More books -- someone (Mario? Carolyn? Jayna?) recommended News of the World and I put it on my wish list. I also asked for Gaiman's Instructions -- which I'd had briefly and given away. And I look forward to learning about Pratchett's Discworld from the beginning in The Color of Magic. Baby Signs was a gift to Josie's staff so I'll have a go at teaching the two of us some simple signing.
But all the post Christmas reading has been put on hold briefly. Yesterday John announced that it was going to be Very Cold by Saturday and, as the Christmas tree was blocking the heater in the living room, perhaps we ought to take it down rather than wait for my traditional New Year's Eve breaking up Christmas.
I always enjoy the leisurely putting away of the ornaments, taking time to remember the origin of each -- the little wooden angel the homeroom mothers gave us in 8th grade, the glass ornaments that were my mother's, the little porcelain bells from John's grandparents, the garish pink and blue ball that is the sole survivor of a set John sold my parents back in our senior year of high school. (One of those 'projects' undertaken by the service club he belonged to.)
There are the ornaments we made for my grandparent's last tree, ornaments made by our boys and by other children's hands, ornaments that were special gifts, ornaments that remind me of those gone . . .
I lingered over one in particular this year -- made back when my Girl Scout troop personalized ornaments with glue and glitter -- a faded blue glass ball with straggling letters that say SKIP.
5 comments:
It is very cold here today Vicki. Keep warm and enjoy taking down the tree. Like you I love to look again, in depth, at all the pretty little Christmas tree trinkets. We usually like to buy a new one every year - this year three, one from me, one from Larry and one from Jim. I don't have many very old ones left, but those that I have, I do treasure. I particularly like one of Father Christmas's head. He looks so jolly and his smile goes from ear to ear.
In the year 2000, I bought a new tree, this time a white one, and decorated it with lots of new trinkets, mostly white, silver, pink and blue - you know the sort of thing! but it wasn't the same. It just didn't work for me so, pretty as it was, I passed it on and went back to the green one with red and green and gold theme. Old habits die hard!
Very cod here too, Star. Our tree is pretty much the same year after year -- I add ornaments occasionally-- and some break. This year there were no candy canes as the store didn't have the ones I usually get and I didn't have the energy to go look for them elsewhere.
It is fun thinking along memory lane at this time of year. I don't do a tree any more, just don't have room. But I did review my photos, and blog to share memories of the year.
OH, and the Color of Magic is so wonderful, and explains lots that happens in the other books!
I have the same feeling about ornaments and decided this year to let go of all ornaments which did not remind us of a particular souvenir either from kids, friends or family. A way to reduce what we have and concentrate more. We made a family happy in this process.
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