Dec 4: Here Comes Santa Claus!

I asked my kids which of all the Christmas decorations that they grew up with they like the best. Actually the way I worded it was, "If you could only have one Christmas decoration up, which would you chose?"

Their response was the same as mine: The Santa Candy Dish. My sister Cheryl made this for us about 25 or 30 years ago, and we have it out every year. We have York peppermint patties, Hershey's Kisses, and Reese's miniature cups in it. All in Christmas colors of course. 

Here Comes Santa Claus    words and music by Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman

Dec 3: Sleigh Bells Ring, Are You List'nin'?

I love the sound of sleigh bells. Many years ago I bought a string of sleigh bells to hang on our door at Christmas time. Somehow they were never taken off. A few years later I cut the leather in half so that the string wasn't quite so long, but we love having those bells on our door.

The bells are easy on the ears, and give us pleasant notice when someone comes through the door. I don't mind at all when the grandchildren swing the bells just so they can hear them. Over the years we could hear when our children came in at night. There's just no stopping those bells from ringing when the door swings open. 

Now it's different when the bells ring and the children and grandchildren have come home. It's no longer are they in by curfew?, but "Hurrah! They're here!"

This weekend Audrey's family will be here. The whole family will be here for dinner on Sunday. You can bet I'll be list'nin'.

Winter Wonderland     words by Dick Smith  music by Felix Bernard

Dec 2: I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

White Christmas is my all time favorite Christmas movie. I've blogged about it a couple of times already (here and here).

So imagine how fun for me when Debra discovered that BYU was putting on the musical this year. We bought tickets way back in October, and I've been looking forward to the play ever since.

I drove down to Provo, and Debra, Madeleine, Diane and I went for dinner first at Cafe Rio (another favorite). These terrible phone pictures are my attempt to document the occasion. But what really mattered is that the dinner was delicious and the company was fabulous.

Debra and Diane

Madeleine enjoying her straws

Diane enjoying it all

Afterward Randy took the girls. Then Debra and I went to the play. At first we were a tiny bit confused. It appeared to be White Christmas, but when looking at the program we noticed that some of the characters had different names. And many of the songs were different. We weren't really sure what we were going to see.

It turns out the play bears a minimal resemblance to the movie. But I actually think that was better. It could never hold up to the movie in my mind, so after about the first five minutes I sat back and relaxed and just enjoyed the production. They did a fine job, and we had a very fun evening.

photo from arts.byu.edu

It turns out that my college roommate's son's two roommates at BYU (how is that for very confusing) play the male leads in the play. They were good, but my favorite was Jennifer Stewart, who played Martha Watson (the housekeeper at the inn - one of the character name changes). She was very good. In the photo above she is the one in the red dress at the very top center.

They've extended the run. Now it's playing through December 8.

White Christmas     words and music by Irving Berlin

Dec 1: Sleep Well, Little Children

Time to break out the Christmas pillowcases. For many, many years I made new Christmas pillowcases for the entire family every year. Thanksgiving Day I would sneak into the children's rooms and put their new pillowcases on their pillows. 

I don't make them every year anymore. But anytime there's a substantial change in the family (new babies, new in-laws), it's time for a new set. No new pillowcases this year. Instead I made a different Christmas decoration for everyone (more on that later), but who knows what next year will bring? 

I poached this picture from Debra's blog last year:

Madeleine

Here is a sampling of some of our pillowcases from years past:

There are a lot more than these, but they are being used elsewhere and I didn't want to have to disassemble everything. I have sheet sets stored in some, quilts in others. These pillowcases were always good for sleepovers, or camps. A Christmas themed pillow case stands out any time of year, and the cases had our names on them too.

Sleep Well, Little Children   words by Alan Bergman, music by Leon Klatzkin

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley

This is the latest Flavia de Luce Novel by Alan Bradley. So far the series is holding up in quality. I enjoyed getting to know a couple of the regular characters a little better in this book.

If you enjoyed The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, or The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag, or A Red Herring Without Mustard, you'll enjoy this one.

If you haven't read any of them, I recommend them. Start at the beginning.

This was a bonus - I like to read at least one Christmas book during the season, and when I requested this from the library I didn't realize it would fit the bill, so it was a lucky choice.

Giving Thanks

A blogging friend, Becky, calls this the season of Thanks and Giving. That really struck a chord with me - she put into words exactly how I feel. I love Thanksgiving. It is a peaceful holiday. Mostly I think of being with family and friends, and that's what I'm all about right now. The people in my life.

