….two weeks overdue
Tonight all the ornaments come down and this beauty will be recycled to the outdoors.
Sunday Trees – 162
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Category Archives: Christmas
One at a Time – WP Daily Writing Challenge
….today Word Press is challenging us to write on any topic using only one syllable words
Sing, A Time of Love
Sing a song that brings joy
Make it full of whole long notes
High and low, soft and loud
Add a quick bar or two for fun
Sweet babes sing with glee
Dear Saint Nick is on his way
Hum, dance and dream
Of toys and sweet treats
Bless this day so near
Bring one and all home
to share and sing
Sing, sing, sing!
My Favourite Decorations
…..homemade are always the best and then those that have been lovingly gifted by a special friend
As I decorated my tree this year, I discovered that I was more particular as to what went on the tree. One of the reasons for cutting back on the decorations had to do with the size of the tree. Every year for the last few years I’ve been down sizing when it comes to choosing my tree. I used to look for one that was tall and full but in my little house that really didn’t make much sense and as the family has grown to include significant others space has become an issue. This Christmas Eve we had 11 adults over and when it came time to open presents the living room was jam packed with bodies.
I digress, however, so back to the topic that I started with. Decorations. As a child I used to love the glass ornaments that my mother brought with us from Germany. They were brightly painted and very delicate and more than once I remember breaking one or two because I chose to play with them when they should have been left undisturbed on the tree. Some of them were in the shape of instruments and actually played a tuned when you blew into them. Oh how tempting for a six year old to remove them from the tree and try them out. Sadly all these beautiful ornaments have disappeared over the years.
When I married I started to collect ornaments for my own tree. Over the years my friend AB gifted us unusual and beautiful ornaments to adorn our tree and in my crafty days I made numerous objects to hang on the tree. One of the simplest ornaments that I made was a walnut sprayed with gold paint and adorned with a red bow. I’ve had a box of these for over 20 years.
When my oldest daughter left the nest she also started to make ornaments for the tree. Her choice of medium is felt and she has created some very unusual pieces, including a human heart (she’s a medical illustrator by profession). One of the first ornaments that she gave us was a cute felt squirrel because she knows how much my husband loves (NOT) those pesky little rodents.
Over the years my collection has grown partly because of my friend, AB who I have known for over 35 years. She has made it a tradition to give me ornaments every year. I’ve received little fans, wooden angels, apples, and numerous other glittery and mostly red ornaments.
I’ve met some very talented people over the years. One of them is a neighbour who used to paint beautiful characters onto fabric and then sew around the painting and stuff them. They were small enough to be hung on a tree and I have saved and cherished her work for many years. Another neighbour and good friend has a sister who also used to sell her handiwork and one of her Santas has become one of my favourites.
As my collection grew I started to give away some of my ornaments to my children, especially ones that I made. It’s nice to know that they have good homes and maybe some day will be passed on to other generations. One can only hope.
Hope all of you had as happy a Christmas as I did. The celebrations continue at our house. Boxing Day with my father, a trip to Niagara Falls, and a birthday celebration for our twins (going on 32). New Year’s Eve will probably be quiet but you never know.
Cheers!
Can Barely Keep My Eyes Open
……last day of school before the holidays
Today, Thursday, was our last day of school. Normally we go till Friday but the government wants to save some money so they made Friday an unpaid PD day. Now most teachers were happy to be off one day early but today when our pay checks arrived we received an unwelcome surprise. Our net pay reflected the day off that we haven’t even taken yet. Ughhhh!!!!!!! Why our board couldn’t spread it out over the year is beyond me. The difference was significant. The timing couldn’t be worse.
That aside, the atmosphere at school was electric today. The kids were crazy and the teachers were barely hanging in there. Last night we had our staff party and even though most of us didn’t stay late some of us went out shopping after we left the party. The party by the way was one of the best in all my years at this school. It was exceptionally well attended and everyone had a great time. Lots of laughter, fun and games, good food and great company.
When I got home, after doing last minute shopping for my library helpers and the support staff at school, I stayed up to wrap the gifts. I think I went to bed after 1:00 am. This morning we had an assembly, where we recognized outstanding students for the month of December, listened and watched some outstanding student talent and sang a few Carols. There wasn’t a lot of teaching going on in the morning or in the afternoon for that matter. I did have an art class in the afternoon and one library class.
