Friday Foto Friends! Decking the Halls...

 
"Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la la la la la! 'Tis the season to be jolly!

There's the "finished product", but still some tweaking to do on a few things on the village.

Hello Friends!  I know, it's Friday already, and I haven't written anything since Tuesday! What's this world coming to?  LOL.  Yes, I am still alive and kicking...but I've been quite preoccupied with getting our Christmas tree decorated and all of the trimmings around the house.  I managed to squeeze what should have been at least a week's job into three days.  My goal was to have it all done by Thursday evening, when our "kids" (a.k.a. Benton and Rose and the grandpups) were coming over to have supper and help set up the train and village under the tree. (Our new family tradition over the past three or four years, except this time Rose actually brought the food!! Yay!)  

We started out on Tuesday when Benton came over to help bring all the plastic totes of decor and the very heavy box with the tree into the house for us. That was a wonderful help.

I wish it was still this simple:

Those were simpler, happier days...

This is how far I had gotten on the tree on Tuesday:  Our tree is 20+ years old, and is the kind you have to insert every branch into the pole manually, and of course add your own lights. Every year I say we are going to get a new tree that is easier to work with, but every year we put this same tree back up. It still looks beautiful once it is put together, but the manual labor involved is becoming more than my back can handle, and it just never has been something hubby was involved in...so the days of doing this every year may be numbered...plus it is dropping as many needles as a dead pine tree...

I didn't get much else done on Tuesday as I had choir practice that night, and we are practicing for our Christmas Cantata, so that took care of that night as far as having any energy to do anything else goes!

Our carolers are practicing their Christmas songs...

"Joy to the World, The Lord is Come, Let earth receive her King!"...Let Heaven and Nature Sing...Let Heaven and Nature sing, Let Heaven, let heaven and nature sing!"

I did take this picture in the narthex of the church Tuesday night. Isn't this display beautiful? That is a manger at the foot of the cross, and on Christmas Eve the "Baby Jesus" will be placed in the manger.

I'm especially "proud" of this display because our son Benton built that cross for the church a few years ago so they would have it to use for displays at Christmas and Easter. So that makes it extra special to me to see it there. Our church secretary does an excellent job of decorating the church each year.

Our Baby Jesus in our Nativity scene at home is already in the manger...I guess some people don't put the baby in the manger until Christmas Eve, but I like having Him there to remind us that "Jesus is the Heart of the Holiday".

Wednesday morning I still didn't get much done on decorating at home as we both had lab appointments and that always means we go out to breakfast afterwards.  We ended up at a "deli/cafe'" in Palatka, but it wasn't our first choice of place because the one we wanted was packed and no place to park.  This place was also busy, but we did find a parking place, so in we went.

Hubby was happy with his breakfast...especially the biscuits.

I wish I'd gotten what he ordered. My potatoes were very dry and tasteless, the eggs were overcooked, and the toast really wasn't all that great either. And the place was freezing! 

(It was a rather chilly day for us here in Florida)

I sound like I'm really a complainer, don't I? I guess I was on this subject...the breakfast just wasn't very satisfying and it cost more than we wanted to spend. Next time we will come back to our own little town and eat at our local cafe'. Their food is always good!! And the price is better too!

However, I am thankful we were able to do this at all. I realize my problems are 1st world problems. I am also thankful to have my hubby to sit across the table from me and lovingly listen to my complaints without criticism. I am blessed to have him, and blessed to live in a place where we have these kinds of choices and places to go (or not go!) And also, the tea was nice and hot and holding the cup warmed my freezing hands! So that was a good thing to be thankful for.

Thinking about hot tea...This chrome (no it's not silver) tea set belonged to hubby's grandmother and was a special gift to her many years ago. I feel very blessed to have this, among many other things that belonged to her. She was a dear and precious Christian woman who had a profound impact on my hubby as well as on my life in the short time that I was privileged to know her.

It usually sits on the buffet, which also belonged to her (Nanny Martin), but has been moved to the kitchen so that the Nativity Set could be placed on the buffet.

Oh hello! I see I made a cameo appearance on this picture! LOL.

Speaking further about tea cups, here's the tea cup tree set up, along with some angels singing and little nativities and churches.

