Feeling festive

December 1, 2019December 2, 2019Leave a comment

It was very difficult, but I managed to resist breaking into my box of Christmas clothes till after Thanksgiving. I even made it into December. But today, I crumbled like a gingerbread cookie.

See, I got these super soft leggings, and they are too comfy to be resisted…

I wonder if Santa Claus works for Section 31. I mean, they both know when you’ve been sleeping, and they know when you’re awake, and they know when you’ve been bad or good…

I suppose the world may never know.

How do you show your Christmas spirit?

The Monday Meme

November 4, 20197 Comments

Well, better late than never, right? It may be a hair after 11:00 p.m., but I’m going to get this out tonight yet.

I was thinking about changing things up here, since I haven’t done that in a while, and to get my creative juices percolating again. In case you’ve been under a rock for the past couple of years like I have, Facebook has become host to a wealth of memes, and I’m going to use them for inspiration…at least for a little while.

First up? This gem that I saw last Thursday:

It’s funny because it’s true. But even as it’s true, it’s also false–Hobby Lobby’s had Christmas stuff up since before Labor Day, and I’m pretty sure I heard a Christmas song or two while I was in there keeping my eyes peeled for signs that Jack Skellington was lurking about. I mean, it was Halloween in one aisle and Christmas in the next. You’d have been looking for him, too.

How do you feel about Christmas music before Thanksgiving? Let’s discuss!

Stretch!

January 8, 20172 Comments

Everyone needs a good stretch sometimes. Maybe not this big a stretch, though…

Another stressed-out Christmas carol

December 23, 20162 Comments

So last year about this time, I was doing the Writing 101 challenge and the prompt was fallacy. I wrote a stressed-out-Mom version of “Jingle Bells,” which pretty accurately reflected my state of mind for the duration of the holiday season last year.

Actually, it’s a pretty accurate reflection of my state of mind right now, too.

In a fit of inspiration this morning, I heard the words to another stressed-out-Mom carol, and the following was born:

It’s the Most Burdensome Time of the Year

It’s the most burdensome time of the year!
With the holiday shopping
And temperatures dropping, we’re living in fear,
It’s the most burdensome time of the year.

It’s the stress-stressfullest season of all.
With the social engagements and concert arrangements
I just want to bawl!
It’s the stress-stressfullest season of all…

Oh, the kitchen is smokin’
And my budget’s broken,
I think I’m becoming a loon.
Will the pipes keep on freezing,
The kids keep on sneezing,
Or will they be throwing up soon?

It’s the most burdensome time of the year!
The noise is astonishing,
With carols admonishing be of good cheer,
It’s the most burdensome time of the year!

Oh, the kitchen is smokin’
And my budget’s broken,
I think I’m becoming a loon.
Will the pipes keep on freezing,
The kids keep on sneezing,
Or will they be throwing up soon?

It’s the most burdensome time of the year!
The noise is astonishing,
With carols admonishing be of good cheer,
It’s the most burdensome time,
Yes, the most burdensome time,
Oh, the most burdensome time
Of the year!

I had quite a lot of fun with this, and I know several others who like to put their own take on Christmas carols around this time of year. I’m thinking about making it an annual tradition!

What about you – are you ready for Christmas? What have you got planned?

Frozen to the Core

December 9, 20168 Comments

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

A storm rages outside my window. It’s dark, and the freezing mix makes it hard to see. Amy sounds tinny, and far away, and not at all the way I remember her in this song. In my memory, she is warm and welcoming, close enough to touch yet larger than life.

Now, though, she is tiny. A tiny woman singing a tiny song through a tin can phone.

I’m alone, and lonely, and the darkness doesn’t help.

It’s the hap-happiest season of all…

The darkness wraps itself around me, but it does nothing to ward off the chill, cannot stop it from settling in my bones, from freezing my marrow. I freeze all the way to my core, and not even my expensive down coat with its heat-reflecting interior can warm me.

I’m alone, and lonely, and the darkness doesn’t help.

It’s the most wonderful time…

I crank the heater up to eleven and then, because I can’t hear her over the road noise and the heater, I turn Amy up, too. Only it’s not Amy singing anymore, it’s Josh, and Bing, and their once-silken voices now sound raspy and grating, so I turn the radio back down. The blast of hot air from my car’s dashboard vents sears my eyes and chaps my skin, but it can’t warm my soul, and the bright Christmas tunes can’t dispel the gloom.

