One Box

First of all, thank you for your thoughtful comments on the last post. I learned some things! You know how much I enjoy the opportunity to cogitate a spell.

I was so pleased that my daughter Laurel put up a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. Some years, she thinks it is just too much. The difference between Laurel and me is that she is not a homebody and I am.  

Her cats were very impressed with the tree and I am sure that there will be a lot of batting of ornaments in the days to come. All ornaments are cat-proof.

Isn't it amazing that she can store all of her Christmas things in one box? One box! I shall not mention how many boxes of stuff I have and I won't  ask you either. ッ

↑A photo shared on Instagram. Though I try not to use duplicate photos, I wanted to share the interesting program I was watching: A Victorian Christmas aka  A Proper English Christmas. (Thanks, Cathie!) I watched it on Amazon Prime. The lengths those Victorians went 
to celebrate Christmas. Anytime the lady of the house, in her long skirts and dainty boots, is stomping about in horse manure proves her devotion.

Have you tried the Peppermint Tootsie Roll Pops? Very refreshing.

It is fun to style the only "mantel" I have. This is what it looks like this year.

Tweaking, tweaking, always tweaking. No, I did NOT eat all the Peppermint Tootsie Roll Pops. They've been moved to the kitchen table.

I am very thankful to my neighbors who are sharing lots of lights... It sure is pretty around here in the evenings, especially at the blue hour.

Okay, I am certain that even I have overdosed on this tree; however,  I would like to share my secrets what I do. 

1.This is the second year that I have used Brenda's suggestion for creating cohesiveness for the tree. She uses red, but one can use any color ornament that reflects 
light—silver, green, blue–I used gold. These are placed inside the tree and really don't show up all that much except that they reflect the light. If you check the link, you'll see that my rememberer is not remembering so clearly. For whatever reason they are used, I really like the method.

Moving right along...2.I read a suggestion from the White House Christmas decorators who suggested using a short hanger for ornaments instead of longer ones. It has the effect of putting the focus entirely on the ornament instead of introducing a distraction. 

3. Burlap is still my favorite garland for the light it allows through. It used to be more of a pain because strips of burlap would have to be cut. These days, I just pick up burlap ribbon with my Hobby Lobby coupons making it pretty economical. It also tames down a fussy tree like this to one that better suits the rustic environment. I like elegant rusticity. 

4. I love the old-fashioned tinsel, but have zero patience for it, especially the new flyaway variety. So all my adult life I have used crystal icicles. The first sets came from Silvestri and were quite pricey for me in those early years. I bought more just recently and they were more reasonably priced...cheap even. This selection has two lengths, which surprised me at first, but works out quite well in practice.

 

Is there anything that you are doing differently with your tree this year? Have you ever done a Charlie Brown tree? I am thinking that I could give it a whirl next time. That whole one box thing is appealing.

Comfort and Joy

Hi there! How's the Sparkling going? ッ

Some days are better than others, right? I am so glad that The Lord remains unchanging no matter what is going on with me.

First of all, I want to thank all those who commented and those who sent emails (without commenting on the actual post) regarding the What's the Point post. We should certainly be respectful of differing opinions and get along. I have heard of several teachers within the last few weeks who took it upon themselves to tell their classrooms of young children "the truth" as they saw it. Not good. Not at all good. 

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As I wandered over to my laptop, I thought that this might be my last post before Christmas. I'll just whisper that because I might get the inclination to post again. I never really know, but just in case, I'm wishing you the joy of a true Christmas. I hope that you celebrate, make merry, feast, and delight in the love of family and friends. Spread the joy all over the place, too, while you're at it!

I have a few links to share today and a few pics of my decorating and baking and what not...

Here's that tree I mentioned last time all decked out with every ornament I can find in the house. Most years, I don't bother to open every Christmas box; this year, I did. 

While I'm chatting about Christmas trees, my friend Mona from The Hidden Art of Homemaking blog and Instagram has the most enchanting tree. She used all her Shiny Brite collection and created a delight. You can find her post right 🎄here🎄. Think of all the hours that it took her! I love it!

