Christmas Cookies

We don't really have a lot of family traditions, but the ones we do have involve food. We MUST have some of Mom's Chex mix in our stockings, and we MUST make Christmas cookies. 

This is one of my Dad's favorite traditions. He loves to gently ice each cookie with detail and savor each sugary bite. The 'patient artistic gene' was a quality I did not inherit, but I still enjoy the time we spend together. This year we were lazy and used a store mix instead of homemade cutout cookies... it wasn't the same. The dough was pretty soft and our cookie shapes were a little, well, undefined.

 We also aren't super pros in the decorating department, but hey, they taste good. :)

Besides, I don't think Santa is too picky. Maybe he takes them back to the North Pole and the elves have a giant cookie swap where they try cookies from all around the world... ha, that idea just totally fell into my head and now I am convinced that must be what he does. I would totally love to be there.

What's Popping?

I wrapped my Christmas gifts today. I find the wrapping part very cathartic, although I am very much lacking in the talent department. My grandma can wrap presents like perfection... you don't even want to open the gift, because the crisp corners and perfect tape placement are a gift of inspiration in and of themselves. That beautiful wrapping gene went to my sister, J., so I just do my best and cover my mistakes with ribbon & bows.

Had my hair cut today & it feels so lovely and light. I have been contemplating dyeing it with henna to get a red tone - has anybody else tried this? Any tips?

Lastly, I want to share this photo of our degus, Chip and PIN, sleeping in their sheepskin hammock. I seriously want a hammock like this for myself:

I suspect I wouldn't look nearly so cute though. Anyway, we got a basket of that holiday popcorn, kettle corn and chocolate drizzle, etc. I was mindlessly eating it while watching NCIS, and ate way more than a proper serving... I should probably go drink some water.

Bentleyville

Today we visited the Bentleyville Christmas Park:

In the background is the 12-story tree

There were all sorts of amazing light displays

This was Santa's pavilion... boy, was I glad we weren't in that line!

The Marshmallow Hut - toast your own marshmallows!

All of the activities/treats were free!

I thought this guy was pretty cool

I wanna live here! The Cookie House: FREE cookies! And hot cocoa! And coffee!

"Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night"

And with that, I am going to let the pictures speak for themselves - it was a blast! Now I must sleep...

Ghost of Christmas Party Past

Ok, so I took a little break this weekend. By the time I thought to write on Friday, it was actually past midnight and technically Saturday, then yesterday I was exhausted after the B's Christmas party. So, today is going to be a doubleheader:

I want you to close your metaphorical eyes and pretend it is yesterday. The B's gave everyone a party invitation two weeks ago, and we have all been looking forward to it, because the B's know how to do fun right. We were told to dress festive, bring a white elephant gift, and have a "petite" appetite. 

Just how petite, we weren't sure!

We had nothing to worry about though, because even if it was small in size, it was abundant in quantity!

L to R: Mini tacos, meatball, mini corn dog, baby potatoes, mini cookies, & pizza bagel bites

Before dinner, we had a costume contest, and N. won as Most Festive Girl in her winter blues outfit and snowflake headband. During dinner, we drank eggnog and apple juice out of cups that held no more than a sip, and everyone was passing their cups up and down for refills every three seconds. After dinner, we split off into teams and did a scavenger hunt around the house. Running up and down the stairs and rushing to find all the items got every body worked up - we all collapsed around the living room, full of mini foods and sweating like we'd run a mile. Mom and Dad won the scavenger hunt, and were rewarded with a bag of mini Rolos, which they shared with all of us.

For the gift exchange, we had all sorts of things, ranging from board games, to kitchen appliances, to my brother-in-law's shoe box of fresh caught perch (which the recipient returned, lol). I wound up with two black shirts, one short sleeved & one long, six scented tea lights, and an antique green saucer. Of which, I am wearing the long sleeved shirt and have a tea light lit next to my laptop, so thank you, M.!

