Happy New Year
Not My Favorite Day☹️
I put up our Christmas decorations, with Nat King Cole singing to me, and a glass of eggnog waiting for me on the kitchen counter. I take Every ornament in my hand and memories rush to my head, and I smile and sometimes have tears in my eyes, remembering the days we sat at the breakfast table, glueing and sprinkling sparkles on our new creations. Our house gets filled with color. Red, green, and gold. Poinsettia plants tucked in every corner, and the smell of our new fraser fir Christmas tree fills our home. Bowls of candy, and cake pedestals filled with homemade cookies, ready to be gift wrapped for friends, and neighbors decorate my house like a Christmas card. I love sliding every heavy box filled with decorations out off the attic, and I am never surprised to hear my husband growl, when he finds a broken string of light. Even the rush drive, to buy more lights is memorable.
Today, I am collecting my Christmas decorations, and putting them back in boxes for next year. This is not one of my favorite days !! There is no music, no eggnog, only the frustration of how the same decorations refuse to fit in their original boxes?!! Christmas always seems to come too fast, and go by too fast, and I never seem to feel, I had enough time to enjoy all the memories I had pulled out of my Christmas boxes. But I am sure, I have collected more memories, with my fast growing “older” family, and I am positive I have gained few more pounds from baking Christmas cookies. For now looking forward to next year, and the hope of another Christmas, with Nat King Cole Singing to me, as I decorate my house, and drink my eggnog with a dash of tears.
Christmas Eve
We Wish You A Happy Holiday Season
Sweet Saffron Chicken With Rice
Watch me decorate for the holiday season🎄
When we picked up our Christmas tree, I also picked up an arm full of clippings. I wanted to use them in decorating my mail box, the living room and the dining room. Also Adding trimmings ( Faux red berries, and pinecones) that I had saved from last year’s Christmas wreaths. I thought they would add texture, color, and dimension to the all green clippings.
I put on my garden gloves, since I was getting sap all over my hands, and started layering the branches. Included smaller branches to cover some empty spots, and added pinecones and the berries in between the greens. Later I add another layer of Christmas ball ornaments and a string of lights.
Just to see different looks, later I added poinsettia plants, my small decorative Christmas trees, and just making it colorful, bright, and sparkly I also added mercury candle holders in silver, gold, and green.
All together 5 looks for a very warm, colorful, holiday season decor. you can watch my video on how I put together everything on the fireplace mantle and my dining buffet table. I hope you enjoy watching it, and please support me by subscribing. Have a safe Holiday Season. https://youtu.be/nYq5ohkaOjA
Hot cocoa Party🥳🎄
Christmas Tree Clippings from Fraser Firs & More🎄
I started this ritual four years ago. We pick up our Christmas tree, and I collect an arm full of clippings, using them later to make our mail box festive like everyone else’s in our neighborhood.
After we choose our tree, we get back to the car, and wait for our tree to get wrapped to the top of our car. Here I stand next to a mountain of clippings, and I always ask for permission to dip into the mountain, and I am always encouraged by the sales people to pick up the entire load 😂 Beautiful, green branches, with the fresh scent of Fraser Fir, that fills my car, as I drive home with our Christmas tree (which we can’t smell) on top of the car, looking like a Christmas card.
After a few days, weather permitting, I take some branches, and the trimmings that I will be using, to the mail box, and start working. It usually takes a few minutes to arrange the branches, trim a few, add berries and pine cones to make our mail box looking festive, colorful and beautiful. 🎄
I kept these berries and pinecones from last years wreath, I add them for color and more texture🎄
I still have plenty of clippings left, I am planning on using them around the house for center pieces, and the fireplace mantle. I will Take photos for another blog, stay tuned 😉Have a wonderful holiday season🎁
A Gift Idea
No matter how early I start shopping for family and friends, there is always the last minute shopping, when the on line deadline makes it impossible to get that last gift on time. I create two lists for gift ideas. One is for family members that have giving me hints on what they like Santa to bring, since Halloween , and the 2nd list is names of friends, and people that I don’t know well, but I like to acknowledge their kindness, toward my family during the year. Our teachers, our mailman, three trash collectors, and three recycling collectors, and new friends, are on my 2nd list.
There are two facts I always keep in mine, when shopping on behalf of Santa. Everyone’s hobbies, and interests. It can be something new, like starting yoga, swimming, or traveling, or a life long interest like, writing, reading, gardening, and cooking. And when it comes to shopping for teens and younger adults in my family, I am always hoping to introduce them to a hobby, that I think they might enjoy to try, and experiment with. Since I prefer Online shopping. choices are limitless, and the fear of ending with dorky, absolutely uncool gift is close to impossible. The window to the world of young consumers is wide open through all the social media platforms, and with one search word it is easy to find the write gift, and read hundreds of reviews related to it. I know for me going off the Christmas wish list and purchasing that one gift that might start a life long interest is not going to be too risky!!
As I always have, every Christmas, I purchase writing instruments, journals, coloring books, and pencils, for many of my young family members. Helping them to discover their interest in the joy of writing with a beautiful fountain pen, and drawing and sketching with great quality pencils. Hoping they see the joy of writing in a notebook, or sketching their thoughts in color. Using other tools to express themselves, in peace and quiet, with the sound of their pencil against their notebook, without the distraction of popping texts, and emails.
I wish you and your family a joyful holiday season. 🎄 and I hope you watch and enjoy “ Looking For Gift Ideas” video on our YouTube channel, and please support us by subscribing. 🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁🎄🎁
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