More decorating in a bit... 

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I have actually been baking some in recent days. I made apple hand pies for John's sister Judy earlier in the week. I am not supposed to be eating hand pies, but they looked and smelled so good that I ate the imperfect looking one because it had no sugar and no calories. ッ

"That is a blatant lie" you say. Yes, well, I am quite capable of that. Why just today at the Transfer Station while recycling my old egg boxes, a gentleman who works there said that lots of folks who raise chickens appreciate the cartons. Yes, I said blithely, "My niece raises chickens."

"Oh, how many chickens does she have?" 

"Twenty-two," I responded. 

< insert *thud* >

I am sure that this will come as quite a shock to my niece who may not even have two. Why did I say that?! I didn't have time to think about it. Perhaps I am in need of drama. Anyway, I may have to tell that man that I am a liar, but I thought perhaps if I told you...

Okay, where was I?

Oh, yes, John's sister Mary came for lunch on Wednesday and we had a chicken casserole. I made her an acorn squash boat with butter and maple syrup. (You can't make me eat squash.) For dessert we had a molten lava chocolate cake with peppermint stick ice cream. Delicious. After all that, we went Christmas shopping. 

Yesterday, Sis arrived and we had a cookie baking day. We made many of those recipes that our mom would have made back in the day. We were hoping that they'd taste just the same; they didn't. Nevertheless, we had a fun day. If you're on Instagram, you may have seen that story.

One thing I learned all over again was that we need to read a recipe all the way through before we assume that we know what we are doing. Ahem.

So today I made sure to get reacquainted with my cookie press. I remember the first time I used this gizmo, John had to gently take it from my hands and get acquainted with it himself. Then he explained it to me. I found it that complicated. One of those discs up there is almost destroyed because of that episode. Apparently, I had put it in upside down.

I did better today even though you can tell by looking closely that things were not perfect. There are sprinkles everywhere and I do mean everywhere.

This is the recipe I used today.

Cookie Press Shortbread

1 cup butter (room temperature)
½ cup conf sugar
¼  tsp vanilla (I used an entire tsp)
1 ½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup cornstarch

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and use favorite discs to create your cookies. Bake at 275°F for 20 to 30 minutes or until edges are lightly brown.

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Have you finished your shopping? I almost have and I must say that I found my blogging friends' online shops most helpful. I can't show everything, but in a moment of weakness, I had a Merry Christmas to me moment.

This sweet camera bag was created by the incomparable 
🎄Stephanie at The Enchanting Rose🎄 and purchased through her shop, which you can find listed in her top bar at the blog. I did not order the sweet little bag filled with teas, but Stephanie was very generous. I do love that Buttermint tea from Twinings.

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So here we are back at decorating again. Mary, John's sister and not the Mary depicted, had mentioned that she needed some grass for her Nativity scene. When a package arrived with all of this straw-like packing material, I put it to good use and saved some for her, too. (It's that big ball of straw right behind the shepherd boy.)

I am using a lot of battery operated light strings with the "seed" lights. I haven't quite figured them out because the Nativity lights come on when I least expect them. I was up in the night and there they were burning in all their Shekinah glory. ☺It was rather pleasant, almost as if I had caught the animals speaking at midnight on Christmas Eve. 

I always said that I would never have curtains in this dining room window. 

 The Pella windows have inner blinds, alas, the center blind failed and Pella no longer services them. While I decide what to do about that, I ordered these lace panels. I decided that 🎄Brenda's beautiful lace curtains🎄 had influenced me.

It has been wonderful to see so many sacred classic Christmas Carol phrases being used in decor. Joanna Gaines has famously used "A Thrill of Hope." All of this caused me to ponder what I would share with folks if I were in a position to share. This is it: Comfort and Joy.* May they be yours today and every day!

*(Copied from a lovely graphic at Pinterest)

What's the Point?!

