The Ghosts of Christmas Passed

Well, it's over for another year. All but the tear-down, that is. Paprika and I have always disagreed on the time-frame for the Christmas un-decorating. I have always felt that I must dismantle everything and have it stored away on the day after Christmas. By noon, if at all possible. Paprika is a little less stringent about the timing, perhaps willing to leave everything in place all the way to THE NEW YEAR. *Deep breaths...slow...deep breaths.* I have (in my mind) a good reason for this need to clear away all the Christmas stuff....my school break is two weeks long. Depending on the way the calendar falls in any given year, this gives me approximately a week of Christmas doings and a week of total vacation. How can I POSSIBLY enjoy said total vacation when all these Christmas items are staring me in the face every day reminding me that they must be taken care of before I return to work? Well, I can't, I tell you!!! Or I should say I couldn't. I find myself relaxing a bit this year...not in quite as big a rush to complete the tear-down and get on with other things. Maybe it's the fact that I've got two little girls who will be so disappointed to see Christmas go. Maybe it's the fact that we've rushed ourselves silly for the last month or so and I am all rushed out. Maybe I'm finally learning that time will go by quickly enough and I better not wait until everything is just the way I'd like it to be before I can relax. Yeah, that's it. At least I hope it is.

Paprika is the Man!

A couple of months ago I wrote a post about the new FLIP video cameras that I purchased for my school and *hinted* very discreetly that I would love to get one for Christmas. Well, Paprika not only bought me one, he got the FAYNCY model! AND he already charged it up and gave it to me! This, in spite of the fact that he strongly opposes my penchant for giving and/or getting gifts early. But since he knew that I would want to use it to record our family's Christmas celebrations this week he bravely overcame this silly insistence upon waiting until the actual day to present the gift to the recipient. Now you may enjoy this special rendition of Jingle Bells, thankyouverymuch!

O Tannenbaum!

Well, here it is....our Christmas tree this year! We actually managed to get it decorated on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, even though we went out of state to visit family for the holiday. That was possible only because Paprika worked tirelessly to get the FAKE tree assembled before we left town. Okay, I'm a little disappointed about the FAKE tree, but we didn't have any other option this year, due to the above-mentioned trip. Yes, it looks like a hot mess, but what do you expect when two of the three people working on it are under 5?!?!? Sadly, our tree is lacking the finishing touch this year. The finishing touch that has set it apart from all others. You may have noticed the lovely silver and gold star atop the tree....purchased at Michael's the day after Christmas last year per Paprika's instructions to replace the topper we had used for many, many years. Well, he didn't say that I had to dispose of the old one, so ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to....

the ever-popular (with me!) Tasmanian Devil angel tree topper. Notice the leather jacket! Now what could possibly prompt Paprika to suggest replacing such a wonderful piece of Christmas finery, I ask you?

Elf Yourself, again

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Elf Yourself

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Christmas Parade

Last night we went to Burleson for the annual Christmas Parade of Lights. The parade was shorter than usual, but the girls didn't mind that. We walked down to the commons area at the end of the parade to see Santa light the city's Christmas tree. After the tree lighting, there were fireworks set to Christmas music and this was by far the best part of the evening. The girls were in awe of all the beautiful colors and the music matched the display extremely well. And what Texan doesn't prefer to see fireworks in chilly weather at 7 PM, I ask you???

Whistle Stop Christmas!

Friday evening we drove down to Cleburne's Hulen Park for their Whistle Stop Christmas celebration. The girls had so much fun running around and touching all of the lights. There were hundreds of displays from the US flag to toy soldiers to trains to younameit. It was quite chilly, but that didn't slow Sugar or Spice down a bit. Paprika forgot his hat so he was suffering a bit, (what with the increasing lack of natural head covering that he's experiencing), but he played along for the girls' sake. If you're looking for something inexpensive (read: FREE) and fun, head on out to Cleburne...it's well worth the drive,especially at $1.58/gallon!

Perhaps You Didn't Know That...

December 5th is a VERY important holiday on the U. S. calendar. For the uninitiated, today was 'Bathtub Party Day'. Sugar and Spice had a blast celebrating with party hats, blowers, bubble bath, and bubbles. Next year we'll have to add some music and lights...

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Well, we survived our 9 hour car trip (EACH WAY!) to Mississippi with three preschoolers over the Thanksgiving holiday. It was great to visit with my aunt and cousins, who we hadn't seen since Sugar was just a few months old. We were also able to visit with the man in the red suit while we were there! The three cousins (Sugar, Spice, and Cinnamon) talked amongst themselves while they waited in line apparently, and all three asked for the exact same thing: a cupcake maker and baby dolls. Well, I'm afraid that Santa is going to be all out of the cupcake makers since a little research revealed that the refill supplies cost about $13 a pop. Oh, no ma'am. We won't be going down that road! Paprika suggested a fancy cupcake pan and a pastry bag. Now that's more like it!