So the big turkey feast is behind us. The pilgrims and the pumpkins have gone back into their hiding place in the attic or garage and a new season of holiday mayhem, I mean, magic, is upon us.
So much to do! So much to see! So little time! Even less money! Black Friday! Cyber Monday! Shopping and wrapping and snacking, oh my!
That’s right my friends, it’s December, that frenzied, fantastical time of the year known as Christmas! There’s so much to love about Christmas. Who doesn’t love the corny classic movies, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and The Charlie Brown Christmas.? Or the tear-jerkers that still manage to make us laugh, Miracle on 34th Street and my personal favorite, It’s A Wonderful Life!
It’s a time for egg nog, cranberries, and pumpkin flavored everything. It’s the only time of the year mistletoe is a welcome site and real trees are allowed into the house without the intent of using them in the fireplace. It’s time for traditions, silly hats, ugly sweaters and pajamas that are never to be worn any other time of the year. What’s not to love about Christmas?
My favorite part of the Christmas process, and it is a process that starts even before Halloween these days, is selecting just the right tree and then, putting all of my precious ornaments on it. Selecting the tree is always a team effort at my house. I plough through the glistening snow-covered forest pointing and analyzing while my husband trails along behind with the saw. What? I can’t properly analyze with a saw in my hand! Then I hold the perfect specimen while my husband hunkers down on the wet frozen ground to hack the thing off. When victory is ours, he hauls the tree to the truck while I carry the saw and cheerfully point out any potential pitfalls he might encounter along the way.
Once we get the awesome evergreen home, I hold the door while my husband finagles the twelve foot monster across the railing, around the porch swing and through the opening. You see, still a team effort. Now comes the fun part, he tilts and twists and spins the behemoth conifer whilst I stand back and say, “a little to the left,” “a little to the right.” This still requires a team effort because one person cannot do both things at the same time. Try it.
Once we are victorious with stabilizing the tree, the decorating begins. My husband insists on doing the lights and I happily oblige. After all, someone has to taste the wine to make sure it’s the appropriate vintage for the decorating ceremony. After the lights are aglow, I begin the painstaking process of choosing which spot on the tree is the perfect spot for each individual ornament. Heads up, this process can take hours so much wine is needed. It is also the only time my husband allows Christmas music to be played while he is home. (Oh my gosh, I’ve just realized that I may have married Scrooge.)
But, I digress. The actual point of this post is that I love Christmas and all of the craziness that goes along with it. I am so blessed to live in a country where I can freely enjoy such traditions and that I have a wonderfully accommodating husband who allows me to indulge in my crazy, anal-retentive holiday weirdness. For me, it’s not necessarily about what’s under the tree, but the whole process of finding the right tree and watching it sparkle every night for about thirty days. It’s an annual tradition that shall always be near and dear to my heart.
Tell me what makes Christmas special in your house.
Word of the day: Balisage
Fun fact about me: When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a truck driver when I grew up.
Well my favorite part of Christmas is watching my wife enjoy all the trappings and lights, I exhaust myself putting lights on house, on tree, dragging said tree down mountain sides slipping on my butt much to the delight of my wife and then finally placing it in the house. But her smile at the end is the best Christmas present ever, I love you.
Scrooge
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Ah, shucks! That’s very sweet my darling! And you’re not really a Scrooge, just not into Christmas music as much I am.
Thanks for your continued efforts this morning trying to post. Finally got the probem resolved.
Love you.
Patricia
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Ahhh, Corey’s post made me smile, as did yours of course. I’ve got three little boys, none of whom are absolutely certain there’s no Santa. That’s pretty special right there! 🙂
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Of Virna, yo still get those wonderfully excited faces Christmas morning when they think that maybe, just maybe, Santa did bring what they wanted! How exciting. I hope that spirit nevers dims within them even when they figure it out. I still believe in Santa, he just doesn’t always wear a fuzzy red suit.
Thanks for stopping by.
