Dec 16: You're All the Christmas I Need

I love having my grandchildren around at Christmas time. They help me decorate, and are full of the joy of the holiday season. They have no agenda but love.

This post is purely self-indulgent, a chance for me to look at some fun pictures (for me) of the grandchildren at Christmas. Each year so far I've given them pajamas, and we strive to get a picture of the kids in their pajamas in front of the tree. Some times are more successful than others.  Last year Rachel ended up having to be held by her mom. The big speculation this year is: will Rachel want to be in the picture? 

What follows are some pictures that make me smile. The best shots of these poses are on my sidebar. Here are the family configurations:

Audrey and Joseph: Austin, Matthew, Elizabeth

Debra and Randy: Madeleine and Diane

Beth and Bruce: Rachel and Andrew (who will make his debut this Christmas)

Ray: favorite uncle

2008: Madeleine (1) Austin (3 1/2) Matthew (2)

2009: Rachel (11 months), Matthew (3), Elizabeth (9 months) , Austin (4), Madeleine (2)

2010: Rachel (2), Beth, Madeleine (3), Elizabeth (1 1/2), Matthew (4), Austin (5), Diane (11 months)

You're All the Christmas I Need    written by Scott Thompson

Dec 15: He's Making a List and Checking It Twice

He's only checking it twice?? Making only one list?? I have lists everywhere. I have an Excel spreadsheet. I have my regular to-do list(s). I have emails printed and marked and starred. I check them constantly, sure that I'm on top of everyone's wishes, just to realize that I left out a major component.

With little more than a week until Christmas, I need to get hopping. And shopping.











Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town  words and music by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie

Dec 14: And Presents On the Tree

If asked, I would say I love all things Christmas. However, that might not be the complete truth. One area that is a little humbug for me is wrapping gifts.

It wasn't always this way. In fact I used to be very good at wrapping. I was good enough I could have worked for a gift wrapping company. Truly. I know that shocks some of you who have been eye witnesses to my wrapping efforts as well as some other "crafty" endeavors. But it is true.

I remember when I learned how to do it right. We went to San Jose for Thanksgiving and my cousin Greta was wrapping some presents. She is about five years older than I am, and was probably sixteen or seventeen years old at the time. She was a whiz at wrapping! Double ribbons, pretty bows, nice, turned under edges. I was fascinated. She was kind enough to show me how. I loved it!

My mom took advantage of the kid power in our home at Christmas time and would get my sister Cheryl and I to take a Sunday afternoon and wrap gifts. We were a gift wrapping factory. Somehow that never happened for me in my own home. Where did I go wrong?

Ray does not wrap gifts. When I asked for help our first Christmas, he offered two suggestions:
1. Don't wrap it, just put it under the tree.
2. Put it in a brown bag (or better yet, leave it in the bag it came in) and staple it shut.

I rejected those ideas out of hand. Now that we have four children, three sons-in-law, and seven grandchildren with more on the way, the number of gifts can be staggering, and we don't buy that many gifts.

To preserve my sanity I now do minimal gift wrapping. I no longer put on ribbons or bows. I buy two large rolls of paper that coordinate with each other (thank you Costco). I try to wrap gifts as I buy them so the stack is not too overwhelming. I listen to Christmas music or occasionally pop in a Christmas movie to help the time pass more quickly. I'm pretty efficient so that helps.

I'm not ready to take Ray's wrapping suggestions yet. So I hunker down and get it done. It might not be my favorite thing to do, but it's worth it.

I'll Be Home for Christmas  words by Kim Gannon  music by Walter Kent

Dec 13: Say Hello to Friends You Know

I just love Christmas cards. I love sending them, and I love receiving them even more. It is a tradition that is disappearing with the electronic/cyber age. Cards can be expensive, and postage is not going to see a price reduction any time soon.

I don't send cards to local friends. But if someone moved away, or I moved away from them, and we end up living close together again, I keep them on my list. Don't ask me why--there's no logic to it.

My husband Ray is really the impetus behind the cards. Once in a while I'll ask, "Shall we skip it this year?" and I get an emphatic no for an answer. We send out a lot of cards. Lots of people send us cards too, but there are a lot that we never hear from. I'll ask Ray if we should drop them from the list. Another emphatic no. Then once in a great while we'll hear from one of those non-card-senders who mentions how much it means to them to get a card every year. That makes it all worthwhile.

I also send a group letter. I know there are a lot of people who hate those, but my response is that if I don't send that group letter, they'll never hear a word from us. It feels overwhelming to write an individual note to everyone each year.  Likewise, I love to receive a group letter. They are usually much more informative, and since these are people we only communicate with once a year, I love hearing what they've been up to for the last year.

We usually include a family photo. Not this year. (Our last few family pictures are at the bottom of this blog.) We didn't get a new family photo taken during the year, and I couldn't find one of me and Ray that I liked. Next year. We have a new grandchild coming in April, and we'll have a picture done then. I love getting photos also. It's wonderful to see the families we know grow up and add in-laws and grandchildren to the mix.

This is the time of year I am diligent about collecting the mail each day. I love to see the cards coming. Each morning when I read my email it is a thrill to see another Christmas letter come through. No matter how they arrive - email or snail mail - each card and letter is a treasure.