Warning: If you still hear the bell, you might not want to read this post.

~*~

My grandson Jakob was visiting me a few weeks ago. I asked him nonchalantly what he might like for Christmas. I was not prepared for his response.

"Christmas!  What's the point?!"

There was a fair amount of heat and his hands were helping punctuate each comment with sharp gesticulations.

I was both taken aback and amused.

When I could get a word in edgewise, I asked a few more pertinent questions and discovered, beyond the obvious, the following:

*Jake had learned last year when he was ten that there is no Santa.

*He felt betrayed by his parents who had "lied" to him all these years.

*He felt like a fool for believing all these years when he knew very well that the entire story was "ridiculous." He'd known the truth since he was six.

*He was worried about what further important information his parents might be withholding.

In addition, he made insightful, pertinent comments such as that he had been thanking Santa all these years when he should have been thanking his parents.  He wondered why parents would do such a thing as lie about Santa.

Finally, when he was pretty much winded with his commentary, I suggested that perhaps parents encouraged such beliefs because they wanted their children to experience the wonder of Christmas. I told him this story of my own:

When your daddy was a little boy only about four years old, he told me that he loved Jesus all year long, but at Christmastime, he loved Santa best. I decided that that was not a good thing and so I told him and your auntie all about the real Santa, a far more fascinating story by the way. They did not react well. They cried and cried. I wished that I had done what my sister did for she never mentioned Santa Claus; he was just not a part of their Christmas story. (I might have done what she did if I had had an older sister to learn by as she had. ☺)

Now you, Jake, have been taught about Santa and have learned that it is not all quite true. Which way would you have preferred? Never to believe as your cousins Kirsten and Keanne, to have been taught and learn the truth early like your dad and your aunt or as you did? I could tell that he was thinking it over, but he did not share his thoughts.

He was still worried that Christmas had lost its sparkle. (In fact, his mom decorated for Christmas just last weekend and his home looks like Better Homes and Gardens, but he is showing no interest.)

At last, I got to the crux of the matter. Christmas is about the fact that Jesus was willing to be born in human form and come to this earth as a little baby in Bethlehem.. He was the only baby born to die. Humanity desperately needed Him. We need Him today and every day. The joy of Christmas is not Santa; the joy of Christmas is Jesus Himself. I shared that I still get a special thrill at Christmas and Santa has not been a part of my life since long decades ago. I urged Jakob to think about things differently and to celebrate for all the right reasons.

Perhaps one day, I'll share with him that the economy of the entire world is literally based upon the "birthday" of Jesus Christ, which we celebrate on December 25. I find it infinitely fascinating that Jesus is holding this old world together. These are points that can not be refuted. Look it up! For that reason alone, I shall celebrate Christmas! And there's more so much more.

When my son arrived that day to fetch his son, I mentioned the conversation that Jakob and I had been having. My son grinned wryly and said, "Yes, Jake is holding a grudge." ツ

On Thanksgiving Day, Jake commented that the trees around here were getting smaller and smaller. Whatever could have given him that idea?

Jake took a look at my Tag Book...I can tell!

Yesterday, when I put up the new 7.5 foot tree, I began to wonder what in the world I had been thinking...

Now I know.

I was thinking about Jakob. It's time to ❇️sparkle❇️

P.S. For further reading on the Christmas discussion, visit Brenda *Here.* It'll be a blessing!

A Little Bit of a Lot to Do

I'm supposed to be doing something, anything, but blogging. Yes, I still have a little bit of a lot to do. 


In the meantime, let me share some sweet photos I took at my sister's yesterday when I was visiting with my dad. If you are a praying person, I'd love it if you would say a prayer for him. He fell hard Wednesday evening...right over backwards and tunked his head pretty fair and all because he was trying to pick something up from the floor. I told him that no good deed goes unpunished, which is probably way too cynical by half, but how I feel sometimes. Growing old is not easy.
Anyway, back to brighter things...