Patricia
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I love Christmas in the foothills, especially Main street Placerville with the stagecoach rides and decorated Belltower. Our family tradition was to go every year to a Christmas tree farm in Apple Hill and pick out the best tree. My son’s tradition was to complain every year “why we couldn’t just go to Safeway.” And don’t tell my kids, but after they hung the ornaments and went off to bed, I always rearranged them on the tree.
Thanks for a great holiday post!
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Hi Cindy! Thanks for your continued effortts to post a comment this morning.
My very sweet husband and I go to Appe Hill too. Doesn’t look like we’re going to have to trudge through any frozen tundra this year though. Just fight the howling winds!
Re-arranging the ornaments – that’s something I’d do to. Isn’t Christmas fun!
Thanks for stopping by. See you Saturday.
Patricia
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For some reason, I cannot picture you sitting in a big truck driving it down the highways. You’re a great driver, but I still can’t see it.
So glad you love Christmas so much. All those lights and excitement going on is fun. My hubby used to swear he’d bring home a smaller tree ‘this year.’ It never happened as the smaller tree was never under 18 feet tall. One year it was so big, it broke the stand and we almost tied it to the four corners. In came the chain saw… 🙂
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Hi Paisley – what is it with men and really big trees? I guess it’s because they look so much smaller outside than they do inside.
Yep – me behind the wheel of a big rig. Don’t know where that came from. I guess it’s because I love driving and felt like I’d be able to see all parts of the country. Anyway, that never happened and I don’t think it’s likely now. Good thing too.
Thanks for stopping by for a visit this morning. I’ll see you Saturday.
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Thanks for getting me into the holiday spirit. My boys are getting too old for the really fun toys. Either that or they already have everything. But my youngest has taken over decorating the tree. He’s so excited and he still believes in Santa. He’s nine. I have no idea where my 13 year old stands. He keeps it to himself.
We go to this place in Kelsey every year. Less crowded than Apple Hill and the boys can run and hunt for the perfect tree. It’s worth it even if I get a little car sick on the way.
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Hi Kristina!
How exciting that your son wants to decorate the tree! The family outing to find the tree is so fun! Kelsey is a ways to go, but you get that good family bonding time along the way.
13? Probably does not believe that Santa really squeezes his backside down the chimney, but really nice that he hasn’t “ruined” it for his brother.
I hope you have a lovely holiday season!
Patricia
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Oh my gosh, you remind me of when we’d buy a fresh tree every year. It was fun, full of tears and laughs (yes both!) because it was hard to find the ‘perfect’ one. Then we found a perfect artificial tree! haha! I burn holiday bayberry candles and it smells awesome.
Our tradition is decorating as a family and the kids remembering each ornament and why it’s special. And of course the egg nog and wine … and the egg nog. 😉
Thanks for sharing your tradition with us. I do have a thing for trees. And your husband sounds like a gem!
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Hi Ginger. The tree selection and decorating is an actual ceremony at our house. The presentation before, during, and after. I love it!
Yes, my hubby is wonderful. He hates all the hullabaloo, but loves that I take the time to decorate the house and burn the smelly candles. He enjoys the end result, not the road to get there.
Thanks for visiting today.
Patricia
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Christmas at the Rickrodes sounds like so much fun!
I love the fresh, clean, Christmas-y smell of evergreen, but gave in to convenience a few years back and bought an (egad!) artifical tree, complete with lights! Still do the balsam wreath on the door and boughs on the mantle, though, so I’m not a complete apostate.
My kids and I love to bake lots of different types of Christmas cookies in the days leading up to the big one.
And I cannot envision you as a trucker, kiddo. Your clothes are simply too pretty!
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Ah shucks Ma’am, thanks for the compliment! I do like my pretty clothes. (That’s me embracing my inner Princess.) Amazing the things you can find at the thrift stores too. Some of my finest dresses and shoes are someone else’s cast-offs.
Christmas cookies at the Olson household sounds like fun too! Who doesn’t love Christmas cookies? They’re even better when made with love.
