This has been a very long year not without trials and tribulations.
As of this moment, everything is good and we are so thankful.
We had a wonderful early Thanksgiving
with the kids.
The Captain and I felt like royalty.
We were the hosts and set a pretty table but
Tim and Tami provided a beautifully smoked turkey and dessert
while Jake and Jacenda made all the wonderful side dishes.
Everything was so good.
It was short, but sweet,
as all of our gatherings are lately,
but that doesn't make them any less special.
I hope you all had a
wonderful Thanksgiving as well.
The Captain is doing really well
and today will be going to the doc
for his three month evaluation.
for business as usual.
My vision is clearing up
(much better than expected, I think)
and the docs say they are amazed.
As of this writing,
all is calm, all is bright.
As you enter, I hope you feel
the warmth and wonder of the season.
We are starting some early decorating because of our earlier
Thanksgiving celebration
so taking our time
is how we are doing it this year.
There will not be
too much different this year.
Old tried and true measures
are in the forecast with only just a
very little new to add.
I am still looking forward to my
annual birthday trip to Home Goods
but, for now,
I am finding happy places
for some old friends.
The entry mirror is hung
with a Christmas garland and wreath
tied up with the same pretty red ribbons used last year.
Yuletide greetings are added
to celebrate the joy and glad tidings
of years past.
A sparkle of gold from the jingle bells
and the scent and shine of a candle
add perfect ambiance to usher you
in from the outside
as well as welcoming
this most wonderful time of the year.
Now, may I invite you to step into
our Olde Thyme Christmas parlor.
The yule log is burning
and everywhere you look there is a reminder of simpler times.
Times and stories of long ago memories,
when life seemed much easier
but only because you were a child.
Knowing what we know now,
our parents probably didn't
always feel that was true
but for a short amount of time
we will make ourselves believe that it was.
"It is good to be children sometimes,
and never better than at Christmas."
Charles Dickens
I have never met
There is one tree, however,
that has stuck in my mind
for as long as I can remember
and even though it was
a different tree each year,
it always looked the same to me.
It was in an old log house
that belonged to my grandparents
where this story takes place,
and the tree was always
cut and carried down
from the surrounding woods
Looking back now,
I can see that
It was just a natural little tree
growing up with the help of
Mother Nature,
with all the colored glass ornaments,
the silver birds clipped onto
the branches draped in tinsel,
with the large brightly colored bulbs
reflecting off of the rustic log walls
and the pretty star on top,
it was a thing of beauty
that magical childhood dreams
A keepsake from my grandmother.
My parents and grandparents
decorated the tree
while we kids were sent to another room until it was just so.
Only then were we allowed
back in the room to see
the magic that had happened.
It was then that we heard
the sounds on the roof
signifying that Santa was on his way.
We almost couldn't breathe,
never noticing that our older cousin,
who had seen the tree with us,
was now missing from the room.
Then it was time to be
whisked away to our car
and taken to our own home,
just down the road,
where we were put to bed,
dreaming about all the presents
that would be delivered by Santa
and placed under that tree
for us to find the next morning.
Over the years,
I have searched for a tree
just like the one I remember
but whether faux from a big box store
or live from a tree lot, it has eluded me.
When we got rid of our big tree
after last Christmas,
I found one on line from Grandin Road
that I thought might have potential.
It was smaller and had less branches
than the ones we have had
for the last few years,
but without the wonderful scent and feel
I knew it could never really compare.
But, then it wasn't going to be decorated exactly the same or viewed
from a child's perspective either.
When the box was delivered it appeared to be smaller than I thought it should be
although I had measured the space and thought it was a good size.
Upon opening the box, my first impression was that it looked like a drowned rat!
The four pieces all looked
so small and limp.
After placing it in the stand, however,
my impression changed.
It now looked like a drowned ostrich!
It was so ugly that I didn't want to take
any photos of it,
all I wanted to do was cry,
but I started fluffing and fluffing and more fluffing
and here is where
the magic really happened...
It is such a pretty little tree
and even though it doesn't look
a thing like my memories,
I am very pleased.
I have used all the same ornaments
that I used last year,
along with the satin and velvet ribbons.
I purposely ordered it without lights
as you know my feelings about the lights
on our last tree.
I hadn't strung lights in quite a few years and, believe me,
it was a job that I soon remembered
I didn't like.
After placing 700 of those
pretty little stars,
I am happy.
So, here is the finished version
of a story that started a long time ago
and even though it isn't exactly
like those trees from my childhood,
with the tiniest bit of tinsel
and popcorn strings, the memories are
stirred of an
Old Thyme Christmas,
celebrated with family,
most of whom are now gone,
in that old log house
that my grandfather built,
long before I was even born.
"The Yule trees, and the dreams all children dream/
The tremulous glow of candles in rows/
The gold and silver of angels and globes/
And the splendor of tinsel and toys under trees."
Boris Pasternak
The mantel is strung
with the same garland used last year
with only a few different items,
such as dried white roses
from the bouquet the kids gave us
for our anniversary.
I left the picture and frame
that were used during the summer and fall
just because I like it...
...and a new sign of the times is added.
when you become content
with what has come before
and the thought that
there is no need for many big changes.
I think I am there.
"May you have the gladness of Christmas/Which is hope;
The spirit of Christmas/Which is peace;
The heart of Christmas/Which is love."
Ada V. Hendricks
Until next week...
...xxoJudy...
Sharing today with:
Love Your Creativity at Life and Linda
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