Through the Eyes of a Child

Isn’t it true?
We are all children at Christmas . . .

As the day gets closer, and we experience the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas, we are magically transported to a time when the wonder of it all took our breath away.

I found this vintage card and it reminded me of a little girl (me!) dreaming over the pages of the Sears Catalog Christmas Wish Book. I’ve included a quote from the author whose books I loved while growing up.


“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.”

~Laura Ingalls Wilder



May the child-like wonder of Christmas overtake you!

Hugs,

crystal-1b3-copy-flatfullwidth

Thankful Indeed

Thanksgiving4

My mother has often said that Thanksgiving is the best holiday – even better than Christmas – because the focus is simply on a wonderful meal with family.

The day is not preceded by weeks of “getting ready”.
There are no cards to write, gifts to buy, decorations to install, or packages to wrap – so you are less weary when the festivities begin. With Thanksgiving, you get the love and good food aspects of Christmas – but are much less frazzled by all the preparations. Mum does have a point! (How come I never realized how smart she is, when I was growing up?) 😉

curlyline

But while we’re on the subject, I would add that there’s nothing more heartwarming than when your offspring take on some of the holiday responsibilities. Our younger daughter hosted Thanksgiving at her house this year. She did a marvelous job. Everything was delicious and the ambiance was so warm and cozy!

This photo was taken right before we sat down to eat. The plates looked quite different moments later, as we feasted on turkey, potatoes, gravy, stuffing, squash, green beans, fresh baked bread, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie! Fortunately, there are still a few leftovers!

I’d love to hear about your day, too. 😀

crystal-1b3-copy-flatfullwidth

Things to Love About Thanksgiving

curlyline

In the spirit of some holiday fun, here are:

Crystal’s Top 5 Things to Love About Thanksgiving

1. The incredible aroma wafting through the house as the meal is prepared!

2. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – so comforting to have it on in the background while bustling in the kitchen. It’s been part of Thanksgiving in my home since I was a little kid!

3. Pumpkin Pie!!!!! In general, I could live without desserts if I had to. Sure, I like them, but it’s the main part of any meal that I enjoy most. However, I am CRAZY about Pumpkin Pie!

4. It’s a long weekend! (Hope it is for you, too.)

5. Leftovers! Is there anything better than a turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving? Well, maybe a turkey sandwich that’s made with a little stuffing and cranberry sauce!

curlyline

Sweet Kids,
I’m thankful for you! May those who celebrate Thanksgiving have a day filled with love, serenity, and lots of good food. And may all of us have a great weekend. 🙂

See you on Monday!

crystal-1b3-copy-flatfullwidth

Money Does Grow On Trees

If you’re anything like me . . . now that the holidays are approaching . . . you’re in full wracking my brains mode! 😉

By that I mean – trying to come up with good ideas for Christmas gifts.

I’ve always said it would be a snap to shop if only I were independently wealthy. But alas, there will be no cars, nor boats, nor diamond rings for my family this Christmas – again! LOL

Having a holiday budget is far from a bad thing, though. We all know it’s the thought that counts. You just need to be more creative.

In that vein, I thought you might like to see my favorite gift given, a couple of years ago.

This Christmas version of a “money tree” was a delight to put together for my Mum & Dad.

Click photos twice to enlarge.

dscn7156a2

Because they have 6 adult children buying gifts for them, each year it becomes more and more of a challenge to come up with a new idea. They certainly don’t need more knick-knacks or gadgets!

dscn7168

A couple of Christmases ago, I decided to give them money, but I wanted to do more than just put it in an envelope. Money trees are nothing new, but I thought a Christmas money tree might be fun and a little out of the ordinary, too!

dscn7167

So, I found this pretty tabletop tree with the idea that they could “re-use” it as a holiday decoration in the future. It’s showy but doesn’t take up too much real estate when in storage, and that makes it perfect for their needs.

dscn71661

I gathered an assortment of bills in different denominations, rolled each one, and tied them to the branches with gold curling ribbon. As you can see, a dollar coin with little green bows served as the tree topper! (Yep, that’s Lady Liberty holding her torch.)

For the final touch, I printed a small hangtag that read:

“Sometimes money does grow on trees!”

curlyline

See you tomorrow for Show and Tell Tuesday!

Hugs,

crystal-1b3-copy-flatfullwidth

Boo!

Happy Halloween Week 🙂

Isn’t it amazing how Halloween decorating becomes more and more popular with every passing year? When I was a kid, although it was an important holiday – especially to kids! 😉 – the decorations were much more sparse than the intricate scenes we see today.

Of course, when I was in grade school, the teachers did sprinkle cardboard cut-outs of jack-o’-lanterns and black cats on bulletin boards and throughout the hallways. You might even see an accordian-fold paper skeleton at a Girl Scout Halloween party – but there was very little outside decorating – anywhere!

As it got closer and closer to Halloween night, many families would carve a pumpkin, and that became the most commonly seen home decoration of the era. (Era? Yikes, I sound old!) 😉

The costumes were not as elaborate in those days either, but had much more of a homemade look. Mom’s make-up, her broom, costume jewelry, bed sheets, cardboard boxes, construction paper, poster paints, tin foil, etc. were magically transformed into costumes for glamorous gypsy fortune tellers, witches, ghosts, robots, spacemen, and more!

It was an innocent time – long before we had to worry about some nut tampering with Halloween candy. It was more the norm than the exception for people to create little “goody bags” of treats to pass out to each child. Grownups would buy several large bags of various Halloween candies and create their own special assortments to give!

In fact, as a child, my very favorite “treat” to receive was that little homemade “bundle” of assorted candies. They were either wrapped up in a decorative Halloween napkin that was twisted closed, or presented in a small Halloween-themed paper bag. Oh how I loved to return home after trick-or-treating and discover what was inside each one of those little surprise packages! 😀

When my own kids were little (in the height of the “only accept wrapped candy” warnings), I remember that I felt rather sad that they would never really experience the Halloween of my youth. They typically received a bunch of mini candy bars during their Halloween rounds. Good, but not the same.

curlyline

The weekly question is:

What are your favorite memories of Halloweens past?

Smiles,

crystal-1b3-copy-flatfullwidth