The 12 days of Christmas Tree: day one

On the first day of tree set up, Nov 27, I had to hem the curtains that I bought months ago, and hadn't gotten around to doing. Because the curtains are behind the tree-- and once it is up, the curtains cannot be accessed to hem. And they will be in all the pictures-- admittedly in the background. But I do not need more photographic evidence of my procrastination. Investment: take down curtains , measure, cut, measure hems, press, sew. Rehang curtains. Longer than you think or it seems it might take!

I do not need a silverplated mayonnaise bowl...

or much of anything else for that matter. People keep asking me what I want for Christmas. An exercise bike, which they are convinced I would never use, and may be correct about. The power charging cord for my blue tooth earpiece, which I am not sure they make. A yarn meter...maybe??? A fancy schmancy very expensive sewing machine??? Too personal for anyone else to pick out!

What I really, really want has nothing to do with me....I want MR. CP to clean up his office, paint it, make it look presentable---maybe even "nice". New carpet, or some type of flooring. Organization--less random "stuff". I thought the curtains would help--turns out, not enough.

I am looking forward to seeing the kids--being together in that crazy regression that happens when they are all here. I would like to zip in and zip out of Miami. Nora was right--the one you see the least, is the one you would most like to see---probably because you see the rest often.

There is nothing I need, nothing I want---I am very hard to shop for....and a "hard to find china site"--just sent me a message that a mayonniase bowl is now available to match my sterling flatware---which I sooooo do not want!

So, I wll be happy that I already have a new roof!

Xmas "sucked"

This year was the year of the vacuuming appliance. D,S,and J got a Dustbuster. M got a rechargeable broom vac. I got the Dyson root 6--paling all other sucking devices with its glory.

Now, as it turns out, we could have used even more vacuuming devices at the house this holiday .....E. spilled wine on the stairs--call in the carpet cleaning device!! E also spilled wine in the kitchen--a wet/dry shop vac would have been handy. (are we noting the pattern here?) Most of the other spills, dropped stuff, tracked in crud and debris was handily handled by the Root 6--for speedy quick clean up.

I ended up washing the kitchen floor this morning--it was sticky. And washed the rugs--they were sticky too! Haven't gotten to the shampooing yet, but am sure eventually it will be so sticky that it will need to be done!

It is so fun to watch the "stuff" whirl around in the tiny Dyson---the ultimate quick cleanup tool for the ultimately ADD--useful and entertaining too! Thanks to Santa.

White Elephants

I love white elephant gift exchanges...mostly because I always seem to have a steady supply of white elephant gifts to select from. I don't want to brag--but my white elephants are funny, and often fought over --but are definately white elephants!

Alas, this may have been the last year for the white elephant at the office. Lest I break the "dooce"rule, I cannot describe the gory details of how the people I work with cannot play nicely with others, but it is sufficient to say, some (mostly one) have ruined the fun for everyone else--three years in a row now. So I get the feeling that next year, we will not have an exchange.

Sad, as over the years I have divested myself of a bell ringing battery operated santa (who has been back to the event four times now!), a black lacy teddy paired with a feather boa (which my co-worker modeled in the side room of a buffet resturant at our party!), a bustiea purse paired with a tee-shirt proclaiming that it is not easy to be a princess, a cymbyl playing gorilla, and a 2 volume book set of why men are the way they are! I enjoyed passing along these treasures to another to enjoy (don't even start with where I get this stuff!)

To my delight (another opportunity to divest) my Wed. knitters decided to exchange elephants at the annual Xmas party! I took a ceramic pig bank that was cute, wearing a Tu-Tu, and had a crown. It was the only gift stolen during the exchange!! There were candles in the shapes of cupcakes--set of four. A reindeer trivet, 2 pair of (new) gloves--the cheep kind that one never looses-still with tags attached, 2 chia pets--donkey and black elephant--different gifts, a jig-saw puzzle, trivial pursuit game, a snowman candy jar, a snowman mug, an emergency radio that you had to crank (this approached the white elephant-ness of my pig) an uncle Sam candle holder (kinda cute). The hostess observed that this group didn't seem to "get" white elephant. Others noted that it was a trash/treasure thing. Maybe this is the problem with an upscale neighborhood? Treasury trash?