I had to move this lamp that usually sits on that table above to the guest room temporarily while the Christmas decorations are set up. It looks nice there, but I can't see it unless I go in there to look at it, so it will get moved back to the kitchen window after the holidays. 

But meanwhile, it makes me want to "visit" the guest room more often and just enjoy the view. However, very soon this room will be taken over with gifts waiting to be wrapped! The guest room becomes gift wrapping central in the weeks before Christmas!

Speaking of churches...Among those many totes of decorations was this beautiful little white church that lights up and has "snow" swirling around inside. It was a gift a couple of years ago.  Isn't it lovely?

So finally we make our way to Thursday:

The "kids" came to help set up the train set and village.  The grandpups Sugar and Spice are supervising Benton setting up the train tracks.

Hubby "Daddy" is also supervising:  (Remember, when you get old, you can't get down on the floor like you used to be able to, and if you DO get down on the floor, you may not get back up, so it's better to have some "younger folks" come do the on the floor stuff for us while they are still young enough to do it.  

And not only did Rose cook an amazing beef stew for our supper, she came and helped me "build" all these houses and buildings for the train village:

Even that is a labor of love, let me tell you!  These "Plasticville" buildings are probably older than I am, and they don't snap together anymore like they are supposed to do, (much like my old body! LOL) so we end up taping them to hold them in place. We could glue them, but then they would be harder to store and would get broken more easily. So we do the best we can with them. It's a "family tradition" passed down to us from my father from his father...a train village was always under their trees when my dad grew up. He collected Lionel trains and had quite an elaborate display at their house until he got too old to play with it anymore and sold most of it to collectors so the family wouldn't have to deal  with it.  I have mixed emotions about that, but it was for the best...

Click HERE for a previous post with  the history of trains in our family.

We finally got the village all set up, but for some reason Benton couldn't get the train to work properly. So we set it aside for now until Scott comes home on the weekend, and hopefully he can figure out what the problem is. He seems to have the electrical gene to figure things out.  

I still have some tweaking to do on the village, trying to get the lights inside the buildings without destroying the buildings, things like that.  It's hard to do when you can't get down on the floor and have an even harder time getting back up...but we already discussed that. LOL.

Finally all the decorating is done.  Sure, there will be little things here and there that get changed or moved around as needed, but the main work is done and now I can sit back and just enjoy the beauty of the lights and the little scenes of Christmas everywhere, and prepare my heart for the celebration of the birth of our Savior and Lord...  

As we said good bye to the kids last night on the front porch, I took pictures of the little grapevine tree that we put out there each year...

We don't go all out with lots of outdoor decorations because we just don't have the energy, the electricity connections out front, and besides, we prefer to keep it the simple real message of Christmas:

Tonight I went back outside to look at the lights, and saw a great light up in the sky above:

It's a crescent moon, but you can also see a star or planet off in the distance, and it is really beautiful.

I took this picture from the back porch:

Made me think about the Star of David over Bethlehem that led the Magi to find the child Jesus and bring him gifts.

"O little town of Bethlehem

How still we see thee lie

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by

Yet in thy dark streets shineth

The everlasting light

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight

For Christ is born of Mary

And gathered all above

While mortals sleep, the angels keep

Their watch of wondering love

O morning stars together

Proclaim thy holy birth

And praises sing to God the King

And peace to men on earth

O little town of Bethlehem

How still we see thee lie

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

The silent stars go by

Yet in thy dark streets shineth

The everlasting light

The hopes and fears of all the years

Are met in thee tonight"

Now, just for the fun of it, these are some "outtakes" of pictures that I accidentally took or blurred or something while trying to take all these pictures...mostly the ones outside. Not sure what was going on, but thought you'd enjoy seeing them anyway. Especially I thought our friend Sandra, "MadSnapper" would appreciate them.  She loves crazy stuff like this, right Sandra?   LOL.

The Angel Appeared to the Shepherds to announce Jesus' Birth, and they were "sore afraid".

The Heavenly Host of  Angels singing Glory to God in the Highest!

Use your own imagination to figure them out!

