More Traditions

Hello, all! I'm super sleepy, but wanted to drop by and talk for a few minutes anyway. My husband has a tradition of new stockings for the kids each year- for us, too if we can. This year, my daughter and I got Tinkerbell, Husband got an elf, and my son got Tigger. So cute. If I ever find all the ones in storage, they'll have stockings enough for all their kids ;-)

My folks sent me up some wonderful Christmas CDs whch we have been enjoying immensely. THANKS!!!

Um, I know. No stuff over the holidays, but I keep hearing about our new "exalted leader"'s penchant for the Red Star- and that the college kids that meet to worship him or whatever it is they do, are wearing that in place of the US Flag on their lapels. Um, wasn't the Red Star the symbol the USSR and China used for their troops? You can get them on eBay. To me, it's just a little creepy and I'm having visions of Delores Umbridge in the Office. Just had to get that off my mind. If anyone knows the truth of it, I'd be more than happy to hear it.

Ok, like my Aunt, I've been enjoying the Christmas movies on TV this year. They're so un-PC. Refreshing and delightful! I'd love to see "Happy Hanukkah, Charlie Brown!" as much as the next girl, but the ones that have been on have been happy and fun. And we're still trying really, really hard with our "suspend cynicism and sarcasm" for the month of December. It's not easy, I tell you. I hadn't realized just how snarky we'd become. (blush)

As we've been clearing out our storage room (it leaks), we've found some great things we thought were lost. And I found my Joker action figure- from back when the Joker was just a merry prankster and not a twisted freak. So, while I'm studying and the kids are playing, we play that Joker's studying and he interjects various pranks based on the text I'm studying. Sounds a lot less fun than it really is; plus it gives me interaction with the kids instead of just studying endlessly with my brain twitching. "Jingle Bells, Batman Smells..." heehee

Ok, I reckon it's time for me to get started on bedtime stuff. Stories we've read so far include:
The Diggingest Dog by Al Perkins
Grizzwold by Syd Hoff
Dr. Seuss's Green Eggs and Ham and One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
Arch Books The Beggar's Wish (about Bartimaeus- I LOVE Arch Books!)
The Berenstain Bears and the Messy Room (which did NOT go over well)
The Coal Truck by Miss Francis (from an early 50s show)
Petunia's Christmas by Duvoisin
I Wish I had Duck Feet by Theo LeSieg
The King, the Mice, and the Cheese by Nancy and Gurney
and tonight's is Sam and the Firefly by P.D. Eastman

Most of these came with me from my childhood and between the kids and my brothers, I reckon I've read them enough that I can comfortably read them upside-down (pictures showing to the audience) and still keep the rhyming cadence as my mom read them. It's been great! And the Scrooge McDuck cartoon was cuter than I remembered- heehee- and Pooh's Christmas movie brought back memories of my own babies and how they used to say the names of the characters. Ah, bittersweet Christmas- how it reminds us that time is fleeting and that memories fade.

Good tidings of comfort and joy to you all!

ttfn

Long Time

Hello, Everyone! :-)

I'm sorry it's been so long since I posted. I get a headache if I'm on my computer too long. Recovering still from a blooming head injury. Yes, I took a tumble down a long set of concrete stairs and landed on my head. Good thing I'm a Baptist or I'd've been hurt bad. (Baptists are known for being hard-headed for any of you that don't know any personally ;) )

Anyway, I just want to wish everybody a very merry Christmas! I hope to post more between now and then, but I'm having to ease back into it. My typing skills are still horrible and train of thought is still whispy and smoke-like. But, glory to God (and THANKS so much, too!!) I am seeing improvements from how it was.

Kids are great, husband's great. Christmas crafts and Spirit are abounding. A tradition we have at Christmas is to read one or two young children's books (from when the kids were little) each day. It is great. Also, we read a part of Dickens' Cricket on the Hearth each year. Maybe this year we'll finish it. That poor blind girl! And how funny that the grouchy old guy just completely doesn't get it at all. He was one heck of a writer.

My record player is on the fritz, so our usual tradition of listening to 50s Christmas records from the A&P has been thwarted. But, never fear. I found some CDs, so we can still have Christmas music. The songs from the British Isles are especially beautiful, and Bing Crosby sounds just as good on CD as on record. I don't have any Andy Williams this year, though. :-( That's a tradition like the 50s records that I brought with me from my Mama. Ah, well. Maybe I can get some from eBay. I have to say, I wish I had one of the old low-tech wind up kind of record players. And a bunch of extra needles. I love those old gadgets that didn't use electricity or computer chips. Like that old Fisher Price movie viewer. The kids thought that was the neatest thing. Sure, they love the tech, but they were really impressed that you could watch a movie by turning a crank. And that it was still good after years in a box.

Another tradition we have is we follow the 12 days of Christmas by opening a present from on the tree each of the days with a special one on Twelfth Night (Orthodox Christmas). We also celebrate Hannaka, even if we can't spell it. The Maccabee Story is awesome so long as you leave off the very end of it. We usually end with the 8 days of light. "FREEDOM!!!"

Well, that's about all for me for now. Have a WONDERFUL holiday season whichever of the holidays you celebrate. Thank you, Jesus!

JRS