Thanks for stopping by Madeline. Can’t wait for the party Saturday!
Patricia
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I, too, am agape at the vision of the petite you behind the wheel of a big rig. But hey, girls can dream, right?
My favorite memory of Christmas is when my youngest boy, who was a huge handful, was a toddler. We put our Christmas tree into a playpen, fully decorated with all the presents under it. We caught a picture of my DS in his footed pjs trying to climb inside the playpen. It was the only time in his life he wanted in that thing!
Now that the kids are grown, the best part of the holiday is pulling out the old ornaments and taking that annual walk down memory lane.
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Oh memories of babies growing up – how precious! Tree in a playpen, that’s a new one.
I love the ornaments too. My husband and I collect them from our travels and so it always brings back fond memories. We have some special ones for parents and pets now passed too, so the decorating is always bittersweet.
Me behind the wheel of anything is actually quite scary. I have a lead foot. Not sure where that glamorous idea came from, but I was certain I wanted to drive big rigs cross country and see the world.
Thanks for stopping by my blog and your support of my fledgling career.
Patricia
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Our college daughter loves Christmas immensely. She had to work all night due to Target’s Black Friday sale starting at midnight (she’s a cashier) and wasn’t able to join us for the annual trek to Apple Hill the day after Thanksgiving. Sure felt weird cutting the tree without her, but we needed to get it since she was able to come home again that Sunday for the decorating.
Now our halls are decks. Well, the living room actually. The gifts are wrapped and under the tree. All’s in readiness for the big day. Our gal’s happy and is looking forward to Christmas, as am I. The gifts are nice, but far better is seeing her joy.
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Oh my goodness, Keli, you’re way ahead of me. Hubby and I just returned from chopping down our tree. The house smells heavenly. Unfortunately the decorating ceremony is postponed until Sunday. Too much to do and see between now and then.
Gifts wrapped? Really? I haven’t even started shopping yet! (sigh) I’d best get my butt in gear.
Thanks for taking the time to post a comment.
Patricia
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I’m going to borrow a holiday tradition from you, Jansen. Not the tree-cutting, as I’ll drag in a potted Norfolk pine from my patio. (It’s taller than I am.) No, I’m signing on as the pre-decorating wine-taster. Who knew the appropriate vintage was so important? I skipped the tasting task all these years but will now give it the attention it deserves.
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Oh my goodness, Pat, I’m so sorry you didn’t know about this tradition. Some folks prefer egg nog or spiced cidar (I suggest adding a splash of brandy if that’s your beverage of choice), but wine seems to be the hands on favorite for me. Sometimes I swill whiskey and chomp on candy canes, but that’s only if I can’t decide on the proper vintage of distilled grapes. It’s a last ditch effort really.
Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and post a comment. My blog is always open so feel free to stop by any time.
Have a lovely holiday!
Patricia
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Heart-warming blog, Patricia! I like your site.
The best part of holidays is family, of course! I have a very large one so it’s fun to get together. Loud, but fun!
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Hi Jo! Thanks for finding me in cyber world and it was so good to see you today at the Xmas party! (Wasn’t trying to be a snitch either. Sorry.)
You can’t think of the holdiays without thinking of family and that usually brings many memories, good, bad and everything in between. I hope you have a lovely Christmas.
Thanks for supporting me in my new blogging adventures too.
Patricia
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Christmas is a great time of year for little kids. My six and four year old start getting excited around Halloween. By their dad’s birthday (Dec. 2), both are completely convinced it’s “tomorrow.”
Great post!
–Meggan
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Hi Meggan. Thanks for stopping by.
I don’t have little ones, but sometimes I feel like one myself this time of year. As soon as I get the tree home I want to put up the ornaments, but my husband always has to let it sit for a day to “settle.” That 24-hour period seems like forever to me.
And once the wrapped packages start mysteriously showing up under the tree, I have to pick them up and shake them and see how heavy they are. I can imagine what having little ones is like waiting for “tomorrow.”
Thanks for sharing!
Patricia
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