twinkle Annual. Twinkle was a magazine for little girls and every year they came out with an annual (as did most comic’s at that time, do they still do that??). I seem to remember these gifts being given to me by my Mum’s hairdresser who we called Aunty Margaret, a lovely older lady with curly hair and glasses and a beautiful warmth. I could not sleep on Christmas Eve, I was soooo full of excitement about Santa coming and what gifts he would leave for me, my brother told me that the sooner I went to sleep the sooner I would wake up and see what I had. I lay there for what seemed like forever thinking that the night would never, ever end, and I remember it as if it was just yesterday!  Well, the funny thing about that particular year is that I don’t recall anything other than the panda and the Twinkle annual. I’m sure I got a gift pack of soaps and bath stuff, we always got one of those from one of our aunts, and another aunt would send us World Wildlife Fund Christmas Cards with a crisp one pound note taped inside with perfect precision.

There is a photo somewhere of me on that wonderful day, I’m wearing a red maxi dress with blue ruffles around the neck and wrists (it was lovely polyester nylon!!) and I’m holding that precious panda in my arms. Cute! We liked to dress nicely on Christmas day and I loved that part of it, even at that tender age I was definitely one for formality and had a sense of occasion!!!

I believe we lived in my Grandmothers cottage at the time, maybe we had just moved to Scotland I’m not sure but I do know that there was my Grandmother, my parents and all four of us kids in a tiny one bed roomed cottage and we had two bull mastiffs….. Whoa… what a thought!!! I know we must have lived there cos that’s where I was when I remember trying to get to sleep, lying on some blankets that were on top of an old travel chest that she had lying on it’s side. I can only imagine the rest of the kids were on the floor or the large double bed… did they sleep on the couch?? Where did Nanna sleep?? I know I’m not wrong about it but I can’t imagine four kids and three adults in a teeny tiny one bed cottage? Freaky.

Anyhoodles, one or two meager Christmases when I was a little girl didn’t kill me and the memories are fond to be honest. I loved that panda and kept him for a long time, until one day my dear brother used it for target practice for his air rifle. Nice!!! And if I could find the picture you’d see a happy little blonde girl with shiny cheeks and a happy little smile in her fancy dress. So… think about it… forget the credit card overload and get your kid a little panda this year. She will love you for it…. I guarantee it!!!

I'm exhausted,,,, and it's not here yet....

See here's the thing.. I love Christmas, or should I say I loved it. Growing up we didn't put the tree or the decorations up until Christmas Eve and left them there until January 6th. This did two things for a little girl excited about all the magic and the presents and the joy of the season.... firstly it made one mad that all one's friends parents put their trees up early, we were the only nuts in the town, it seemed, who waited until Christmas Eve...what a crock!!! On the other hand it was completely magical, the tree would be brought in and fill the house with the lovely scent of fresh pine, we'd drag out the decorations and you know how that goes....reminiscing about your favorite baubles (as we call them in the good olde UK) making sure the tinsel was even all around the tree and wondering if it was even gonna make it; we'd always have to cut some of the tree off to fit it in the house and then we'd put it in a bucket and hope it wouldn't fall over. We didn't have tree stands back then... in the dark ages. Let me also share the rest of the decorations with you, in 1970's Britain there was a lot of shiny weird decorations that looked like they belonged in a Chinese restaurant, we'd hang them from the ceiling and around the edges of the walls, some people would drape tinsel over their pictures hanging on the walls. We had a tradition of Blue Tacking (google it) all the Christmas cards that we received in the hallway of our house. They literally filled the walls, everywhere you looked cards of all shapes and sizes!!! Freakin ridiculous, looking back on it. Then there was the hoop... yes a hoop... my Mum was really pretty creative when I look back on it. She had this crazy idea to cover a hula hoop with red shiny tinsel, then suspend it under the chandelier in the living room with fishing line, then she dangled something else from it, bells or something festive like that. It looked like it was hanging in mid air... then the piece de resistance was the streamers going from the ring to the corners of the room. Magnifique!!!!! We'd then go to bed and voila...wake up the next morning to a beautifully decorated house and Santa had delivered the goods!!!

Anyhoodles... went way off track with all that didn't I???  What I was trying to point out is that although it was purgatory waiting for the tree and decs to go up, it meant that all the magic happened in a couple of days and there was no waiting around with a winter wonderland happening around you and no goods being delivered. That's probably what made me into the instant gratification kinda chick I am today.

Jump to present day America, here I am in the hub of Commercial Central... Christmas starts pretty much right after July 4th.... and it goes on and on and on and on and on... you get the picture.  Our tree went up the last weekend of November, my sister pointed out that was pretty ridiculous... she was right. Now it looks like it's been dragged around the back yard several times and attacked by a stray moose. So on THE DAY... you know the DAY that is Christmas, it will be a bedraggled pile of plastic and paper and I"ll be ready to take the damn thing down and get it out of my life for another year. There have been parades, Victorian Christmas, shopping nights, Christmas parties, Church Choir performances and Goodness knows what else. Ash has been to school twice in pajamas to watch Christmas movies and drink hot chocolate... Syd has performed the Reindeer Rap and been to see the Highschoolers perform a Christmas play..... I'm DONE!!! ya hear me freakin' DONE!!! NO MORE!!!!! It goes on and on until when the big day gets here you're totally freakin' over it already. Why can't it all just wait... wait until the week before Christmas, that way one won't get so nauseated with all the Good Will toward men and happy freakin' Jingle Bells.

