Christmas Breakfast

Most Christmas morns we make breakfast before we open gifts. It's different each year - just whatever our taste buds dictate. Sometimes toast and coffee and other times, it's a large breakfast. This year I was leaning toward *gourmet.*  Hot biscuits with Vermont butter and Pineapple Vanilla Preserves, smoked thick-sliced bacon and ham from Dean and Delucas. A spinach-mushroom quiche accompanied with fresh squeeze orange juice and Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee.  
Oh....sorry, let me answer the phone. "Hello? What??? The *HOT* sign is on at Krispy Kreme? Are you sure? When did it come on? Just NOW? I'm there!"  Hey, the sign is red and green, which just screams *Christmas* to us!  LOL!!  Did you have breakfast on Christmas morning or not?

Nutcracker Ballet on Christmas Eve

A few years ago my mom, my granddaughter and I went to the Nutcracker ballet on Christmas Eve! We wore our very best and joined about 5,000 others (mostly female) at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia to watch *fluid beauty* that's been captivating audiences for fifty years. 

We were thrilled at snow falling on the audience and the 1929 custom-built 3,622 piped organ rise up from the floor during intermission!  It was my mother's first and last time to the ballet, but it holds such wonderful memories. Afterward, my honey and dad picked us up and took us to the Cheesecake Factory in Buckhead for early dinner! 

I bought my first Nutcracker this year to be a gentle reminder of one very special afternoon. Anyone else collect nutcrackers or seen the ballet? 
Merry Christmas all!

Christmas on the Plaza

We're very blessed to have a magnificent place to go...especially during Christmas. It's the Country Club Plaza (pictured below). It really is like the song, *City sidewalks busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style. In the air there's a feeling of Christmas. Children laughing; people passing; meeting smile after smile...* After walking in the brisk air, it's time to relax with a mug of hot cocoa and watch the other shoppers and horse-drawn carriages.  Is there a special place YOU enjoy going during the holidays?

 

Tradition!

My sister (in law, which is just a technicality) and I adore the movie, *Fiddler on the Roof.* One of the songs is entitled, "Tradition." I tend toward tradition with Christmas -- even white (to me) is traditional. Well, here's the traditional green and red, but with a little twist. Are you traditional, transitional or a tradition-breaker?

What In the World???

Most years i make those clove-stuck oranges and have even made my own natural mixed potpourri. One year I was cleaning (i mean REALLY cleaning) for company and was scared out of my wits when i found an object that i didn't recognize.  All grayish and weirdly shaped. It's a dead animal!  No. It was one of my clove-stuck oranges that had (somehow) gotten under the love seat.  Now understand this was hours, days, weeks, months later.  Did I just admit that?  Anyway, before January gets here, if anyone made those clove-stuck oranges, you might want to do a "headcount."   Uh-huh, it's not a pretty sight as you can see by the second photo below.

 

Now What?

The house is wreck. A couple of toys at your home are probably broken.  You're "worn slick" from cranky kids, cooking, eating too much with too-little sleep, late nights and your "special" pain-in-the-neck inlaw.  Ye-ah.  
One such year our (then) young son came up to me the day after Christmas and asked in a snotty, bratty, bored tone, "What now?" Obviously he was tired of his day-old toys.

In tired bewilderment I stared back.  "I don't have a clue."  "I cry from exhaustion."  "I vow to not do all this next year."  *deep breath*

"We make a place for all our new things and donation box for the less-used.  We clean up. We nap. We recuperate," I finally answered with authority.  He ran straight back into his room.  Phew!   Anyone know where I'm coming from?    This is not our son, just a stock photo, but it captured his look. LOL. 

Is Today Really Tough For You?

Merry Christmas to those fortunate enough to have cause to celebrate! However, I know that not everyone is celebrating.   Everyone doesn't have a house full of laughing, happy guests dressed in green and red gathered around a beautiful, food-laden table.    This may be a very difficult time of year for you.   You are who I want to speak to.  You may not have funds, friends or family.    You may have lost a companion, friend or family member and cannot say, "Merry Christmas," because your heart is raw.   This time of year may bring up horrible or painful memories.   
Let me help gently remind you in just a few more hours, all the hoopla will be over.   Just hang on.   You're not alone in your suffering.   Not only do millions share your station in life right now, but there is One who completely understands and wishes to alleviate your pain.    If you want prayer, click here to submit a written need today or you can email me today and i promise i will pray.    If not, here's my ((hug)) to you.   To the rest, Merry Christmas!   