Finis (You may now return to present day)

Santa Days

Santa visited our village today. What I want to know, is who is in charge while he's gone all the time making visits to malls and department stores? Is there a Head Elf? Hmm... 

We went on a carriage ride with some very excited small children. One little girl pinched her nose the whole time so she didn't have to breathe in the fresh scent of sweaty horse. I never really have quite understood the "magic" of carriage rides or sleigh rides. What is so romantic about bumping along on a wooden seat, staring at the wrong end of a horse? Now, if I were riding bareback on a horse galloping across the snow, that would be a totally different story. But I digress - as is customary every year, we went on a carriage ride, and we saw Santa at the coffee shop. 

On their holiday menu was an assortment of delightful hot flavored beverages, such as A White Christmas (white chocolate and french vanilla latte) or Cherry Cordial cappuccino (cherry, chocolate, and vanilla). I have to make everything complicated, because I don't really like hot beverages, and because that's simply who I am, so, I got a Peppermint Mocha frappe, and it was really lovely. Of course, now I don't have money to buy stocking stuffers... but, it was delicious. If you ever wanted to know my weakness (well, one of them), it is cold blended beverages with a straw & preferably whipped cream, though I think it's not right to charge extra for the cream, it's like hidden cell phone fees.

I had a traumatizing experience before dinner - I was roaming Pinterest (yet another weakness, you can see my boards at www.pinterest.com/dinhiriel), when I noticed the contact in my right eye was feeling itchy. When I rubbed my eye, the contact fell out into my hand... except there was only half of it. After searching my computer desk and thoroughly peeling my eyelid every which way, I concluded it must have fallen out and I'd missed it. Thirty minutes later, the outer edge of my eye felt gummy, and when I rubbed it, the other half of the contact slid out. That was sort of scary. What if that piece had gotten lodged somewhere, or worked its way into my brain? I already have enough loose bolts up there, I don't need a piece of plastic floating around too!

Season of Happiness

I know the holidays are a season of stress for a lot of people. Memories of loved ones, money issues, and dealing with excessive crowds at the retailers is enough to put even the cheeriest into a funk. But how much of that is a mindset? We may not have much to give, but lets put the joy back into giving. We may hate being among all those noisy people at the checkouts, but do we notice the smiles, the gratitude, and the excitement of being part of a worldwide holiday? I know that it is difficult to celebrate when you have a hole in your heart because you are missing someone dear to you, and it hurts to be reminded of the past, but there is  healing and a bittersweet pleasure in channeling that loneliness and longing into doing something that you know they would want you to carry on and do. 

Tonight we went to a Christmas dinner that is open to the community, and in the gift shop were the snowmen above, holding their banner "Season of Happiness." N. said it reminded her of us three sisters (I'm the one in the middle, because I'm tallest). This year will be our first Christmas without J., who will be in the Great Lakes area with her husband's family. I have missed her enthusiasm about the holidays... growing up, she would always decorate her room and have a little tree where she would put out her impeccably wrapped presents on display for us at a tortuously early date. Being an introvert, and not usually inclined to do things on my own, she has always been my buddy for looking at lights, carriage rides, ridiculous blizzard walks, and Christmas parties. I can remember many Christmas Eve's when we would somehow squish onto a twin bed for a "sleepover" and promise to wake the other the minute we opened our eyes Christmas day. 

Now, I'm the one who is initiating, convincing Mom & N. to get out and enjoy the festivities. And I'm glad we went, because afterwards we stopped by the B's house and had a lovely time. I also got a cookie, which as you all know, I'm very fond of...

Teeny Tiny Evergreen

See that little green thing in the background? That's our tree this year! We've run the gamut of Christmas decor, from 6-foot artificial trees with maroon bows, to a year where we didn't even have a tree, but displayed my Dad's hand painted ornaments on the mantel. This year we are having Christmas in minature - but hey, it's a real tree! Maybe by the time I have kids it will be a proper size, haha.