A Holly Jolly Christmas  words and music by Johnny Marks

Dec 12: Star of Wonder, Star of Night

photo by Curtis McDougal taken  12/10/2011 

You may be asking yourself what in the world that is a picture of. It's a close-up shot taken of a lighted star that shines on the mountain just above our home each December. I tried to get a "far away" picture of it from my front porch, but I just couldn't manage it.

Our friend/neighbor, Harold Haugen puts this star up on the mountain every year in December, and hikes up to light it each night. We watch for it when we drive home at night. We look at it from our porch. It adds light and joy to our lives.

One time I heard Harold tell the story of the star. He said he had a dream one night, which showed him exactly how to make it and assemble it. He told his wife about it the next morning, and she rolled her eyes. He went ahead and made it. Each December he carries it up the mountain (too high for me to go), and puts it up. It's powered by a generator. Every night he hikes up the mountain and puts gasoline in the generator, and starts the generator. The star stays lit until the generator runs out of gas - about 6 hours.

Harold started doing it in 2004, before we moved here, and he's done it every year since. Usually a couple of men in the neighborhood hike up with him each night. He's taken youth from our church up there with him. Harold said he's gone up and found money left for him, with a note to say use the money for gas. He's had cookies left for him. He's occasionally met someone waiting for him on the mountain, just to tell him thanks.

Here are some very brief articles about the star. The first two are when he first started doing it. The 2009 article also has a two minute newscast - and that has a great shot of what the star looks like on the mountain from further away..
December 3, 2004 article
December 24, 2004 article
2009 article

Thanks to Harold for selflessly brightening our holiday season each year! It truly lifts my spirits each time I see it.

We Three Kings of Orient Are    words and music by John Henry Hopkins

Dec 11: Away in a Manger

I already wrote about our very special nativity from Bethlehem (Dec 5). We have many more nativities that we love.

Ray's sisters collect nativities from all over the world. Each one is unique. It is fascinating to look at them all. I have quite a few, but not nearly as many as they have. I decided not photograph all of them, but I wanted to talk about just a few of them that I really love.

I think Ray's two favorites are the George Lama Bethlehem nativity, and our Lladro nativity. Ray's parents gave us the Lladro. It was our first really nice one. 

 

 Ray's parents also gave us this one. It's from the San Francisco Music Box Company, and plays Silent Night. It still works, and I bet it's twenty years old.

My personal favorites were made by Ray's sisters.  I know whereof I speak when I say that a gazillion hours and some very intricate sewing went into these nativities. I would never have made them for myself (it makes me cry to even think of making them), so that makes them even more of a treasure. 

Orva made the first one. It is made of wide-wale corduroy. Each of the wise men are holding a gift and the angel is holding a choir book, all of which can be removed. We're missing one sheep - I've looked all over and can't find it. It must have been put in a very special place that I haven't been able to locate. 

Madeleine and Rachel rearranging the pieces. The kids make a beeline for this as soon as they walk in the door.

This one is hand made by Orva also. It's my all time favorite. It's hard to see from the photo just how intricate all the parts are. This nativity is child friendly, but I do not allow the kids to play with it. It's over twenty years old.  However, once in a while I notice that the pieces have been rearranged. Notice in the first picture that the donkey is up close and personal to baby Jesus. Notice in the second photo that he is taking a nap. Or so I hope. The camel looks like a brown shadow behind the three kings.

Here's another child-friendly nativity. Ray's sister Elna made this for us many many years ago. What a blessing to have sisters to make beautiful things for me and my family. 

Away in a Manger  traditional

Dec 10: Baby, It's Cold Outside

And when it's cold outside there's nothing I like better than hot chocolate, buttered popcorn, and some delicious, homemade Fleur de Sel caramels (thank you Marsha). Add a fun book or cozy movie, and it's the perfect afternoon treat.

Baby, It's Cold Outside  words and music by Frank Loesser

Dec 9: Sing, Choirs of Angels

One of my very favorite things to do at Christmas is to sing in a choir, and listen to all kinds of choirs. When we lived in Kirkland, Washington we had some amazing opportunities to sing in excellent church choirs. Our fellow choir members were wonderful, the music selection was excellent, and the conductors were inspiring. 

My favorite years were the ones that Ray and Beth were able to join us in singing while they were in high school. I love singing next to Beth. She is flawless at finding that alto line,and I can always follow right along beside her. She never misses a note.

Many of my favorite choir selections are pieces we sang that are found in this collection of Christmas music by the choirs and orchestra of Brigham Young University:

I just love singing the Messiah. (Time to put that CD in the car and listen to it as I drive around.)  The words of Isaiah spring to life in his composition. 

Of course, any Christmas music is fun to sing in a choral situation with a fun choir and good directors. Many thanks to all who have provided such terrific choir opportunities for me and my family, but especially to Elizabeth Moore (my inspiration in more things than just music), and Remy van der Put. They raised the joy of singing in my life to new and inspiring levels.

O Come, All Ye Faithful   English words by Frederick Oakeley  music by John Reading