Christmas Eve Surprise

 











One Christmas Eve my family and our best friends went out to a wonderful dinner.  The streets were busy with shoppers.  The Christmas lights, stores and stoplights reflected off the wet sidewalks.  When we all arrived at our little bungalow a couple of hours later, imagine the utter surprise to find Santa placing gifts under our Christmas tree!   My five-year-old brother and his best five-year-old friend actually gasped and stood frozen.  Then they came to their senses and ran around like chickens with their heads cut off....until Santa spoke.  My brother stopped dead in his tracks; crinkled up his freckled nose and squinted one eye.  The jig was up.  It was our dear retired neighbor Ed, who had graciously donned the rented Santa suit.   After my brother was an adult, he told me he knew it was our elderly neighbor all the time.   Uh-huh.   Does anyone have a "Santa"-type story?   To me, Jesus is the entire reason to celebrate Christmas and i base my idea of a "Santa" on St. Nicholas of Myra.

 

White (Christmas) Wednesday

Wordless and White...

City Sidewalks

"City Sidewalks, busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style. In the air there's a feeling of Christmas!" We went to the Country Club Plaza a couple of nights ago and experienced the lyrics of the song! It was the first shopping center in the WORLD designed to accommodate shoppers arriving by automobile, but you'll not find stop lights! It's very European influenced, especially Seville, Spain -- hence the half-sized Giralda Tower of Seville (on the left in first photo). These aren't great photos because we couldn't sit in one place for more than 8 seconds, but I hope you get the idea. The sidewalks were crowded with shoppers and people dining out. The sights and sounds of Christmas surrounded us! Speaking of "Silver Bells," what's your favorite Christmas-holiday song?

 

Old Fashioned Christmas

When i was a teen, my best friend Becky, and i used to decorate my family's Christmas tree.  My parents usually bought a live tree and new (inexpensive) glass ornaments and those big lights each year.  When we were fifteen, Becky taught me how to string popcorn and fresh cranberries to hang on the tree.  Now we're not talking microwave popcorn, but the old fashioned kind where you pour oil in a heavy skillet; throw in a handful of popping corn and shake!  We had to make several skillets because we ate half the popcorn.  I remember thinking it was the most beautiful tree i ever saw with the white popcorn and red cranberries.  Anyone else ever string popcorn?   Anyone do it this year???  BTW, i'm posting on the road -- "long distance" right now, so i'll be checking comments once a day, so bear with me. :)

Extrodinary Formal Christmas Dinner

Any holiday dinner needs to be extra-ordinary, and I prefer to lean toward formal.  When hostessing a holiday dinner,  i use my best china, crystal, flatware and silver.  Here is what a formal table setting looks like.  

i also used individual salt cellars for my extra-special touch.   It took me a couple of years to find twelve sets of cut glass cellars.  Don't ask me why, but when we moved from Georgia to Missouri, i sold them all at a garage sale!  Temporary insanity is my plea.  This is a decision i've regretted over and over.  Now i see the silver cellars pictured below and the inexpensive individual shakers (pictured below the cellars),  and wish i had mine again. I didn't have all the little spoons yet, so we allow "pinching" the salt.  If you have either cellars or shakers, may i suggest keeping them even if you don't think you'll use them again?   if not, you can find them for a few dollars each up to nearly $1,000 a set like the silver pair below.   No matter the cost, they add that "little extra-ordinary" touch to any table.  Anyone else have salt cellars or individual shakers?     The sterling silver salt and pepper cellars are available at goantiques.com. 

