When old fashion holidays become new celebrations
November 29th, 2009
I talked with my daughter last night about putting up the Christmas tree. She was used to the ‘doing’ and ‘decorating’ since she could remember.
I had to relate to her that many of our family’s patterns over the years were due to other’s influences and not my own proactive choice. Having a tree up for what can become five weeks if taken down on her birthday, being a New Year’s Baby, meant jumping into Christmas celebration before the leftovers were cold in some cases to put in the fridge from Thanksgiving’s feast that same night.
This year’s Thanksgiving went wonderful, and it was the first one I’ve ever had to fully understand being thankful independently. Homemade cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, diced potatoes and bacon baked in a white cheddar sauce, onion and celery dressing, and a shank ham with pineapples and a brown sugar and mustard glaze.
I asked my kids for input and I went from start to finish, and enjoyed the holiday with them without really blogging about it.
Christmas, I’m not sure about the tree just yet. Probably in a few weeks, but I want to go more in schedule with the ’12 days of Christmas’ period. How long up after, not sure on that.
There’s always the obligatory insurance quote to pay attention to. I’m just enjoying prioritizing and setting aside the times I need to take care of things, and the times to be able to enjoy others…each in moderation.
I’m just trying to figure where the vestal virgins come into play.
…Life Onwards
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I always think that dropping needles is a consideration ……
Whether faux or natural there’s always the garland strips of silver and gold to unwrap from the vacuum cleaner bale each year.
I’m beginning to wonder if we’ll bother this year …..
We switched to a fake tree because I realized I was slightly allergic.. which is ok if it’s just in the room… but for me to handle it/decorate etc. I’d end up all red and swollen.
I haven’t had the tinsel stuff to worry about for years. About ten years ago, spent weeks making new decorations and switched to using wired ribbon, and fill the tree up with bows, poinsettia and other ornaments that don’t shed much of anything. Making them was part of the memories.. saved money too.
What you need DP.. is to build another shed to store the tree, then you only have to do it once and then store it all done. (Don’t laugh. Fraccy boy #1 had a teacher who actually does that… stores the tree fully done covered in plastic, in a closet for the rest of the year.) Voila! An excuse for another shed.
You’re welcome.
It’s no different than chef’s doing food prep. Can’t figure out how to keep the candy canes fresh that long…if…they stayed on the tree long enough to store through the holiday anyways.
We have a ficus growing in a pot in the living room. If Papersurfer Jnr isn’t coming over for Christmas, we just decorate that ……. the money saved is spent on gingernuts, twiglets and Maltezers ……… if we buy a Christmas tree we eat my cardboard box [having played with it first].
Is felt digestible?
I think it is!
Thinking is not knowing. Did you check the results?
DP, whether tree or gingernut bush I know very well you’ll be in the spirit of things.
Crumbs later just mean you ate the bush.
So you can tell people you got shanked on Thanksgiving, and not be telling a lie. How amusing.
With the amount of slow cooking I do birds by, there’s always the possibility of a small bone going unnoticed.
This year not a bit went to waste of poor Wilbur. Just enough bits left for making a roiling big pot of stock to freeze.
I meant the shank ham… but I suppose Wilbur could’ve done the deed too.
You live a dangerous life John.
I’m a hero in my own mind.
I was just thinking tonight about how I see my childhood Christmases differently through the eyes of an adult parent. My parents did an awesome job. I didn’t always think so as a kid.
When you were younger, did you feel your mother dressed you funny?
Where have I heard that before? – tee hee
Patience is having a punch line and waiting a year for someone to fall into position.
Gotta have a hobby. Still waiting on Steve Case to start twitchin’, it’s only been 24 hours.