The Three Wise Men traveling across the desert for two years to find the Baby King that was born in Bethlehem

They followed the star to Bethlehem, and the star stood above the house where the child Jesus was, and they brought Him gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh:

"God rest ye merry gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember Christ our Savior

Was born on Christmas Day

To save us all from Satan's pow'r

When we were gone astray

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

God rest ye merry gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember Christ our Savior

Was born on Christmas Day

To save us all from Satan's pow'r

When we were gone astray

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

In Bethlehem, in Israel

This blessed Babe was born

And laid within a manger

Upon this blessed morn

The which His Mother Mary

Did nothing take in scorn

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Fear not then, said the Angel

Let nothing you affright

This day is born a Savior

Of a pure Virgin bright

To free all those who trust in Him

From Satan's pow'r and might

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

God rest ye merry gentlemen

Let nothing you dismay

Remember Christ our Savior

Was born on Christmas Day

To save us all from Satan's pow'r

When we were gone astray

Oh tidings of comfort and joy

Comfort and joy

Oh tidings of comfort and joy"

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Avriel Kaplan / Ben Bram / Kevin Olusola / Kirstin Maldonado / Mitchell Grassi / Scott Hoying / Traditional

So from our house to yours, Have blessed and beautiful Christmas/Advent season!

Tuesday 4 O Christmas Tree

 Tuesday 4

♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ O Christmas Tree. ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬


Tuesday 4 wishes you a very Merry Christmas and a Chanukah Sameach. (Happy Hanukkah)

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4..

Let's talk about Christmas this week.

1. Martin Luther is credited with the beginning of the Christmas tree but even older tradition says it is the representation of the Tree of Life.. a fruit bearing evergreen. What does your tree look like this year. Would you post a photo or describe it for us?

Our tree is a collection of many precious memories of Christmases in the past. There are so many different ornaments on there that have been collected throughout the 53 years of our marriage that I can't even begin to describe them all. They each have a story to tell, and I've shared pictures in the past of various ones.  And then, as you already know, the past few years we reinstated the tradition of putting the train and village under the tree that our boys had when they were little. It holds many memories as well.

 
2. What other Christmas decorations are up around your house? Which rooms get them?

I just wrote about this a few days ago HERE, in this post of Christmas Vignettes.  Mostly our living room/dining room combo and the kitchen get the decorations. I might scatter a few other little things here and there, like special Christmas towels in the guest bathroom, or something different in the guest bedroom, but this year I haven't really done that yet. The guest bedroom usually becomes gift wrapping central, and so packages get put in there to await their turn to be wrapped...but right now I'm so far behind there aren't even any packages waiting to be wrapped.  It will happen, but I'm moving slower than usual this year. That flu bug set me back a couple of weeks. (at least I have an excuse this year! LOL). 

  Now, yesterday I told you about a lovely gift I received from my sister in law, to be used as a decoration right now.  And then today we were surprised to receive not one but two packages via UPS from LLBean! I was not expecting anything as I know I had not ordered anything from them, but when I smelled the boxes I knew right away what they were, and the boxes actually said they were perishable and to open right away, and so I did, and this is what they were:

Beautiful fresh spruce fir centerpieces sent to us from our dear daughter in law and grandson and his fiance' in Maine!!  One centerpiece is intended for our son Benton and wife Rose, and the other is for us. We get to pick which one we want. I will let Benton and Rose choose first when they come over to see them. I am just tickled pink over this as we don't get to smell that fresh piney scent here with an artificial tree, and to know these came all the way fresh from Maine, where our family lives, (and where we once lived too) makes them extra special indeed.

They even came equipped with the candles...the red one is a battery operated candle, and the white tapers are real candles, which I love to use.  Anyway, I will be delighted with either one...they are both so beautiful! Such a thoughtful gift.  (P.S. Benton came over and picked out the one with the white candles. Rose was at work, so she didn't have a say in the matter, but I am certain she will be pleased either way.)

3. Do the people in your neighborhood decorate their homes for Christmas? Does your town?

Yes, I am noticing more and lights going up around our community. We haven't gone out yet for a ride to see them all, but will do so sometime before Christmas.  Our town has decorated the town hall and the Red Caboose at the park. I just talked hubby into taking a quick ride into town to see those lights. Here they are:

I thought the lights would be a little better at the caboose, but it is what it is. Small town U.S.A.

A Christmas tree in the caboose park, and Santa and his reindeer across the street at the town hall.

