new year's eve 2024

"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're doing something." — Neil Gaiman

Last night, along with a glass of Prosecco, we put our Christmas away. It's the farewell glass to the Christmas season, to the joys shared and to the memories made. My last Christmas tradition is to place the glass on the coffee table and take photos of the lights sparkling through the glass. I took quite a few this year, changing the distance, the light, the focus, and the camera position. With the various changes and perspectives, each photo is different, but similar. Perhaps some food for thought for 2025?

Everyone can look at the same thing and see something different based on his or her life experiences. A change in perspective allows a person to gain a deeper understanding of a situation by considering different viewpoints, exposing him/her to new information and challenging preconceived notions. Learn from new experiences by stepping out of your comfort zone.

Cheers to the last day of 2024 and to the new year's arrival!

monday's mulling: leo's luminaries

This time of the year is the season of light overcoming darkness. Yule, or the winter solstice, was just a few days ago, and minute by minute the days are getting longer. Scandinavians have a tradition of lighting the Yule log, symbolizing the return of the sun and longer days. The Persian festival, Yalda is a celebration of the winter solstice in Iran and is viewed as the victory of light over dar, and the birthday of the sun god Mithra. Advent in the Christian tradition, is the season encompassing the four Sundays (and weekdays) before Christmas, leading to the birth of Jesus, the Light of the World. Many traditions and symbols associated with the winter solstice have been incorporated into religious and secular celebrations worldwide.

Three years ago, our neighbors lost their 15-year old son in a boating accident. He suffered a seizure and fell from his boat during a high school rowing club practice on the Great Miami River. He was just two months into his freshman year in high school and would have graduated this  coming year, May 17, 2025.

According to his obituary, “Leo was a light not to be dimmed. His unique spirit was intensely curious, open to adventure, and kind. He lived life in the present, embracing every detail. In a world that moves too fast and offers plenty of distractions, Leo didn't just stop to smell the flowers, he dug the soil, planted the seeds, nurtured them, and shared the gifts with everyone he loved.” Leo attended the middle school where I taught. One of my fellow English teachers said that his laughter lit up the room and that Leo could get her off topic better than anyone ever could.

Since their son’s passing, every Christmas Eve our neighbors line the street with luminaries to honor their son and his light that touched so many. They light the night in the dark of winter, sending a message of love and hope, enlightening us to to do the same. 

bye-bye, big pumpkin

At the end of the season at the farmer's market, I bought a giant pumpkin. It was a hit at Halloween, it was a festive Thanksgiving decoration, and it was going strong into December so, 🎶 don we now our pumpkin with Christmas lights, fa-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la...🎶

(FYI, this ⌃ was last year's pumpkin. I thought I took a photo of this year's, but nope).

My past giant pumpkins have made it well into January. If they made it to February, they'd be decked out in red and white lights for Valentine's Day, but so far none of the pumpkins have made it that far. Friday night, Todd turned the lights on for the pumpkin's evening display, and yesterday morning we looked out the front door and it had imploded. What an ooey-gooey, squishy mess. Armed with my big kitchen knife and wearing yard gloves, I chopped that big pumpkin into pieces, put it in four different trash bags, and tossed them into the trash bin. 

So, hasta luego, big pumpkin...we sure had a "gourd" time with you

ornaments

Every Christmas, from the time they were born until they graduated from college, my parents gave each of their grandchildren a Christmas ornament. Through the years I used some of my kids' ornaments to decorate our family tree. As each child moved away from home, I packed his or her ornaments so they could decorate their own tree.

I picked up where my parents left off. I've purchased ornaments for my children and their spouses and now for my grandchildren. This year Owen got his third ornament and AJ got his "Baby's First Christmas" ornament.

My older daughter, Sara, lived in New York City for four years and then moved to Chicago. She loves Chicago but NYC still holds a special place in her heart. This year, while scrolling through the Rookwood pottery catalog, I saw an ornament commemorating the oak leaf and acorn motif in Grand Central Terminal. Aha...the perfect gift for Sara!