I love my family and the joy they bring to me. I love being with them more than anything in the world. I love all my extended family. We don't get enough time together.

What is better than a grandchild whose face lights up when they see you, then runs to you shouting, "G'ma!", and gives you a big hug? Not much in the world is better than that. I never had a clue about that special element of love a grandchild brings into our lives. Now I revel in it.

I am thankful for my friends who add joy to my life and fill my bucket with happiness. That is what friends are for. I hope I'm that kind of friend.

Life is good, and I am indeed grateful.

Chocolate Ramblings

Today I stopped at See's Candy to take care of some cravings I have and I'm sure will have in the near future. I learned long ago that I can't stock up too much, or I'm in big trouble. But I can get a few pieces and   have some peace of mind that when I need that chocolate, it will be there. 

I decided to try a couple of new things. First, A milk chocolate candy bar. Just one, not a big pack like this:

Then I bought a Bordeaux Bar. My sister loves bordeaux. I just got a bar, not a big box like this:

Finally, my favorite. Dark chocolate, vanilla buttercream. (These are milk chocolate, but I couldn't find a picture of the dark chocolates). I only bought 4 pieces, not an entire box like this:

I figured if I had pictures of so much chocolate, it might seem as if I exercised great control only buying the few that I did.

My grandma Helen used to buy the family a box of See's Candy for Valentine's day. We were each allowed one piece for dessert each night until the candy was gone. That was before I could recognize many pieces by their signature twirl on top of the candy. Each bite was an adventure, never knowing what flavor we would get.

I distinctly remember when I discovered that I could have a custom box of candy - choosing only the flavors I wanted. Oh happy day! Also that I could buy just a piece or two if that's all I wanted.

I come by my love of chocolate honestly. My mother loves chocolate. She always had a hidden stash. When she was a girl her father would come to her and say, " Margaret Ann, I know you've got some chocolate. I want some." She was a dependable source. As I was growing up she always had a stash in our house too. I did not know that until I was in college. My sisters on the other hand, were well aware of it at a young age. This just shows my survival instinct is not as strong as theirs - also that they did not share this valuable knowledge. My mom would occasionally change the location of the stash because my sisters would get into it. Or so everyone tells me. I wouldn't know.

Even once I knew about my mom's stash, I still never knew where it was. I had to ask (still that sharing problem). In recent years my mom  kept the chocolate on the top shelf of one of her kitchen cupboards, and would even stock up on ones she knew I liked before I came to visit. The location didn't change, so I could go straight there if I needed a chocolate pick-me-up.

Sunday evening I was over at my mom's. I told her I had a craving for chocolate, and did she have any on hand? Of course she did. She has a little cupboard over a sink in their apartment, and on the top shelf were four or five different chocolates for me to choose from. It's nice to see some things haven't changed.

These Is My Words by Nancy Turner

In the middle of a reading drought I was desperate for a book I could fall hard and fast for. I perused my shelves. Nothing was striking my fancy. So I turned to an old favorite - one I could lose myself in immediately.

These Is My Words by Nancy Turner. I almost drooled in anticipation. I first read this book several years ago, and then I read it again every January (for my birthday) for a long time. It is a rare book that can hold up to that much re-reading with such a high level of enjoyment. It's been a few years now since I've picked it up.

I dove right in, and barely came up for air. It was every bit as satisfying as ever. In fact, I may love it more, knowing the end from the beginning. I know just what parts to take my time over and savor. When I did have to surface to the real world, it was a shock to look outside and see my own landscape instead of the Arizona Territories in the late 1800's.

This book is in my top five books I've ever read. Right this minute I'm trying to remember what the other four are...

★ Spoiler alert: if you have not yet read this book, read it before you read the rest of this post. ★ 

The first time I read this book I cried and cried at the end. In fact, I finally went into the bathroom and turned on the shower to drown out my sobbing. Ray came in and asked what in the world was the matter. I told him it was my book. He rolled his eyes and went on his way. When I finished crying I crawled into bed and picked up the book and started all over. Then he came in and asked: "Isn't that the book you were just crying over?" I said yes. Another major eye roll. In my many re-readings of the book I sometimes skip the very end. I know what happens. I don't always want the emotion that goes with it. This time I read it all the way through. Yes, I cried, but not too much. And I have to admit it was all I could do not to pick it up and start all over again.