Around the block we saw this house decorated and decided to drive by. I guess I was in motion when I snapped this picture, but it's kind of cool:

Same with this one:

But here is what it really looked like:

Pretty nice!  We didn't go out and about looking any further tonight. Maybe later this week we will drive through some residential areas and see more lights.

4. How hospitable are you during the holidays? Could you improve or are your hands full enough this time of year?

In years past we did a lot more entertaining than we do now. When my husband was an active minister we would have Christmas parties at our house at least two different nights in December or two different weekends so that the people of the church could come. They would sign up for which night they wanted to come since space was limited. It was usually a pot luck finger food kind of party, and we would have a White Elephant Gift exchange, which was always fun. At our last house before this one we had a lot more space for entertaining, and I was in better shape for doing more, so we would host big family/friend dinners during the holidays.  Now we are more limited in space and energy, so we don't do so much as before. I miss having a lot of people over, however, and now that we finished the floors I would love to invite some people over while the house is still decorated. I just need to take the plunge and schedule it.  Although my spirit is willing, my flesh is weak. It seems a shame to do all this decorating and have no one come to enjoy it!  But we do enjoy it ourselves...I love the lights and love to light up every corner of the house.  It reminds us that "Jesus is the Light of the World"...and that is a big reason why we celebrate Christmas with so many lights! 

 

"Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 

“I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, 

but have the light of life.”

John 8:12

As a side note, I wanted to include this link HERE, to a previous post written in 2019, in honor and memory of our friend Toni Taddeo, who left this world for heaven's glory on December 14, 2019.  There is one of her precious poems included there, written just one day before she died.  I think you will have a better understanding of why we do this Tuesday 4 Meme in memory of Toni when you read that.  Our thanks to Annie at Cottage by the Sea, who puts these questions together each week, carrying on Toni's legacy for us here in blogland.  This is definitely more than just an online group of people answering random questions...we are a kind of family with a special bond of blessing.  So glad to be a part of this family.  

So now let's go over to the Tuesday 4 linkup and see who else has something to share today!  Thank you for joining in!

Christmas Remnants

Well, another Christmas has come and gone...and here it is all packed up and ready to be put away...except for the tree...still waiting on someone to take off the lights and take apart the tree limb by limb (yes, it's still that same old tree, but we love it). Oh, there's my helper...sitting in his recliner having his morning cup of coffee! Well, that's fine...I'm having my morning cup of tea while I write.

Actually, while I write and walk around and check to see if I've missed anything that needs to be packed up. Not this tree! It's a real live little Norfolk Pine that our sweet daughter in love brought to us way back in December. It's still happy and growing strong. I guess I should take off the red balls so that it doesn't look like a Christmas tree...maybe I need to add some Valentine hearts? That's an idea!

And I can't pack away this amaryllis, that did finally get it's 4th blossom (and then the first blossom fell off, leaving 3), but isn't it still beautiful?

And if you look a little closer you will see another stalk growing up on the side, so it will eventually bloom again! Now that's a gift that keeps on giving!

I hope someone will come eat up all this Christmas candy that is sitting around here tempting me...

You may not be able to see it, but the cups are full of Hershey's kisses and Dove Christmas candy...remnants of a very sweet Christmas indeed...

Maybe I'll just sit back and have another cup of Christmas tea...and reflect on how good God's been to me...and how blessed we are to have Jesus here with us..."Emmanuel, God with us!"

You know Jesus doesn't leave us when Christmas is over. Let us be careful not to pack Him away with our decorations and forget about Him until next Christmas...no...He stays right here with us, blessing us with His comfort, peace, and joy...

Remember when I shared THIS POEM WITH YOU HERE?

Well, that message still holds true.  I like what the last paragraph says:

"If God gives me strength and courage,

When the way grows steep and rough.

I'll not ask for other blessings,

I'm already blessed enough.

And may I never be too busy,

to help others bear their loads.

Then I'll keep drinking from my saucer,

Cause my cup has overflowed."

Author: John Paul Moore

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse of the Christmas Remnants from my house this morning. Yep, you can find me right here if you need me, 'cause "I'll keep drinking from my saucer,  cause my cup has overflowed."  

Have a "DELIGHT-ful" day my friends!

"In the multitude of my anxieties within me,

Your comforts delight my soul."

Psalm 94:19