The Vanderbilt family financed the construction of GCT and their family motto is "Great oaks from little acorns grow." When we were in New York at the beginning of December and walking through Grand Central, I told my friends and Sara, "I want to find the Vanderbilt oaks and acorns." I got the oh-here-comes-the history-lesson look. 

When Sara opened her ornament, she got a big smile and said, "The Grand Central leaves and acorns." She remembered the history lesson.

the friday feed: christmas cookies

My little grandson loves to help in the kitchen. He is 2 1/2 years old and although still young and has an attention span of a gnat, I wanted to bake Christmas cookies with him. He's my first grandchild and I was so ready to share this cookie baking moment with him knowing that flour would be all over the floor, lots of frosting licks, and an explosion of sprinkles. It was time to live with that mess and all the joy that comes with it! 

And did we have fun rolling the dough and cutting the cookies? Yes! Owen's dad helped frost the stars and hearts and other shapes, and guided his little hand from piling too many sprinkles on the cookies. It was such a precious hour filled with fun and laughter and memories to last for a lifetime.

 

christmas stockings

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there...

My brothers, sister, and I were born in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Back then stocking kits with a felt stocking, Christmas-shaped cut outs, sequins, and glitter were popular and that's what my mom bought to hang by the fireplace for her four little rascals. Todd's mom did the same for her kids.

In 1984, I became a mom and wanted to make a Christmas stocking for my first-born child. At that time I was really into counted cross-stitching. I found a pattern that was sewn on linen (which took cross-stitching to a new level) but I made a Christmas stocking for my son to have for his first Christmas. As the second, third, and fourth came along, I wanted to keep the same look but each child have a little different aspect to his/her stocking. 

The kids grew up and in 2018 a daughter-in-law joined the family. Of course she would get a stocking but not one that had as much cross-stitching on it. The eyesight changed over the course of 34 years. Still, I wanted a stocking that complemented the spouse's stocking. It was a combination of some cross-stitching and applique. My "rule" is that once you are married, you get a stocking. Three "in-law" stockings have been added to the bunch and one more will complete the group in 2025.  My son and his fiancee will be married in November 2025 and she will have her own stocking on Christmas day.

And now for the grandsons. Their stockings have a totally different look. The boys are young and Santa is a big deal for little people. It was so much fun to see Owen find his stocking and pull all of the goodies from it. AJ will be there in a couple years. And another stocking will be added to the line up when Little Granddaughter makes her entrance to this family in March. Ideas are brewing already!

wednesday's words and wonderings and wanderings

'Twas the week before Christmas and...

Last week we met with some friends in the Detroit area for some Christmas cheer. Todd and I made a stop in Frankenmuth, a Michigan city known for its Bavarian-style  architecture and charm. The name Frankenmuth means "courage of the Franconians." It's a bit tourist-trappy - after a while you see a lot of the same souvenirs in the stores but it's a pretty little town. The weather was pleasant for strolling outdoors and looking at all the Christmas decorations. We enjoyed looking at and sampling quite a few freshly made German baked goods.

We spent four hours exploring Frankenmuth and then headed over to Rochester, Michigan for a Christmas tour of Meadow Brook Hall. It was built between 1926 and 1929 by the heiress to the Dodge automaker fortune, Matilda Dodge Wilson and her second husband, lumber baron, Alfred Wilson. Meadow Brook Hall is on the grounds of Oakland University and is one of the finest examples of Tudor revival style in America. The 88,000 square feet home has 110 rooms. We oohed and ahed as we walked around the grounds and through the house.

Once we got home it was a lot of last minute to-dos before the kids began to arrive for the family Christmas. I prepared some meals so as not to cook every single day, finished my little grandson's Christmas stocking one minute before the Cleveland clan arrived, and did some last minute grocery shopping. I laughed out loud when I saw these socks and almost bought them for Todd...he had a cold 😁. Enough said.

My 2 1/2 year old grandson and I baked cookies, read lots and lots of books, his parents brought the Elf on a Shelf and we had fun seeing what kind of silly antics Cookies the Elf would do, and of course opening the Christmas presents was so much fun. The joy and excitement that the little guy exuded was contagious. To once again see Christmas through the eyes of a child sure makes one feel young at heart.