At the end of the day, I stayed in the library for awhile to clean-up and organize some of my art supplies and my library office. I didn’t leave till after 4:30 but it felt good to leave my space tidy and organized. When I got home I checked my emails and my husband heated up some soup for dinner. It’s not even 8:30 and I’m already falling asleep at the computer. I have a feeling it’s going to be an early night for me. I’ll need all the rest I can get. Even though I’ve done a lot of my shopping, I now need to spend some time on my house to get it ready for my son and his girlfriend and for family and friends who will be here for Christmas Eve.
Good night!
Cheers!
The Christmas Spirit at School
….what a perfect topic for my 500th post
For weeks the boys and girls in the junior choir have been learning and fine tuning the songs that they performed at last night’s concert. For several years now the choir has paired up with a local men’s choir, The Queensmen, at Christmas time to put on a joint concert. One of their favourite songs is Santa Fever and this year and last year the Dads or a significant male figure in the children’s lives were invited to join the choir for this show stopper tune. This year “Santa” joined in on the fun. The concert was one of the best I’ve ever experienced with this choir.
The next day most of the girls from the basketball team arrived for the early morning practice. The girls have learned so much and are really starting to apply what they’ve learned to their game. It’s a joy watching them play. They’re having so much fun.
Tomorrow is Craft Night at our school. The kids and the parents love this evening. All the teachers pair up and come up with a craft that families can work on together and complete in about 15 minutes. Every year there’s a different theme. This year the committee decided on Winter Wonderland.
Each teacher is given enough money from the parent council so that about 50 to 100 projects can be produced in each class. Most families can complete about 4 crafts in one evening. I’ve paired up with my friend L and we’re making wire stars with a snowflake garland. For a while we couldn’t find the garland so we came up with a few other options, like creating a beaded garland or using gold wire to embellish the star.
All week I’ve been cutting wire, making samples, measuring out the garlands and bagging the materials into individual baggies. I was exhausted after putting together about 60 kits. Tomorrow when I’m at the basketball game, L will take over and complete the remaining 40 kits and cutting 60 more wires.
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- Individual bags of wire, beads and ribbon
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- The frames used to wrap the wire into stars
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- A close-up of the nails
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- The beads and snowflake garland
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- Star with gold wire and glass beads
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- Star with snowflake garland
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- Star with coloured beads
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- Star wrapped in gold wire
Where is Everyone?
….must be out Christmas shopping
It’s bitterly cold today. A great day to read emails and stay indoors. I guess not everyone else feels the same because it’s really quiet on the blogging home front. With over 500 followers my site is unusually quiet.
I know that I, sometimes spend too much time on the computer but I love learning about new things and getting new ideas for my own art or projects for my art classes at school. This morning I learned about a woman in the Netherlands that recycles old t-shirts and makes rugs using only her fingers (after she’s torn and cut the old shirts apart using scissors).
I then watched a 20 minute video tutorial on making an art collage called Industrial Heart. I was mesmerized. If you’re a budding artist or want to try a new technique check this out.
Well I guess I should do something more constructive today. I need to buy a few more things for Christmas but my husband is balking at going to the mall. I may end up fighting the crowds on my own. Wish me luck.
Cheers!
Christmas Shopping On-Line
…..easy if you know what you want and don’t go for the first link
More and more I’ve been shopping on-line for Christmas presents. One of the reasons is that my adult children post everything they would like on-line with links as to where one can purchase the items. It really makes it easy but I have discovered a few glitches along the way.
First of all, when you’re ordering from Canada the free shipping claim is often null and void. By the time you pay the shipping you’re not saving very much money, if any. This is true for Amazon. com. The shipping charge was more than $16.00 for one item and the Canadian taxes hadn’t been added either. When I went to Amazon.ca the same item was initially a little bit more expensive but even with taxes in and no shipping charge the final price was cheaper than the American price. So Canadians beware.
Amazon.com and Amazon.ca are offering free shipping for a month on all items but after that you will be charged a $79.00 fee for the rest of the year. Personally I rarely shop on-line after Christmas so it doesn’t make sense to sign up for the free offer. If you’re willing to wait a few extra days for delivery you can get free shipping anyway. The lesson here is to read the small print.
If you use Paypal you can get a 5% discount back on all your purchases that you make for the next little while. I think its just from now until the first week in December but every little bit helps. I wish I could use Paypal for all my on-line purchases.
This year we used Elfster to organize our gift exchange. It’s been fun and it’s forced me to think about what I would really like for Christmas. At first I found it extremely difficult to write down what I wanted. I just couldn’t think of anything that fit within the $100.00 limit. I never have problems knowing what I’d like when I actually go shopping but the reality is that I probably don’t NEED anything. I did, however, come up with several items. Once I started I was on a roll and before I knew it I had nine items on my list. Some of them are over the limit but my husband doesn’t have to stick to the limit. The gift exchange doesn’t include significant others. I’m still responsible for getting my husband gifts and vice versa.
