The Twelve Days of Christmas, or Our Best Christmas Ever

                                                         
I have no idea who gave my family our best Christmas ever.  I tried to find out so I could not only thank them but let them know what they did for my family.  They worked so hard to keep it a secret and after awhile I realized they didn't want me to know so I gave up trying to figure it out.  Besides, I had given it my best shot and came up with nothing! No clue!
 
     It was back in the early 1990's. I was divorced, working at the best job in the world (library) but for a tiny bit above minimum wage and I had 4 children.  I didn't have a lot of money to do fun things for my children during the holiday season. My Mother had died the year before right at Christmas and I was dreading the season coming around that year.  A couple of other difficult things were going on.  It was not going to be a Norman Rockwell Christmas. 
     Whoever it was knew my schedule well.  Two weeknights a week I worked until 9 p.m. I worked every other Saturday and the other week days until 6 p.m.  I lived in a bit of a scary neighborhood and I think they realized anything they left on my porch would disappear if left alone for long.  They left us 12 gifts, at random times, but always just shortly after I had picked my children up and arrived home at night.  Being December it was always in the dark.
     The first gift came early in December.  It was a thin tree branch, maybe about 5 or 6 feet tall, with a pear attached to it and a little note ... "On the first day of Christmas my true friend gave to me a pear tied to a tree."  My children, ages 8 though 14, and I thought it was fun that someone rang our doorbell and left this on our porch.  I assumed it was meant for one of my daughters and from one of their friends. We did not expect another gift.
     A week later, the doorbell rang again. No one there but a gift was left on our porch.  I am sorry to say I don't remember what it was, but it went along with the song and had a little note... I am pretty sure it was a box of Chocolate "Turtle" candies and a bar of Dove soap.  It definitely brightened our day.
    We thought there might possibly be a 3rd gift so the kids tried to listen for a car to stop at our home but we never heard or saw a thing.  At a random time the doorbell would ring and they would be out of sight before we opened the door. 
    We asked everyone we could think of if they were leaving the gifts. No one admitted to it but many friends of mine and my children would ask daily "did you get another gift?"  It was fun & holiday joy for a multitude of people, especially my co-workers!  Never knowing when a gift might come or what it would be created suspense, anticipation, and happiness that made that December fun when we were sorely missing my Mom and their Grandma. 

    Of the other gifts I can only remember four.  Instead of 3 French hens we found 3 frozen Cornish hens and other food items to make a meal.  Our five golden rings was a can of pineapple rings.  Instead of 10 Lords a Leaping we received socks. Pretty socks - argyles, stripes, bright colors - not just plain old white socks.  A pair for each of us totaling 10 socks.  They were pinned to something, I can't remember what, but pinned as if hanging on a clothes line.  The last gift was a party in a box ... items to "drum up a party"....cans of Sprite, cookies, snacks.  It was the best Christmas ever.
     I so wish I had the list of exactly what we received.   I kept all of the notes that came with each gift but somehow I lost them over the years.  I recently googled "gifts for the 12 Days of Christmas" and found this wonderful article: http://familycrafts.about.com/od/christmascrafts/ss/12-Days-Of-Christmas.htm.  It has great examples of things you can give for the 12 days.  If you can ever afford it and know someone who needs some holiday cheer I promise this can't be beat.  It doesn't have to be expensive gifts, just requires some imagination.  We appreciated the can of pineapple as much as any of them.  20 years later when I see a pineapple ring I remember that feeling of bliss finding our "5 golden rings."  20 years of thinking someone loved my family so much that they created gifts, came by my home and left them 12 times during what most likely was an already busy month for them.  Somebody cared about us. 
    Go out and hug somebody, and give someone a Christmas surprise if you can.
                                      Betsy

On a Roll ...

     I've been feeling a little under the weather, just a sore throat, but my daughter came over last night and made me comfort food ...  Pumpkin Cake Roll, the recipe from the Libby's Pumpkin can or their website.  Powdered sugar, pumpkin cake, and a cream cheese filling ...  Heaven to Betsy, that is good!  Very easy to make and such a pretty dessert.  
    Twelve days until Christmas ... are you A, B or C?
A.  Ready and just waiting for the big day.
B. Still having shopping & decorating to do.
C.  Waiting for it all to be over and looking forward to a new year.

I am A and on a roll ... presents purchased and wrapped just waiting to be with grandchildren, but also C.  
  

The Christmas Jars

Last month I listed some adult Christmas books I like.  One was The Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright.  If you have read it and enjoyed it you might like to read this short follow-up story by the author:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865592110/Christmas-Jars-tradition-celebrates-9-years-of-miracles.html
I enjoy reading his newspaper columns.  If you are interested you can read them here:
http://jasonfwright.com/

Brrrrr!

       Good Morning, Amarillo!  6:26 a.m. and it is a chilly 4 degrees but the wind makes it feel like -10, that is 10 below, people!  
       On days like this I am SO glad I am retired and don't have to get out, scrape a windshield, and go to work. Today I think I will:

• Finish reading a cozy mystery
• bake some bread
• wrap Christmas presents
• work on a jigsaw puzzle
• clean my bedroom & bathroom
• write a letter to my son
• watch an old DVD The Family Stone
• work on a photo album for my granddaughter 
• Read Reader's Digest online with my library card 

What do you like to do on days when it is too cold to go out and about?       

Santa Came Early This Year

 Santa knew just what I wanted.  The best Christmas present I could ever ask for came a little early this year ~~~ a new grandson to love and spoil!  My granddaughter will make sure he loves books as much as the rest of the family.  I need to talk to my son & d-i-l ~~~ their new baby is 5 weeks old and does not have a library card yet!