"One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly."  ~ Andy Rooney

Merry Christmas from my house to yours!

christmas eve

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra came on the air waves in 1996 and their song "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" captivated me. It was (and still is) a powerful, rock version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Carol of the Bells." The Bosnian War and the siege of Sarajevo ended in February 1996 and then the song was released on the TSO's debut album "Christmas Eve and Other Stories" in 1996. The piece describes a lone cello player playing a forgotten Christmas carol in war-torn Sarajevo.

The story behind "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo...

"We heard about this cello player born in Sarajevo many years ago who left when he was fairly young to go on to become a well-respected musician, playing with various symphonies throughout Europe. Many decades later, he returned to Sarajevo as an elderly man—at the height of the Bosnian War, only to find his city in complete ruins.

I think what most broke this man's heart was that the destruction was not done by some outside invader or natural disaster—it was done by his own people. At that time, the Serbs were shelling Sarajevo every night. Rather than head for the bomb shelters like his family and neighbors, this man went to the town square, climbed onto a pile of rubble that had once been the fountain, took out his cello, and played Mozart and Beethoven as the city was bombed.

He came every night and began playing Christmas Carols from that same spot. It was just such a powerful image—a white-haired man silhouetted against the cannon fire, playing timeless melodies to both sides of the conflict amid the rubble and devastation of the city he loves. Some time later, a reporter traced him down to ask why he did this insanely stupid thing. The old man said that it was his way of proving that despite all evidence to the contrary, the spirit of humanity was still alive in that place.

The song basically wrapped itself around him. We used some of the oldest Christmas melodies we could find, like "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Carol of the Bells" part of the medley (which is from Ukraine, near that region). The orchestra represents one side, the rock band the other, and single cello represents that single individual, that spark of hope." (taken from Wikipedia).

It's a lovely story and a powerful piece of music, one that embraces the spirit of peace on earth and goodwill to all.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24

monday's mulling: this is not a political post

Springfield, Ohio got thrust into the national spotlight during the Biden/Trump presidential campaign.

At first glance Springfield looks like a typical small midwestern city. Its virtues include stately homes from the city's heyday, a few busy downtown blocks, an art museum, Wittenberg University, and a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house. Springfield's population had been declining for decades before a few years ago, when Haitians were drawn here by the relatively low cost of living and the promise of work in local factories. The pace and volume of Haitian newcomers have strained local resources and stirred some tensions.

Then the cat-eating stories started. Trump and JD Vance jumped on those allegations and the drama followed. My son-in-law who lives in Chicago loves to slam on Trump  and since Springfield is so close to Dayton, he makes a few comments about "what's for dinner" when he visits.

Anyway, I was Christmas shopping at a lovely gift shop that benefits the Children's Medical Center. I saw these napkins, did a triple take, and bought them. These gave my son-in-law the biggest laugh when he went to the hors d'oeuvres table. "Just watch what you're eating, Scotty..."

one minute at a time...

Each day after the solstice, we get one minute more of sunlight. It doesn’t sound like much, but after just two months, or around 60 days, we’ll be seeing about an hour more of sunlight.

The kids came in on Thursday to celebrate Christmas and they all left today around noon. The transition from non-stop action to a quiet house was abrupt. A little after 4:00 Todd asked me if I wanted to take a walk, either  around the neighborhood or go to the indoor track to do laps. Outside it was a sunny and a  crisp 30° - I voted for the fresh air. We took a 3-mile walk and caught a beautiful sunset on the last leg home. It was a magical moment, feeling at peace, grateful, and blessed all at the same time.

winter solstice

Today December 21, is the winter solstice, It will be both the shortest day and longest night of 2024. 

"After the longest night, tomorrow we sing up the dawn. There is a rejoicing that even in the darkest of time, the sun is not vanquished. As of tomorrow, the days begin to get longer as the light of day grows. While the gentle winter sun slowly opens its eyes, let us all bring more light and compassion into the world."