I’m alone, and lonely, and the darkness doesn’t help.

Oh, the most wonderful time…of the year!

I’m too fill in the blank for this!

December 6, 20165 Comments

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a year since I posted my stressed-out-Mom version of “Jingle Bells,” but it’s true. It’s that time of year again, and just like this time last year, I’m feeling the blues. The holiday stress began in earnest with Thanksgiving and trying to squeeze in trips to family, trips to friends, and trips to the store on Black Friday (not for the deals, but because we actually needed things) without going bonkers. This week I’ve got two Christmas concerts, church for the kids, a basketball game, a house to decorate, family pictures to take, and 20 dozen cookies to bake before Saturday.

It’s gonna be a crazy…

I’m back!

December 28, 201514 Comments

Howdy! Did you have a nice Christmas? Are you all recovered from the hustle and the bustle? Or could you have used another day in your weekend?

Lord knows I could have. I spent Christmas with a migraine of epic proportions, and the day after wasn’t a whole lot better (though it did involve a Star Wars marathon, and really the only thing better than that is a Star Trek marathon, or possibly a JAG marathon). Thank goodness I was feeling better yesterday; though I still wasn’t back to my usual self, it was a definite improvement over the previous two days.

I had planned to do a bunch of reading over the long weekend, and while I did do some reading, I didn’t do as much as I had planned. I’ll be making up for it this week, though, and I’ll be sharing my thoughts on what I’m reading right here, so stay tuned!

And now, to bed. It’s warm in bed. It’s not warm outside. Winter appears to have struck at last, and now I must go hide. 🙂

Has winter struck where you live yet?

Wowza!

December 21, 201510 Comments

Can you believe it’s the week of Christmas already? I sure can’t!

It’s been a crazy month so far and I suspect it’s only going to get crazier between now and the big day at the end of the week. With everything that’s going on, I’ve decided to take a little blogging break to catch up on my sleep and keep my sanity. Hopefully things here will get back to normal next week.

From my family to yours, merry Christmas!

Christmastime is here…

December 13, 2015Leave a comment

…Happiness and cheer,
Fun for all
That children call
Their favorite time of year…

It’s beginning to look a bit more like Christmas round these parts:

Every auditorium should have a tuba tree with an eighth note on top. 😉

I love all the musical ornaments.

Advent calendar, take two. This is the one I grew up doing with my parents, and now I’m sharing it with my kids. 🙂

I do so love this wreath. 🙂

Cricket adores his new train set.

One happy Thumper bunny. 🙂

The courthouse is always pretty, but it’s even prettier at Christmas.

Cricket wanted to put all the decorations on the piano. 🙂

Someone said she was NOT going to sit on Santa’s lap. Guess how well that worked out. 🙂

Mistletoe anyone?

Nativity central.

Best. Jingle bell. Ever.

Finally got our tree up!

Time to sing about ugly Christmas sweaters!

“Santa, you’re kinda scary, but you gave me a dolly, so I don’t know what to think now.”

If you look closely to the left of the moose, you’ll see a little reindeer mailing a letter to Santa…

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how lovely are thy branches!

What would the North Pole be without Santa Claus and snowmen?

Looks like Donner’s lying down on the job… 🙂

A pretty tree for a pretty courthouse. 🙂

But it’s been warmish and rainy here the last two days. Last night while we were decorating our tree, we had a thunderstorm. That made it feel rather more like Christmas in July.

The kids had their annual 4-H cookie walk yesterday morning and then went Christmas shopping at a local church. We listened to Christmas music all day, decorated last night, and watched Home Alone 2 after the boys went to bed. It was a little bittersweet, though – we always decorate as a family, and this year Seymour wasn’t home to help out. Miss Tadpole took it pretty hard, and I agree – it’s just not the same without him.

Still, I’m feeling pretty cheery after all that Christmasy fun yesterday, and I’m looking forward to working on Christmas cards this afternoon. 🙂

Have you decorated yet? Do you go all out, or do you keep it to a few treasured things? What kind of Christmas traditions do you have in your family?