My father and I have been having some conversations about the changes he has experienced in a lifetime of Christmases. He has said goodbye to many people and homes and things. 
We talked about how his family celebrated Christmas with his maternal grandmother and her younger children (her "second family") spending the day with them. The tree was always in the front room bay window and his dad usually fetched the tree. This was news to me as I had assumed that my father had to fetch the tree. 
(I remember many a Christmas when my sister and I went on the annual search in the woods behind our home to find a tree.  Dad would usually take the toboggan and his saw and after a lengthy search, he would eventually settle on one. The tree would be loaded onto the toboggan with the trunk under the curved front and my sister would ride the tree in while I trudged along beside. If my parents owned a camera, I'm sure that there'd be cute photos.) 
My father told me that he doesn't like Christmas anymore. I asked him why and he said that he didn't like Christmas trees. What? Well the tree above is the one that he insists must have its lights on all day and evening. (In my childhood home, the tree lights had to be off during the day. ☺)

This is the JOY sign that is directly before him and its lights must be on all day as well. I'm sure that he hates it. Ha!

Dad dozing after lunch. He soon woke to watch an old episode of Matlock with me. We do love Andy Griffith.

My sister has a lot of red in her decor. That's my father's favorite color.

Unless it's blue.

He wanted to know about my tree here so I was able to share a picture on my cell phone.

He looked at it carefully and wanted to know why I had all the books. He enjoys reading non-fiction himself and then getting rid of the book. Having bookcases is just "showing off." ☺
Gotta scoot! As a Christmas gift to you, I'm closing comments today. Read and scoot. You have better things to do!

I Need a Silent Night

A few random photos (and not necessarily wonderful ones) of my wee haven. The driveway is my responsibility again. And, yes, I cleared all seven inches of snow by myself. No plow, no snowblower, just a scoop and girl  old lady power.

That deck table needed something. I worked with what I had. The best that can be said is that it is colorful. (Your eyes are not deceiving you, it's a sifter secured with a birch stick.) Ha!

The grands like the wee village and the giant carolers. We are not fussy about scale here.

The wee village lives next door to the Poinsettia Jungle.

↑And just before the lobster tree...

  

It is so cold here (there, too?) that I ran the fake fire on full blast all day.

My vantage point...

My one attempt at wrapping...

Christmas boys: father and son (my son and grandson)

*Aromatherapy*

Love this song by Amy Grant and I'm sure that I have shared it before. Inevitably, I arrive at this place in the Christmas season...in need of a Silent Night. How are you doing?

Outdoor Decor and a Ten-Year Review of Christmas Trees

Please forgive me for showing Christmas decor all the time; I really do know that Christmas is about more than this, much more.
 

What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal...

~ Agnes M. Pahro

Saturday, I decided that time was running out for doing outdoor decor. Besides that, my wreath man had arrived and so I purchased a simple wreath for the door. That wreath is so fresh and aromatic. Hmmmmm...  My hometown niece and her friend went out tipping for me and gave me a huge bag of tips and berries for decorating. I went out a little after 9 a.m. and didn't get back inside until after 1 p.m. I really enjoyed being out in the fresh air puttering at arrangements for my deck, fence, and even my mother's grave.

First, I had to make room by moving the still happily blooming mums out back.

This next bit is for me. I thought it would prove helpful for future reference.  I see at a glance that I have three spots for a tree: in the corner, before the built-in bookcase, as a table-top, and only once in front of the patio door (2012). Wonder what I might do next year. I have had the tree as a table-top twice...my grands hate it that way, but I really like it. I have had it on Nan's trunk several times and even in it once. 

Once I used my grandfather's tool box to lift the tree (2008). And, of course, this year, it is in an old barrel. I especially love 2009 and 2011 because, as my friend Becky at Hospitality Lane says, "It is more interesting to have people in your photos." She says something like that anyway or maybe it was her husband Warren who said that. I'd link specifically, but it was awhile ago and I've forgotten exactly which post.
What a difference a day or two makes...

Merry on!