I took the day off today, it was to stay home with my sick child who's really had a rough week, but it served a purpose to me too. While I took care of her, I took care of me too. I rested with her and realized I'm totally exhausted dammit... not just tired... not just a little out of steam... absolutely, effin' unbelievably exhausted!!!!

So I stayed home and rested, I made good on the opportunity to recharge my batteries... and I made a plan. See when the Americans are planning all the festivities, they over schedule just the first three weeks of December... and then it stops. So here's where I will start.... I'm baking tonight for our visitors, I'll be taking the kids to a light show over the weekend, just us, looking at the lights, enjoying being together. Then I will do some last minute shopping and wrap the gifts in the knowledge that no one has to be anywhere other than home and enjoying our time together. This is where I slow down and focus on the real meaning of Christmas, I will try and enjoy Hubby and the girls, we'll spend quality time together and we'll make our home warm and welcoming to the rest of the family. Yep that's what we're gonna do.

Since starting this post I paused to bake a bunch o' baked goods... lovely pumpkin bread, banana bread and sausage rolls. Tomorrow I'll throw together some sausage cheese balls, mince pies (staple of a British Christmas) and I'll try my hand at some cheese straws.....if you have a recipe for them please send it to me post haste!!! I'm determined to make it all about the hospitality and less about the dollars spent, traditions for my girls that hopefully they'll remember and take forth to the next generation. Who knew that baking at home with some smooth jazz would relax me so????  The wine helped too!! hee hee!!!

Look at the lovely Rose Pumpkin Bread.... who knew???

p.s. Ash just walked in and said she's gonna be nice now 'cos she wants presents!!! LMAO!!!

A little Tuesday Morning Randomonium....

Lately I have been really good about writing posts and scheduling them, thus freeing up my time to check out other blogs, comment and make new friends. Also more time for playing with the kids, getting them everything they need for school in the final weeks before Christmas and taking care of hubby who has a mystery illness called Man Flu.  Man Flu is of course not terminal although the patient has to be cared for like it is the very worst, life threatening disease on the planet. You must administer more medicine than woman flu requires (which apparently is a mild irritation compared to Man Flu...see how MF gets a capitalization even!) and the victim of MF must wear ridiculous clothing and spend a lot of time "resting" in front of the TV. Honestly, sweats with beige socks!!! and slippers!!!! How does being a people of Walmart make you feel better????

Today though I have run out of scheduled items so for a fill in I like to do my little Randomonium spot, it has a special place in my heart......

Dexter... watched the final episode last night (we have to download it 'cos we're too cheap for Showtime) and it was disturbing!!! Both hubster and myself are sad... just sad.... boo hooooo.

Syd... she's sick too and really upset that she can't perform in the Christmas extravaganza at school tonight... why oh why is it so hard to watch you're little ones when their hearts are breaking?  I wish I had some miracle drug that would perk her up and get her on the stage tonight, she's practiced so much that Peanut knows the song and offered to take her place!!! LOL.. now that's funny!!!!

Weather... it sucks here right now... one day it's freezing and raining... then it's downright hot... but still raining.. which makes for heavy fog and steam... yes steam people.. it's like living in a damn rain forest right now. And because it's so wet out everywhere looks shitty... just plain shitty... like the whole town needs a good clean. I'm ready for some brisk, dry weather with a beautiful blue sky.. not too much to ask.

Work.... I love my job, mainly because I love the people I work with. They are sad at the moment and that's all I have to say... I"m praying for some healing!!!

Dogs... my babies are the light of my life, and that's all I have to say about that.

Christmas... apparently we are the host family for this Christmas' celebrations.. all of a sudden we've leaped from an intimate little family Christmas to hosting six additional guests.... now I"m cooking a proper dinner for ten.. better get something russelled up real quick like.  I am really looking forward to it though, I love to have a houseful and entertain.  As long as my IV of red wine doesn't run out, all will be well.

And finally... I am kinda pissed at my beloved Nikon... yes I went there.... sorry Nikon Girls... I just can't get to grips with it in the dark!!!! I took it to Victorian Christmas the other night and it was a disaster. I know, I know I need to read the manual... but I don't want to read the freakin' manual, it's boring, I just want to take awesome pictures!!!!!!!!!!!  Here's a look at how I did...........put you're coffee down...........

What's up with this... Why is the peanut a blur??

OK used the flash (I know!) and there's a dark shadow????

No flash, and it just Stinks!!!!!

No flash, stood very still.... still stinks!!!!

Finally, half decent I guess.

None of the above have been edited.. what's the point? they stink!!

What's your favorite Christmas Decoration?????

So we're into the Holiday Season.... glad tidings and peace to all men! (and women)!

We have our tree up, didn't take very long this year, I guess we have it down

to a fine art....or we just don't have all the fancy decor we used to have.

Every year I say that I'm going to have the beautifully coordinated tree

I used to have... and every year we put the home made trinkets on the

tree... ahh well as long as they're little we'll be putting the

home made stuff up, they won't be little forever will they!! I love

to see their faces as they remember when they made stuff

or they see pictures on them of when they were little etc.

Then there are the old faves such as the Elvis decorations and the ball

with Troy and Gabriella from High School Musical!!

Here are my faves this year....

One that my crazy Mum sent to me... I love it!!!!

One I got from an ornament swap at a JSL Christmas do....

And this has been my favorite for about seven or so years now... my sister sent it to me!!!! Thanks Sis.

These are the elves who helped... look at the doors...cute!!!!

So what's your fave???? take a picture and post it... link back to this post... share, it's what

Christmas is all about!!!!