Too Much Stuff

My Christmas List

Once again, today's blog post was prompted by The English Geek. Like Amy, don't many of us fail to manage our expectations (and overestimate our capabilities) during the holidays? This year, I took a class at Big Picture Classes called Cut the Crazy Out of Christmas. The class was basically a planning exercise, including the construction of a holiday planner. By leaving the planner out where you could see it, you should be motivated to get things done earlier. And it worked. Of course, the class teaches the planning process is a, well, process. You won't be where you want to be the first year, but you'll be on your way. So where am I, now that we're one week away from Christmas?

Sitting her blogging and totally ignoring the overwhelming list sitting on the breakfast table. Why is it overwhelming? Because I didn't do anything on the list yesterday. What's left to be done?

• Clean the house, and I mean really clean it
• Wash the shower curtains and bath rugs
• Get those pesky baseboards
• Vacuum, vacuum, mop, mop, mop
• Put clean sheets on all the beds, including the bed in the guest room
• Finish a bit of baking
• Ice a half a gazillion sugar cookies
• Put up a few decorations I purchased last weekend
• Maybe put the garland on the stairs


Does it sound manageable? Not to me. But I'm not going to beat myself up because I've already gotten a lot done.

• My shopping is done, finished, complete, including stocking stuffers.
• Everything is wrapped and either under the tree, with its recipient, or in a box on its way.
• I've baked 2 batches of iced lemon cookies, 2 batches of Christmas cookies (with candied fruit), 2 batches of iced Nutmeg Butterfingers and mixed up a batch of Nieman Marcus Chocolate Oatmeal cookies.
• The tree is up and decorated and has been since the day after Thanksgiving.
• The lights are up on the porch.
• The Christmas cards, complete with family photos, were mailed the first week of December.
• I've been taking holiday photos almost every day.

What do I call that? Success. Sure, I have a lot left to do, but I don't think anyone has ever considered Christmas a disappointment because there was a bit of dust on the baseboards or the bathroom floors didn't sparkle. And if we don't get to the pumpkin bread? We'll eat cookies!

I hope you take a little time for you today. Sit back and think of all you have accomplished. Brew a cup of tea, or get some eggnog, and enjoy the lights.

 

A Christmas I Don't Want to Forget

I have to thank The English Geek (Amy) for the capturing of this memory. It's a recent one, but it's also one I could have let slip away. Amy's been posting a hodgepodge of holiday things on her blog, and this memory is something prompted by one of her posts. I owe Amy a big thank you because I now have this one written down.

 My favorite thing about Christmas is the early morning, while it's still dark outside. We three get a fire going in the stove, and we sit together, lit only by the light of the fire, the tree and one small lamp. We are together, the mother, the father and the son. We get coffee or cocoa and take turns sharing what's in our stockings. It's slow and easy and special.  I treasure those mornings with "my boys." But we have no family here, where we've chosen to live, so some Christmases we travel to be with those we love. Last Christmas, we traveled to be with my mother. She's alone; my dad passed away six years ago. The holidays are especially hard for her because Christmas was also my dad's birthday. He loved the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the decorating, the cooking, and most of all, having family near. So last Christmas, we traveled to be with her. I knew my brother would be home.  He works for weeks at a time on a boat, and often misses holidays. My sister said she'd be coming with her daughter who had just finished college, but her husband and two sons wouldn't be able to come. I was resigned to not having my special Christmas time, but it was OK. Christmas morning, it was just Mom and we three, and I could see what it meant to her to have us there. Then my brother and his wife arrived, and it was even better. Mid-day, I looked out the window and saw my sister and her daughter get out of the car - they'd driven 6 hours that morning to be with us. But they weren't alone; my brother-in-law and two nephews piled out of the car, too. The oldest is 27 and out on his own, so we really didn't expect him. And then we were all together, the whole family. My mother had all her children and grandchildren around her, and the joy was visible on her face. Thinking about her joy brings tears to my eyes today. Last Christmas was not the Christmas I thought I wanted, but it was the best Christmas I could have ever imagined.

Christmas Was a Blast

We went south for Christmas and spent the holiday with my Mom. My brother and sister-in-law were there and we were thrilled my sister and her entire family got to come for a visit. The last time we were all together was when Dad passed away. Needless to say, Mom was thrilled to have us all there. As the kids get older, it gets harder and harder to get everyone together, so this was a very special Christmas.