How To Make A Primitive Tree

I was asked to show how I made my primitive (feather-type) Christmas tree for FREE. I want to say, there are beautiful primitive trees available in stores and online.  Mine is not made of feathers. I wanted something sturdy and for zero cost.   I also could not find any tutorials, so this was my last year's "trial by fire" and has many imperfections.  IT TOOK THREE HOURS TO MAKE IT.  I apologize for non-fancy fixed up photos.  This is a longer-than-normal post for me.  Remember,  click on the photos below for larger image. 
You'll need:

• green silk garland that has a metal core
• good quality heavy-duty wire cutting pliers  
• measuring tape
  
• sharp, but not expensive scissors because you may accidentally catch the wire core while trimming
  
• gloves to protect your hand from getting scraped by the wire
  
• optional duct tape - I know, but it works and it will be covered!
• brown floral tape or plain brown paper such as a grocery sack and hotglue gun
  
• a sturdy stand for the dowel - I used a metal container filled with landscape stones. Other ideas - large bowl, crockery or other container filled with cat litter** or heavy iron ornate tree stand...
  
• 1 wooden dowel 3/4" or so in diameter,  4 feet long   See Collage
  

My garland was composed of shorter pieces of silk greenery wrapped and entwined around the main silk-covered wire. Remove each shorter piece by cutting or simply pulling the short pieces out.  (greenery photo 1 under collage photo)    If you find your garland is braided, undo braiding and separate about a 3 foot section to begin with.

Tip: it is better to make each cut LONGER because you can always trim away.
Tier 1 - bottom tier. CAREFULLY using your wire-cutting pliers, cut six -12" long pieces from the main trunk. Straighten. CAREFULLY trim the greenery down to about 1/4 inch of the metal center - it's a little messy, but this is what makes it primitive looking.  You should have six pipe-cleaner looking stems at least 12" long.  Set aside.  Photo 2 under collage shows a less expensive branch with the top half trimmed short and a plush garland that I used before trimming down.
Now cut twelve pieces that are 6" long. Straighten and trim greenery. These will be referred to as "end stems."  Photos 3.
About 1 1/2" from the tip of each 12" piece, attach one of the 6" pieces by holding one end, looping around the branch once and pull, straightening out other end. Make sure its fairly even on either side.  About 2" in from the first set, attach a second set of end stems onto branches (as shown). It resembles a old TV antenna. Photo 4
Tier 2  Cut six 10" long pieces. Straighten. Trim. Cut twelve - 5" long end stem pieces. Straighten. Trim.  Attach first end stems about 1 1/2" from outer tip. Move in another 1" or so and twist on second end stems. Lay aside. 
Tier 3  Cut six - 6" long branches and only six - 4" end stems. Straighten and trim. Attach one end stem per branch about 1 1/2" from end in the same manner as above. 
Tier 4  Cut six -  4 1/2" long branches and six - 3 1/2" end stems. Straighten and trim.  Attach each end stem about 1 1/2" from end of branch. 
Tier 5  Cut six 4" long branches. Straighten and trim. Do not cut any end stems.
Tier 6 (top) Cut six 3" long branches. Straighten and trim. Do not cut any end stems.
Prepare:  Bend each branch end, opposite of stem end, as follows: Tier 1 bend each branch down 3 inches. Tier 2 bend down 2 inches.  Tier 3 bend 1 1/2 inches.  Tiers 4-6 bend down 1 inch.  photo 5 under collage 
Attach Branches: About 18" from bottom of dowel, duct tape the six - 12" branch bent-sections onto dowel, spacing evenly. Don't worry about the nub or bump now. 

Attach Tier 2 about 6-7" up from Tier 1.  Continue up the dowel spacing Tiers 3 through 6 about 4" apart vertically.
Wrap entire dowel with brown floral wrap which sticks to itself as it's stretched...or use wrinkled brown paper torn into narrow uneven strips. Do this however is easiest for you to cover dowel. CAREFULLY hot-glue the paper around dowel. 
This hides the stems and resembles bark. You can also dry brush some blackish-brown paint on the paper to give it a bark look (the messier the better).
Another idea is to cover the dowel with grayish lichen or Birch bark! If you used the bent branch method, you can "build" up the rest of the dowel to be even with the bump caused by branches by using more paper in between tiers. I didn't, but will if I remake this tree. 
Secure tree in container. **If using cat litter fill, put tree dowel in container. Add cat litter until full. Add water to the litter, which hardens the clay. Push on litter until dowel is firmly in place!
Hang vintage ornaments (which i don't have any of yet) and enjoy the fruit of your labor!  This was my first attempt, and so I put icicles on it (not shown) --- icicles hide all imperfections. *wink*

If you have a question or suggestion, please feel  free to email me.