The best part of on-line shopping is having the parcels arrive at the door in a few days. It’s like Christmas opening the parcels, even though you know they’re for someone else. I think there’s some truth in the saying ‘It’s better to give than to receive’.
Cheers!
P.S. We’re finally having our gift exchange party tomorrow, even though we all know who we’re buying presents for. My husband is starting to feel better as he recovers from his shingles and is finally up to preparing his Gluewein and Goulash dinner.
Winter is at our Doorstep
…..cold temperatures and a dusting of snow today (yesterday)…..hit published….looked like it went through…..discovered this morning that it hadn’t…..sigh…..by the way we got another covering of snow last night
An image of what’s to come in the next few months. Brrrr!!!!!!!!!
What a perfect day to do a little Christmas shopping and check out the Winter Arts Fest at Neilson Park Creative Centre. I met a great artist who makes beautiful jewellery with glass imbedded with copper, a retired principal who creates gorgeous wooden boards and boxes made from different types of coloured wood and an author who wrote a novel about Toronto’s history.
I also ran into my former art teacher, LZ, whose classes I took for a couple of years at Neilson Park Creative Centre. She told me she’s been thinking about me lately and hopes I’ll come back to one of her classes in January. She says she’s including collage and more printmaking lessons to the class. She must have been channelling my thoughts of late because I’ve wanted to do more of both, especially collage.
An earlier attempt at collage.
Printing on Gelli plates.
After doing some shopping at the craft show I headed over to the mall which is close by. The kitchen store had some great sales and I picked up some small items for stocking stuffers. I then went to one of my favourite stores and treated myself to a couple of new tops.
What’s up for tomorrow? Well I keep saying I’m going to reorganize my bedroom but there’s an interesting arts and craft show at my old alma mater in Guelph that I might check out. It all depends on whether someone is willing to go with me. I’m all about living in the moment.
Cheers!
The Stranger
.…without warning a soft knock resonated at the door
Story #3 for Daily Post Writing Challenge
The Stranger
It was late, Christmas Eve. The evening had been a quiet one, spent with good friends and close family members. Everyone left about 10:00 and my husband stayed up for awhile to help me with the cleaning up. Seeing how tired he was I suggested that he retire to bed and I would finish up in the kitchen.
The next morning would be a busy time with preparations for Christmas dinner and I needed a clean kitchen to work in so I happily stayed up to wash the last few glasses and put things away.
After finishing in the kitchen I walked around the livingroom, extinguishing the candles, picking up the loose bits of wrapping paper and tidying up the opened presents. I had just unplugged the Christmas tree lights when without warning a soft knock resonated from the front door. The dog began to bark furiously. Who would be at my door at 11:30 at night on Christmas Eve?
I froze but quickly caught my breath. I quietly inched my way to a window where I could see who was outside on my front porch. I saw that the person was a woman in a puffy black coat but I couldn’t make out her features. I went to the front door and without opening it I called out to the stranger and asked her what she wanted.
In a desperate voice she told me she was a neighbour and needed a loonie and a quarter. Who needs $1.25 on Christmas Eve? The closest 24 hour store was 7 blocks west and 2 blocks north from here. There wasn’t a waiting car or taxi that I could see. I know most of my neighbours and her Eastern European accent wasn’t familiar to me. I didn’t know what to do. Even the dog had stopped barking. I could hear her mumbling away when I didn’t respond to her plea.
My husband was sound asleep. I knew I had no change in my wallet and I was afraid. I quietly turned from the door, made sure all the other doors in the house were locked, turned off the last of the lights and tiptoed up the stairs to bed. I looked out from the upstairs window but the stranger had left. I don’t know where she went but I think I did see her walking along the street that intersects our road. She was warmly dressed and she seemed to know where she was going.
I felt guilty, nervous and unsettled. How ironic that on Christmas Eve I was like the inn keepers that had no room for Mary and Joseph. I sent her away. Is it fair to compare my situation to that classic bible story? It is after all 2012. I live in a city where home invasions periodically take place. If I had opened the door would she have pushed her way in and robbed us or was someone else with her waiting in the shadows? I’ll never know for sure but I did have a restless sleep that night. Every creak and tiny noise put me on edge.
The next morning when I told my husband what happened he told me I had done the right thing. What would you have done?
