frozen gouge inkling

Nothing says holidays, like a cheese log. 

Ellen DeGeneres  

I'm giving up squirrels for the season as of today, naturally I hope they return on January first but for now Sneezy and his hats will have to survive without my adulation. 

So, this little guy is a good segue to my new bunch of foundling pictures-  

IRONIC CHRISTMAS TREES.  Ready?

Tree made from collected Christmas catalogs

Stacked tires, always festive

50 gallon oil drums-  I see these on CSI, usually with a body inside

Angry tree

And finally, the tree to keep the pets away, though this one gets too close to the floor-  they don't even have to jump!  Not good with pet weasels.

Or cats.

Pencil shaving tree

A use for broken computer innards

Piles of hard drive disks

And spirals of bottled water.  (The blue are just the ones with the caps left on for decoration!)

Last, and absolutely least, my folder with the Christmas tree images grabbed so you see what's in store for you over these next few weeks.

OK, the truth is that for many decades I went a bit nutty decorating the house and tree, garlands inside and out, pretty white candles in each window, mistletoe over every door, topiary poinsettias-  crazy stuff.  My whole hose was already Christmas colors so it didn't take much to really jooush it up.  We had parties all month-  kids parties, cookie exchanges, neighborhood open houses, office parties, and occasionally a party with friends.  We blocked off the whole Christmas week for visiting grandparents and a huge Christmas eve dinner before present-time.  (Long ago my own parents decided they didn't want to get up at 5 any more so presents were exchanged on Christmas eve.  This also worked well for us, but Santa continued to deliver over night and the 5 am wakeup was still the reality for many years.)

Christmas Day was for loafing and eating leftovers and putting in an appearance at relatives houses.  A busy time, and one which my overriding memory is my whole family in the dining room enjoying the dinner while I had to go lie on the floor in the living room because my back had gone out from all I did... and stress.

We moved to the condo eventually, a week before Christmas, and I had sold most of my Christmas stuff months before.  TY and I went to the local church yard where BoyScouts sold trees and we got a simple small table top tree for our first holiday in our new life.  But with all the unpacking and friends stopping by to see the place, poor tree never got decorated!  We liked it that way.  So for the next few years we would get more small trees form the BoyScouts and leave them naked mostly just for the smell of pine.  Sometimes we put lights on, not always.

Then, we started spending more time in Florida and the tree-plan had to go because buying it and getting it set up only to take it down Christmas Day so we could catch a flight just seemed dumb.  So, that was the end of that.

Now we stay in Florida for the holidays and don't even come north.  Both our kids have their own families to visit or coming to them, and we much prefer to see them a few weeks before or a few weeks after to alleviate additional stress.  In Florida the fresh-cut trees are just not too fresh-cut by the time they arrive down there.  Everybody we know has a pre-lighted tree in their garage that they drag inside for the season-  some even keep their ornaments on!  Some are odd colors to go with the decor.  Nobody has 'that smell of pine' unless it'a a candle or potpourri.  Ick.  So, why do it?  We stopped.  I hang some ornaments from the chandelier, I put up my fake magnolia leaf wreathe on the gate, and we have a Seven Fishes dinner for friends on Christmas eve, no more than 6.  And ya know what, finally I enjoy the Christmas season. 

Well sort of-  I hate all the catalogs and especially that mall music starting in October, and have been known to run screaming to my car when I hear Jingle Bells for the first time.

No post tomorrow unless I get captured myself at the airport smuggling 3.1 oz. shampoo bottles.  Be back in business on Wednesday in FL with my doggies at my feet and actual furniture surrounding me, and no stack running through the living room and a flat floor with no mold!  Work here in Newton will continue without me, and the guys will be fine with that.