Mission Accomplished

Several of you said you wanted to see the Christmas trees when they were done, so I will oblige.

BUT FIRST, Donica decided to give me her main Christmas present tonight at suppertime: we're flying to Michigan for my family's holiday reunion at the cottage the weekend of the 29th! I'm still in shock because Donica has been making a big deal about having this holiday totally free with nowhere to go. Just lots of sleep and R&R here at home before the New Year.

Wow! Color me surprised...and delighted. And maybe I'll see snow after all! We'll be gone December 27th - 31st.

Okay then. Having gotten that off my chest! :) Here's what's been accomplished since I last wrote about the holiday rush. Once the Christmas cards were put in the mail on Monday (yes!), I started in on the living room Disney tree.

I told you that this tree is for the woods to see...and any mail carrier who might come to the front door with a large package. WE see it, of course, when we go up and down the stairs to bed.

My favorite Disney ornaments year after year are Buzz Lightyear...

...and his buddy, Woody, who always get hung side by side. I LOVE those fellas. Their friendship endures through thick and thin, no matter what!

Before I could finish the slim tree in the family room, next on the agenda, I had a delightful visit at Nicholas' school for his class party yesterday, during which time the kids got to read stories they had written, in front of everyone. He is so serious about his stories and his teacher says he writes good ones. G'ma agrees and popped her buttons, of course.

Then back home to restring new sets of lights on the slim tree. Today I finished all the ornaments...the ones we have collected these past 10 years, everywhere we go.

Every single one means something and holds a memory dear.

I LOVE Christmas trees. Every year I say the same thing: "They're so quiet!" Midst all the hustle and bustle, I love to turn out all the other lights and sit still in their presence. They calm me down!

And, yes, the presents were then able to go under the trees. The living room tree is where Donica's and my gifts to each other go. The gifts to the kids go here under the slim tree.

Donica did her thing and stuffed the stockings, as you see. (Yes, Mark, there's the one for Dennis in the middle!)

The good news about the UNMOWED lawn is that it's been gently raining off-n-on for the last few days and will continue to do so, they say, until after we celebrate Christmas with the kids on Sunday! WE ARE NOT COMPLAINING! We need the rain much more than a mowed lawn. So thank God for that mission UNaccomplished.

That leaves Friday and Saturday to clean the house! HA! Wanna come help me?? :)

Rush Hour

Midst the loud cacophony of tootin' my own horn (last post), I totally neglected to tell you that WE'RE BACK in Atlanta! I flew back on Friday and Donica flew back yesterday. No amount of convincing or haggling at this holiday time of the year could get us back on the same flight or the same day. But we're back safe-n-sound, and that's all that matters.

Now, the holiday rush is on! We celebrate Christmas with the kids here at our house a week from today, the 23rd: Amy, Dennis (yes, flying in from LA), Mark and Nicholas.

This afternoon we'll bring up the two trees from the basement dungeon. The slim tree that you can see goes between the family room and breakfast nook/kitchen; the covered, bigger tree goes in the living room in front of the window, for the woods to see.
I love trimming the trees, year after year. The slim tree holds all our ornaments collected from everywhere. Memories. The big tree is the Walt Disney tree.

In the meantime, I'm working on our Holiday cards! God willing and the creek don't rise, they'll be done for the mail tomorrow. I enjoy that as well, thinking about all the people, one by one, whose names go on the envelopes. Christmas for me is a time of remembering!

Donica's job will be to stuff the stockings! Our kids know Donica as the Queen of hors-d'oeuvres AND the Queen of Christmas Stockings. And that's the truth, because she is! I didn't grow up with them so I didn't have a clue until she came into my life 10 years ago. But it's still her job. No one does it better!

Thankfully, I wrapped almost all the presents a month ago, so they're 95% done. Some still need their bows, but once the trees are up, they can go underneath and out of the upstairs hallways! They, too, are a reminder of the memories we have and why we give gifts in the first place. God was the one who thought up the idea of gifts, so I have no problem giving them. Neither does Donica...and in that regard again, she's the Queen!


Oh, yeah. Don't forget to mow the lawn and mulch in the leaves, Ginnie! I'll probably do that on Wednesday. Donica says that'll make everything look so nice for just before the kids come.

When I pace it like this, suddenly it doesn't feel so rushed any more! Good job, Ginnie and Donica. It'll be easier than you think. Donica will work only Monday and Tuesday this week before being OFF OFF OFF till she flies to Europe on January 6th (I'll be joining her on the 10th). That's a HOLIDAY, Folks! Almost 3 weeks of R&R for her. YAAAAAY!