Weekly Writing Challenge: Just Do It
……I just discovered The Daily Post at WordPress.com
I’ve been trying to hone my writing skills since I started blogging in April. One day before the writing challenge, Just Do It, came out I wrote one of my best pieces ever, so I’ve decided to reprint it for those of you who follow the writing challenges. I’ll try to write another two stories later today seeing that I’m already two days into the challenge and haven’t written anything since the challenge began.
The Best Christmas Present
It was December 24th, 1958. I was six years old. I remember that it was a frosty cold day and my mother was fretting because we still didn’t have our tree. In Germany it was traditional to put the tree up Christmas Eve but Mom had been in Canada long enough to know that trees were sold well in advance of the big day and that finding one at this late date would be challenging. My father, however, the complete optimist, reassured us that bringing home a tree today would not be a problem.
Early in the afternoon, Dad got into his big black Ford and left Mom, my sister and I to prepare the house for the arrival of Santa Claus. Hours passed and I remember my mother started to worry. There were no cell phones and stores were already closed. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity my father arrived with not one, but two trees.
My mother was aghast. What were we to do with two trees and two spindly trees at that? My father, again, reassured us that he had it all under control and disappeared into the basement with both trees in tow. For the next hour or so we heard the hand saw cut away at one of the trees and a hand drill bore holes into the other.
Weary and smiling from ear to ear, Dad emerged from the basement with a beautiful, full, and perfectly formed ‘Tannenbaum’. Christmas was looking up and we quickly adorned our new tree with glass ornaments that had been carefully brought over from Germany. The electric candles were meticulously arranged and then we were allowed to place the icicles on the lower branches while the adults worked on the upper ones.
Darkness came early as it always has on Christmas Eve and I remember the excitement I felt and the anticipation of hearing and maybe seeing Santa Claus come through the front door in an hour or so. When it was time my mother hurried us into our bedroom and sat with us while we waited for Santa’s arrival.
The knock was loud and resounding and my father opened the door to welcome our special guest. It was always the same greeting. “Ho, ho, ho!” while Santa noisily stamped the snow from his boots. The two men exchanged a few words, loud enough so that we could hear through the door and then as quickly as he arrived, Santa left.
My father called for us to come out and see what Santa had left us. It was always magical walking into the living room at that particular moment in time. The candles were lit for the first time, the rest of the lights in the house were dimmed and lo and behold the base of the tree was miraculously laden with beautifully wrapped gifts that hadn’t been there 20 minutes earlier.
Our tradition was always to sing a few Carols before opening our gifts. I wrung my hands as I dutifully sang and my little sister stood next to me with her cheeks flushed, partially due to the excitement and the late hour. The one present I remember both of receiving that night were matching life-size baby dolls. I named mine Barbara. Unbeknownst to us, the best present was yet to arrive.
Our next door neighbours dutifully arrived soon after all our gifts had been opened and we were hustled off to bed with our new ‘babies’. Little did we know that my parents’ friends were there to babysit us while my mom and dad drove to the hospital. It’s funny how I have no recollection of my mother even being pregnant and I certainly had no clue that she had been in labour that entire day.
The rest of the story is how I remember it being retold by my mother and father.
After putting us to bed, with her little suitcase in hand, my mother got into the car with my father at the wheel and sped off to the hospital. At the time we lived in Oakville and my mother’s doctor worked out of a hospital in Toronto. The fastest way to get there was via the expressway.
Before I continue with my story I need preface it with a little more information about my father. My father has always been a very carefree and spontaneous sort of fellow. He was a hard worker and provided for his family but his judgement about certain things was not always prudent. One of those things was how far he could travel on a tank of gas. That said let me continue with my story.
It must have been close to 11:00 at night when the unspeakable happened. In the middle of the QEW the car ran out of gas. I guess after driving around all afternoon looking for a tree my father forgot how much gas he used. Remember this was a time when everything was closed on Christmas Eve and 24 hour gas stations did not exist. I can’t imagine what my mother was thinking as her contractions were getting closer and closer. This baby was coming quickly.
Over the years as I remember this story I can’t believe that my father got out of the car and left my mom by the side of the highway while he looked for a gas station. As luck would have it my father managed to find an open service station and bought enough gas to get them to the hospital. My parents arrived minutes before midnight and about 10 minutes later my sister was born.
The next morning, on Christmas Day, I remember my sister and I climbing into bed with my father where he gave us the news of our new sister. Each year on this day I fondly remember the events that led up to this special day and the birth of my sister….my best childhood Christmas present, ever. Love you Cathy!
Wishing all my loyal readers and followers and my family and friends a very special holiday season, whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza or Diwali. May you all have special memories to cherish and share.
Carol
For those of you who are new to the writing challenges, here is the link:
Mama Cormier 