All is calm...all is bright & some Christmas memories.

Audrey's tree lay face-down on the floor this morning. My first guess would be Audrey and her arch-enemy, Joe for running through the house at 4am and eventually ending up behind the bird tree. Yes, this is a happening place at the wee hours of the morning. Nothing broken...all is calm, all is bright.

This is a little gift from my oldest daughter. She has spent many hours making tree ornaments this year while her 15-month-old naps. She has used wool, felt or wood. This tiny house she made from of an old wool sweater. :))

Gwynn says "Merry Christmas".

Jess & John on Santa's knee in 1985 in background. 

There are memories of past Christmases that only come to life at this time of year. I often think of how hard my parents worked to give their kids a memorable day. My mother, especially, would spend weeks preparing for the holidays. It's nice just to sit still and reminisce about those family times. I was the youngest of three and there was eight years between each of us. Needlesstosay, we didn't grow up 'close' but we always loved family time together. Mom always decorated the tree on Christmas eve night after we were all asleep. The rest of the house would be decorated for weeks ahead but the Christmas tree was only to make it's debut on Christmas morning. It was beautiful; loaded with lights and heavy with ornaments. It made Christmas morning all that more exciting. The stockings that hung on the old fire-place would be loaded with treats and a doll or stuffed animal for me and something special for the others peaking out the top. I still remember getting a little sewing machine that actually worked. I don't look too excited but I really was. I had lots of fun with it. :) Still, today I can't sew for beans.

The dr's kit gave me the opportunity to operate on my cats. I'm sure you're thinking, "Did she get scissors and have a go at her bangs? No, that was my mother's doing."

After all the hoopla of opening gifts and tasting special treats, my poor mother would be exhausted after staying up way past her bedtime the night before. Still,  she would get through the day, serve a beautiful turkey dinner with my dad's help and then fall asleep in her favorite chair knowing we were all happy and content. She made the day memorable and was an amazing mom.

I love to think back to when my three were little and all the excitement around Santa arriving on our roof-top.
We always hung the stockings at the fire-place but one year my daughter asked if they could hang their stockings on their bed-posts. They had seen that in a little Christmas story book and thought that would be really exciting to change it up a bit. My son looked at me oddly, he was five at the time, but agreed to do just like his sisters. Well, Christmas morning found me and their dad able to sleep in just a little longer because stockings were opened and the three of them sat on one bed admiring their loot before dashing down to the tree.
Later that morning my five year old son took me aside and said, "Mommy, I think I would rather have my stocking at the fire-place for Santa to fill at Christmas." I asked him why and he said shyly, "I just don't like having a strange man in my room." :)) So, that was the end of the bed- post stockings.

Christmas and memories seem to go hand in hand. Hope you are enjoying some of your favorite ones.

Stay toasty,
Deb