Now, we are off to watch some comedy shows before bed... No better way to end the day than with a laugh!! In lieu of that, I want to share this comic with you:

Have a great evening!

Find Out Who Your Friends Are

This year has taught me a lot about friendships. I think it is when you are at your worst and feeling your least valuable to the world that you discover the mettle of your friends. When you begin to doubt yourself, who is there to support you? Some people are there just to watch the drama; others to sway you to their way of thinking. A real friend will challenge you, but they will never try to convince you to do something that goes against your own conscience or beliefs. That is not caring, or respect, that is manipulation. As one of my friends told me, "I can and will give you advice ANY time you need it. But you still have to make the decision that is right for Toni. As your friend I'll back that decision all the way."

I love the people that I can truly call my friends. Sure, we may be busy and not talk often, or not see each other for years, but I know that I can count on each of them to be there if I need them. For me, friendship is so much more than someone to talk to. It's a fierce loyalty, a chain of trust, a vulnerability that says, "In a fight, I would stand back to back with you, knowing you will watch out for me & not stab me with betrayal."

Tonight we watched It's A Wonderful Life. It has so much to show about our influence in each other's lives, how one person's sacrifice can do a world of good, and what it means to have family (even if you live in a 'drafty old house'). Most of all, though, it is a lesson about what it means to have friends... friends who will be there when you're at the bottom to lift you up & dust you off. 

 Remember no man is a failure who has friends. ~ Clarence

May The Flakes Be With You...

...Snowflakes, I mean! For today's activity I voted on paper snowflakes & found these amazing templates to make Star Wars themed patterns! My Dad gets all the credit for the incredibly detailed R2D2 above, I lack the patience to do anything like that. Plus it involved an Xacto knife, which I have a habit of slicing myself with, so I try to avoid using them. :)

If you want to try making some of these awesome scifi snowflakes for yourself, go here.

Here is my (much simpler) replica of the Rebel Alliance symbol:

Have fun! Share pictures!

Dead As a Door Nail

"Marley was dead: to begin with.  There is no doubt whatever about that (...) Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail. Mind!  I don't mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail.  I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade.  But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country's done for.  You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail." ~ Charles Dickens

I have always received a certain humorous pleasure from this beginning passage of A Christmas Carol. The idea of Dickens, sitting down to begin writing a novel (little aware that it would still be a holiday classic some 169 years later), putting pen to paper, and writing 'dead as a door-nail'. He even goes into his own little apology as to the origin of the phrase, making him, to me, a timelessly relatable author. If you derive any joy from wordplay and bizarre, oddly-familiar characters, then read Dickens. Sure, he's wordy, but worth every word. 

Our family goal this month is to do something in the Christmas spirit every day: a movie, a fun activity, a special treat. Today, we picked a movie - the Muppet Christmas Carol. The movie is a classic in and of itself, and a yearly tradition in our house. Actually, the Muppets themselves have always had a sentimental place in our hearts. We grew up watching the movies, and when The Muppet Movie came out last year, we made a rare trip to the theater to see it. *I may or may not have cried when they sang Rainbow Connection at the end...*

A Muppet Christmas Carol is celebrating it's 20th anniversary this year. If you haven't seen it, please do! I promise you will laugh at least once or twice! Not only is it filled with witty dialogue, and the excellent acting persona of Michael Caine, but it also leaves you with a sense of cheerfulness, which is rare for most media you watch these days. 

(copyright, Disney)

One of my favorite quotes:

"Did I tell you that I am the ghost of Christmas present?
          "You did, yes."
"Come in, and know me better, man!"
          "You're a little absentminded, spirit."
"No! I'm a large absentminded spirit!"

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Join me as I will try to post our activities every day. What sort of traditions do you have? Favorites you love doing with your family during the holiday season? Please share in the comments!