Anyway, the pressure is off to come up with a good white elephant for next year. I have one--already wrapped, so can bide my time. Till then, will laugh knowing that people actually wanted the pig and the purse they took home this year!!

Yultide joy?

It is the 16th. The tree has been sitting there looking "lit" for a week--and I make myself go get the ornaments boxes. M had shown up yesterday, and there was a brief hope of help, but she has flitted off again, forgetting that this might be "fun"--or maybe deciding that it would not be as "fun" as her plans.

E. has always wanted a "matching" tree (ironic if you knew her), like the ones in the department stores, with all the same ornaments, perfectly spaced lights, and festooned with matching adornments. I like my tree better, although nothing matches. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it is not the tree or the ornaments that I find beautiful, but the memories attached to each ornament.

I start with the carefully wrapped treasures--feather flamingo from my friend J. representing the now quarter- century long "joke" we have shared, an angel in a tiny snow globe from my "angel" friend at work, carefully and beautifully embroidered German balls from our friends there, beaded bells and candy canes that T. had strung together. There were reindeers (several) crafted in second grade by various of the 4. (One needed his eye glued back on). There were intricately stitched ornaments--one for each year, for each of the four--depicting something related to their self (how did I find the time?). E. has several skater ornaments. D has an adorable cub scout as cute as he was, M. is beaming at me as her most precouscious and photogenic self from a 5 year- olds hand cut construction paper bell- lamnated, name carefully lettered on the back in her kindergarten handwriting. There are several J. trains, as he loved them then. There is the drummer boy from 1988 because D. was really one then. There is an over- the- river- and- through- the- woods shiny metal ornament from 1977, from the "B "s, when we could go to grandmother's house, although it was in a Mazda, not a sleigh.

The years fly by, and I enjoy the thoughts of "them"--both the years, and the children who filled our house with noise and love. Who fought, and squabbled, left fingerprints and glow in the dark glop on our walls, and filled our days with laughter, frustrations, and busyness that I can't even imagine keeping up with now! Thoughts of all the special people in our lives who have over the years, contributed to this collection that adorns our tree.

There is the goofy poodle satin ball and pompom ornament crafted by Aunt H. There are the ornate pearl, bead, sequin creations of Aunt L., looking inspired by her trips to Europe, as these would be more in place in a palace than they were in the modest downriver homes or our origins. There is the obnoxius Pointsettia that sings "rockin around the Xmas tree" from Aunt L2--always a fan of the obnoxious and battery operated. Individually, they are strange, ugly, odd, homemade, tacky, old, unusual, or over the top--but I like them, not for themselves, but for the lives lived they represent.

There is a layer from my youth..mostly ceremic..angels, skiing santas, Mrs. Clauss. I can remember being little, and putting these on my parent's tree.....There are the sequin and tassle balls crafted by grandma F in HER favorite color- tourquoise! There are crochet mice and wreaths, bird feeders made of medicine cups, and winter scenes from discarded holiday cards glued into a canning jar lid by a first grader years ago. There are several "Make it bake it" ornaments, carefully baked by little ones spending the day with Grandma B.

I mist up thinking of those who are not around to wish a happy holiday anymore--I miss the "Scrooge" act, and the egg nog, the burbon balls and fudge meltaways, the krispy treats and wild morning treck from house to house.... The tabacco smell that had permeated even the wrapped gifts... and later, the boxes from Florida. The large extended family gatherings, where people often had a hard time being "nice" for the whole time, and the food was good, although often tepid by the time time we all sat down.

So now we move forward with 2006. New ornaments for this year purchased in fancy botiques, not child-made or home-made, for that is where our lives are now. An acorn, a glass bird, a snowman...to add to the collection and the memories.

I never want my tree to be "matching"......sorry E. Some day you may understand!