Before Christmas, I took a class at Big Picture called Adventures in Scrapbooking - Using Kits with May Flaum. Wow. I wasn't prepared for what a kick-start that class would be. I registered late, which put me behind the power curve, and the class went into December which put a damper on things because I was frantically trying to get ready for Christmas. I didn't work through the whole class, but I'll finish it at a later time. I have all sorts of plans for LOs. Since I didn't have any kits, I used the class instructions to make my own. With the first week's kit, I made six layouts in a week's time, which was huge for me.

Here's a picture of the kit I put together for week one:

I didn't put alphabets in the kit, I just pulled them from my stash as needed. I have a LOT of alphabets! I also sorta cheated and pulled a few other embellishments from my stash. Still, I'm absolutely thrilled with the results.

I posted four layouts in the post before this one. You can see them here.

Here are the others I didn't post.

I'm especially pleased with how this last one turned out. The strip of paper on the right with the bird was the leftovers from the text bacground on the layout 1 Great Dad. I thought it was perfect for this one.

I found constraining myself to working with only the papers in my kit and limiting myself mostly to the embellishments I put in the kit really helped me use things up and also be more creative. I'm looking forward to finishing up working through this class and creating more layouts (and using up more stash).

Seven Videos of Christmas - Day Seven

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Seven Videos of Christmas - Day Six

OK, so I don't REALLY want one of these for Christmas, but I love this song.  Part of it is the music itself, part is the fact it's being sung by a little girl and she's singing with such authority, and part is the fact the song is so ridiculous that it's just plain fun.  And it's scientific.  See if you can locate the science fact in the song!

Seven Videos of Christmas - Day Five

I think Canon in D Major by Pachelbel is one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written. That it was written more than three hundred twenty years ago is amazing to me, because the themes of the piece transition beautifully to modern arrangements. I especially like this one.  Enjoy.

Seven Videos of Christmas - Day Four

This is actually the post I wrote last - love Typepad's ability to schedule posts! Anyway, I ran out of days before I ran out of things to share.  I was torn - I wanted to post something by Barenaked Ladies, but I couldn't find a good video.  And how could I exclude Elvis' Blue Christmas? But I did.

The two things I had to share were videos by Straight No Chaser and Burl Ives.  It's not Christmas without Holly Jolly Christmas, which you can hear below.

And if you haven't heard of Straight No Chaser, where have you BEEN?  This a capella group formed in the mid-90's at Indiana University. They've since reunited and have a holiday CD out. I'd also recommend you give their "Lion Sleeps Tonight" a listen.  Well, I WOULD recommend you give it a listen, but it's been removed because a third party made a copyright claim.  I looked around on YouTube, and there are many, many, many other groups with versions of this song, so I don't know what's up.  Too bad you can't hear it because it's one of the best versions I've ever heard.  Here's their version of Carol Of The Bells.

And the video that started it all (albeit a new version, but the song's the same), The Twelve Days of Christmas.

Seven Videos of Christmas - Day Three

While I much prefer the version that plays on the radio, this one is OK, too.  No, this is not a Christmas video, but it's something I hear around Christmas, and I always look forward to it.

Seven Videos of Christmas - Day Two

Congratulations to me. I managed to get two videos posted.  I hope the trend will continue, so please stop back by tomorrow.

Every year, on the day after Thanksgiving, we get up and start decorating for Christmas.  Of course, we have music to get us in the spirit.  The first CD I put on is usually Christmas With The Chipmunks, and this is my favorite song from that CD.

And after you view this one, please go visit my friend Craig at his gardening blog Ellis Hollow and see the great video he posted here.  If all our leaders just understood . . . . . . .

Seven Videos of Christmas - Day One

It's all Carla's fault.  While I'm busy wanting a hippopotamus for Christmas, she's singing "The Restroom Door Said Gentlemen."  Looking for that song led me a merry chase, and I discovered some interesting videos along the way.

Disclaimer:  I INTEND to post seven videos, one every day from now through Christmas day, but we all know where the road paved with good intentions leads.  I can't promise they'll all be about Christmas, either; that is, if I get them posted.  I can promise I enjoyed them; whether you will or not is another matter, but I hope you do.

And without further ado, here is the first of the Seven Videos of Christmas.