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Red & Green, in Gruene, TX We started getting in the holiday spirit in early December, with a visit to the Texas town with the funny name.  The town is named for a German man, whose last name sounds like the color green! Guene Mansion Inn We spent one night in the mansion where HD Gruene's family once lived.
In our cozy upstairs room, we put on our festive shirts, (ukuleles & flowers) then tossed on red & green leis and cowboy boots. We made a quick toast and headed next door. Gruene Hall We were just steps from the oldest dance hall in Texas. We've visited many times, but never for a concert with such a fun theme. Tiki & Christmas!
The laid back, sweet harmonies of Jamestown Revival couldn't have been better! Jamestown Revival Childhood buds Jon and Josh have been creating music since high school.  Before the show, we happened to meet Jon's parents at our inn. We talked a bit and learned that the duo had recently been nominated for 2 Tony awards and a Grammy! A fun chat with proud parents! Festive and Welcoming Vibe Below are photos from our less than 24 hour visit to the sweet community of Gruene. The town and the dance hall felt festive and welcoming. The Christmas Tiki Show was a hoot. The talented performers were relaxed and personable. The mostly younger, upbeat crowd sang along with old favorites, as if we were gathered around someone's piano at home. In fact a couple audience members (probably friends) ended up on stage performing. It was a fun evening! Pink at The Cabin The next morning we drove to our cabin to meet up for a night, with Heidi and Charlie.  The weather was chilly for a change! Don made a cozy fire and we girls wore pink gingerbread jammies. We had a fun time enjoying the wintery weather. (In the 80s 2 days later)
After enjoying some outside time, it felt extra cozy inside. A fire and Christmas music. Yay for no TV at the cabin!
Artwork and rocking chairs and old toys that Don once played with. Charlie probably enjoyed the bucket of rocks, as much as anything!  We left the cabin for a lunch outing inside a cozy house... with a creepy history. Years ago, the house was used in the movie, Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Not a very Christmassy thought. Pre-Christmas Tasks I was slow getting organized for Christmas this year. Shopping, wrapping & shipping came first. My progress seemed to be, "2 steps forward and 1 backward" for some reason.  Decorating was gradual. I started by adding a scarf and candy cane to the old Sicilian Knight! Wish all holiday decorating was this easy! Movies and Music Yay for great distractions of Christmas music and movies. I put on movies while I wrapped and we sat down at night and watched the best of the best. Which meant no Hallmark movies. Sorry.
When my brain jammed over gift issues, I just went to the piano. Oh how I wish I could play like Schroeder!
I miss the days of seeing Nutcracker or Christmas Carol on stage. It's been years. But this year we were invited to see an original production at The George. A funny and festive escape! Together For Christmas? Part of my brain fog was due to changed plans. We'd expected to have our family (of 7.5) together in TX, for Christmas. But in early December we scrambled to come up with a new plan. (Doctor said no flying to TX, for our sweet Mama-to-be)
After days of trying to plan a way to unite our whole group out west, we gave up. Too costly and complicated. Instead we reminded ourselves about how we celebrated "together" during the pandemic. We used some old strategies to help us feel connected. Cajun Night Before Christmas One night we snuggled on couches in California and Texas, while Scott read to us with his Cajun twang! A tradition for a number of years.  Poor Charlie wasn't feeling well at first, but began to laugh at images of gators pulling the sleigh. Uncle Scott began to laugh when he noticed Charlie politely covering her coughing mouth, with her bare foot. Tiki Bingo Night Another night we put on flowered shirts and leis and set up the tripod.  There were tiki glasses with tropical cocktails and mocktails in both homes. The TX gang used Froot Loops for markers. The CA "kids" used candy kisses.  The game was pretty dumb, but that wasn't the point. The prizes were pretty lame. (5-dollar Amazon goodies to be delivered) But that wasn't the point. It just felt good to laugh together. Our 2 homes felt like 1, for a little while. Sugar Land & Houston This little Christmas Elf arrived with a cough, that worsened. There were some rough spells and a fretful visit to Urgent Care.  But we managed some outings before Char felt too bad. Sugar Land Town Center... Dinner at Rainbow Lodge and a picnic! Home Time We kept things pretty simple, just hanging out at home. The hot tub became a kiddie pool during the day.  It became a hot tub at night. Yay for finally getting this thing fixed. Hanging Out We had a few days before Santa arrived. So lots of hang out time. We hardly needed Santa. Charlie found lots to do with old stuff. Food & Drink Lots of kitchen time! At least one toast per day!  Don and Heidi did some creative work with drink fixings. Heidi did tons of baking. We all did a lot of eating! Christmas Eve and Morning For days, our poor sick girl was up and down with mood and energy. But she managed to hang her stocking and get to sleep at a reasonable time.
We woke to a cloudy morning! Perfect, to help us pretend it was cold outside. Santa came despite no snow! As always, there were probably too many gifts. But so many fun reactions and happy faces. And lots of laughs over stocking surprises, that we all give each other. Last Day After a sad and sleepy Friday afternoon, we ended up at an Urgent Care Clinic. Suddenly all was good! Antibiotics for an ear infection.
We had a happy girl again. The next morning Charlie sang "Up on The Housetop" before they packed up the car. The house became so quiet. Last Days of December The day after our little gang left for home, we learned the sad news of President Carter's passing. The smiling peanut ornament (bought in Plains, GA years ago) tried to keep us from feeling too sad.
The best remedy for the sad news and a sadly quiet house, was reading one of the sweetest books ever. Weather was lovely and I took Jimmy Carter's book outside to read.  On New Year's Eve, Don made drinks and we headed outside at sunset. We soaked in the warm water and made no resolutions. But we did talk about the things that we're most excited about, for 2025. A bigger family! This time next year there will be 8 of us, instead of 7.5!
Cheers to Cousins!
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