Santa came early for Andy, Zoe & Gracie as well.  He dropped off three new dog beds. This large one pictured here was for Zoe since she is a big girl, and two smaller ones just like it for Andy & Gracie.  Well, Zoe has claimed a small one and Andy & Gracie both want the big one, preferably alone!  
 



Back in the day (a long time ago) I received many Christmas cards and mailed out quite a few cards.  I absolutely loved getting them in the mail and loved sending them, but like most people I know my budget is strained and cards & stamps are on the extravagant list so I mail very few.  A sad tradition to lose.  Question of the day .... do you mail out many Christmas Cards?

I Can't Remember My Mother's Voice

      I just saw this photo of Christmas candy on Pinterest and immediately thought of my Mother.  When I was a child my Mom almost always had a dish of this exact same kind of Christmas candy for us every year.  Not in a beautiful glass such as this, more likely in a cereal bowl.   It would have been one of the few Christmas-y things in the house. 

     That this photo of candy brought back a memory of my Mom also reminded me that she died in December. 21 years ago.  She was 72, I was 38.  I hadn't forgotten that she died in December, it was just the second thought I had upon seeing this candy.  I wondered if she had this Christmas candy that year before she passed away. Probably not.
      The last time I saw my mom was on Thanksgiving that year.  We had Thanksgiving at my sister's home in New Mexico.  I rode from Texas to New Mexico with a friend.  His car broke down on the way on a long stretch of two lane road way off the beaten path in the middle of nothing but cow pastures out in the middle of nowhere, and thus I made Thanksgiving dinner late for everyone because they had to come looking for me.  She was livid at me. This was before cell phones and I had no way to call and explain why we were late or that we were walking as fast as we could.  She was also mad at me that my kids were with their dad for Thanksgiving and I was not bringing them to see her.  And then she died about 2 weeks later, still mad at me.  I hate holidays.  

     To stop thinking about sad things I started thinking about pleasant things about my mom.  Not the easiest task.  She had the most difficult life of anyone I personally know. Truly difficult and not because of anything she had done. Her mom died when she was a child and life was a struggle from that point on.  It was like the devil said no matter what she had before her in life he was going to make it as difficult and horrible as possible, forever.  Not too long ago I was talking to my sister and remembering our Mother's funeral, actually her casket.  My sister picked it out.  It was shiny ivory painted metal, with oval things on each corner with pink roses painted in the oval thing.  I guess it had brass trim.  I told my sister that it was sad that the prettiest thing our Mother ever owned was her casket. My sister agreed that it was the prettiest thing she had ever had (and she didn't even  get to see it.)  Anyway, to stop remembering all the harsh things and sad things I tried to think of good things.  

       She made the best chocolate pie I have ever had.  She sewed beautifully and made all my clothes. She crocheted and quilted. The first time I ever slept under a blanket rather than a quilt was when I got married.  She sewed Barbie doll dresses for me.  When I moved away she wrote me letters.  I can't really remember what her handwriting was like, and I haven't saved anything she wrote but I think I might recognize her handwriting if I saw it now. Whenever I needed help she was there for me.  I know she loved me even though she never kissed me, she was not a hugger, and she never said the words "I love you."  She loved my children and she would certainly love my grandchildren to pieces.
      While I was trying to think of pleasant things it dawned on me that I can not remember what her voice sounded like.  I can not. I can barely remember what she looked like.  I have just a few photographs of her and there is only one in which she is smiling, sort of.  She didn't smile much.  I can't remember what color eyes she had.  I know they weren't blue so they must have been brown or hazel but I don't know.  How horrible is that??  My eyes are hazel.  I am going to assume her eyes were hazel too. Her hair was light brown, gray when she passed away.  I remember her hands.  She had a crooked finger, broken and never heeled correctly.  Her veins were large and very pronounced on the tops of her hands. Her knuckles were large and arthritic. I never saw polish on her nails.  Her hands were for working, not to be pampered.  I remember her arms because they were heavily scarred from terrible burns she suffered.  I remember her feet because I used to rub them for her.  She had huge bunions and corns and callouses and her toes were bent oddly.  I can not remember a time when her feet did not hurt her.  I remember she was thin.  Even in old age she didn't get fat.  I can not remember her ever laughing, I have no idea what it would have sounded like.  She did not sing. That I can not remember the color of her eyes or the sound of her voice just stuns me.  I wonder what my children will remember about me.    

    This is not meant to be a downer of a post.  Really it isn't, it just is what it is.  I'm not fishing for sympathy or anything like that, nor do I want it, but I wonder ... do other people forget what their parents sounded like???   I am stunned that I can not remember her voice, barely remember what she looked like.    

Magazines!

 

I may be in trouble now --- I will never get anything done around my house.  My library is now offering magazines for check out online... digital magazines.  One of the little things I miss about working in a library are the magazines.  During my 20 year career I almost daily read a magazine on my breaks or lunch hour.  I don't remember how many magazines my library subscribed to but many --- over 100 I seem to recall.  Now there are 42 magazines available to me online for reading on my laptop or tablet.  I will skip some, like Car & Driver, but 22 of them are of interest to me ... including Prevention, Reader's Digest, Weight Watchers, Newsweek.  What a cool opportunity as I can't afford to subscribe to magazines. I love my library.  Are you a library user?  I hope so.  Check in with your library and see what they have new for you.