My Rex Harrison/Dr. Dolittle doll only debuted as a Christmas decoration one year. He is usually stuck away in a box of things that I should think about parting with. I'm afraid my Christmas decorating is filled with many oddball goodies, that aren't totally appreciated by all. Odd Stuff: Thumb-sized, metal Christmas elf, bought from an artist 34 years ago... Royal Doulton china chimes with Snowman illustrations... The Christmas Crab is more plastic toy than ornament. It hangs on tree by a long ribbon and is worn by the crabbiest...
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It's December 20th and the ping pong table has not been pulled out of the garage yet. We threaten to get rid of the poor, warped thing that only gets used about once a year. But when the paddles come out and the Santa hats go on, everybody gets so darn happy. We'll see if we can keep it around one more year. Games We've Played at Xmas: Darts... Charades... Pictionary... Jacks... Any cards... Trivial Pursuit...
Each year, I still pull out children's Christmas books, even though my kids are grown. Some books, I've learned to appreciate more... like the Grinch! And a few old favorites make me laugh with their bland illustrations and lame stories. I wonder what it was that drew me to them? My Old Favorites: Katie and the Sad Noise... Cajun Night Before Christmas... Eloise at Christmastime... The Polar Express... Frosty, Charile Brown's Xmas and The Grinch...
I guess it's a little crazy that I pull out my husband's Christmas artwork and put it on display each year. But I love these 2 little 3-D masterpieces! The construction paper has grown faded and Rudolph is losing his pine antlers, but I adore them. They take me back in time, to my own memories of being happily absorbed in Christmas crafts... and then later my own kids! KId Crafts: Tedious work of paper chains and popcorn stringing... Folding pages of Reader's Digest to create a standing, paper tree.... My kids' ornaments, made each year, with lots of glitter and pride... My childhood family tree in 1962, covered in all family-made decorations, since we were living away from home that year...
For nearly 20 years I organized neighborhood caroling, as our kids were growing up. We started going door to door in St. Louis, when the kids were hardly old enough to belt out Jingle Bells. In Tulsa, we pulled a wagon around our block, singing and collecting donations for charities. But I love memories of our Sugar Land, TX group which always started at the entrance, decorated with angels. It grew as more joined us, traveling around the neighborhood, pausing at corners to sing for anyone who wanted to hear. Because of our neighborhood diversity we often had kids and adults joining us who had never heard of caroling. Some spoke different languages and didn't even celebrate Christmas, but all joined in together! Caroling Memories: Spontaneous caroling with family friends on a snowy Christmas Eve, when the 8 kids slipped out of the house and began knocking on doors... Caroling with my sibs as Mom played piano and we kids played rhythm band instruments...Taking Heidi's Girl Scout troop to carol at a nursing home and the girls were a bit initimidated... Ending our annual caroling with cookies and hot chocolate, wound up kids and gabbing parents...
Twice in 18 years, we've experienced a little snow in the Houston area. Our lame little dustings wouldn't thrill my friends from the north, but they made me pretty giddy. There's just something about snow-covered palm trees! Surprising Snow: As a kid, seeing snow at Pike's Peak in July... A real Snow Day school closing in Tallahassee, FL was a dream come true... Coming out from a candlelight Christmas Eve service in TX to see cars covered and fat flakes coming down...
I love Don with his crew cut and pup, posing beside the retro tree. I remember enjoying Christmas in that very living room, years ago with Don's parents... before racing over to my Mom's where my siblings were waiting on us to get the celebration started. At least our families were in the same town! What Our Trees Used to Have: Big fat, colorful lights... tinsel... short strands of popcorn and cranberries, because we grew tired of the project before it got long... paper chains... ornaments made in school... Non-breakable Styrofoam ornaments... And glass balls...
You can't drive by this house in New Orleans without grinning. Who says Christmas lights were meant to go on pine trees? Lights I've Loved: Tilles Park in St. Louis... Pecan Grove neighborhood in Richmond, TX... Tulsa Zoo Lights... Austin's Trail of Lights, which I've only seen in photos and am dying to see!
Heidi was very drawn to music, by her second Christmas. In fact, in this photo she looks quite serious about music. However, I also remember a year or two later, when Heidi was climbing all over this very piano bench, hamming it up, singing at the top of her lungs. "There was a little baby, Oh my Lord...Way down in Bethlehem...wayyyyy down in Bethlehem!" I'm looking forward to a few duets with Heidi at this same piano, in about a week! Family Favorites: Raffi's, Douglas Mountain... Feliz Navidad... Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas... Songs from Muppet Christmas Carol... Anything sung by Aaron Neville, Garth Brooks, Michael Buble, Bing Crosby...
One year, we attempted a little display of antler-wearing flamingos in the backyard. It seemed like a good idea, since we have palm trees and no chance of snow. I had thoughts of creating a sleigh and a Santa for the flamingos to pull... but by the time I finished hot gluing the bells and chains and the Rudolph nose on the front guy... I was tired of the whole thing. The Flamingo Christmas only happened once. Past Yard & House Decor: For years, a painted plywood Santa leaned up against a tree, with his knit scarf blowing in the wind... In earlier years, all the houses on the lake, strung arching white lights along our fences... Our porte cochere used to have a rather tacky display of colored lights that attempted to light up nighttime games of ping pong... I so adored my grandmother's lit up plastic carolers, on her porch...
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