~ Dacha Aveling

the friday feed: gifts of goodies

My neighbors are big on sharing Christmas cookies and all of them are delicious. It's fun to see what their baking traditions are. This year one of my neighbors included Spritz cookies in her gift. Memories came flooding back. My mom used to make Spritz cookies. She got the recipe from Frau Ding, my parents' landlord when they lived in Germany.

Mom added red and green food coloring to her spritz cookie dough. It was fascinating to watch her fill up the cookie press with dough and then watch the shaped cookies come out of the other end. She let my brothers, sister, and me try the cookie press and we usually ended up with blops of cookies, but they still tasted good. As we got older, our technique got better, and soon we were able to help with the Spritz cookie baking.

I'm not sure what happened to the cookie press - I think Mom sold it in a garage sale.After enjoying my neighbor's cookies, I'm tempted to buy one and add them to next year's Christmas cookie repertoire. Just add another pound of butter to the Christmas baking!

button, button, who has the button?

Button, button, who has the button, oh where can it be?

I have a few buttons! This is one tin of three that was in my mom's sewing "stuff."

I'm coming down to the wire for Christmas preparations - the kids arrive today. On Sunday, I was designing 2nd little grandson's Christmas stocking. Nothing like leaving this project to the last minute. Anyway, the project was moving along very well. I had supplies from 1st little grandson's stocking plus some other doo-dads that would be fun for this one, except there were no eyes for Santa. 

I have had these button tins for years and in this moment of what-to-do-for-Santa's-eyes, it hit me (or maybe it was Mom giving a nudge) - use the buttons. I dumped a tin on a bed and sorted and sorted and sorted until a matching pair showed up. I tell you, my mom was a saver. She took buttons off old shirts which she used for rags. She was from the generation that lived through the Depression and back then the de-buttoned shirts were used for making quilts or a child's toy.

Santa has his eyes and all that needs to be done is make the loop for hanging the stocking. But first, an early morning grocery run!

wednesday's words and wanderings and wonderings

When we moved into our house a couple years ago, the previous owners left a coffee table. They moved to Florida and this table didn't fit in with their beach decor. We needed a table for the living room and were really pleased with this freebie.

When our first little grandson started walking and the kids came down for a visit, they noticed right off the bat that this table was dangerous, and it is. The little guy could impale himself on the spikes that are above table top level. We put it in the storage room for the rest of the visit. And on subsequent visits, we made sure that the table was stored away before their arrival.

When the whole family is in town, this table causes a dilemma. I don't want little grandson to lose an eye but the space is so handy when the adult people are sitting around the couch with their food, computers, gaming remotes, books, whatever kind of stuff they need to put on a table.

I was brainstorming remedies and thought of swimming pool noodles. Get one of those thick foam noodles and cut it into pieces to cover the "spears." However, it's December and those are summer toys. Google search: pool noodles dayton ohio. Lo and behold the search showed that Dick's Sporting Goods had pool noodles. A Christmas miracle!

A quick trip to Dick's (how can anyone give a store a name like that? Sorry - I'm tired, I raised four kids, and I was an 8th grade teacher. The potty and body humor game is strong!). There were no pool noodles. Oh no! I walked toward the door to go home to figure out Plan B and there they were. Tennis balls...Oh yes! Add some festive hats and cute little scarves and voila! No worries about little grandson injuring himself.

And when my little guy sees this he's going to say, "Oh Didi, that's silly!"

reactions to santa claus

Last year's photo of 1st Little Grandson with Santa was one of pure terror. He did not want to be  anywhere near Santa, let alone be on his lap. He is 2 1/2 and this year he looked at Santa from afar and waved at him but was not a happy camper when Mom and Dad faked him out and sat him on Santa's lap. Maybe a smile next year, O.

My friend shared a couple of stories about two of her grandchildren. Her granddaughter Vivienne is in second grade and has heard from some classmates that Santa isn't real. She and her siblings went to visit Santa and when her mom tucked her into bed, she said, "Mom, I know the Santa we saw today was the real Santa. He was so kind to the special needs boy and he understood him. He must have really good hearing. And a kind heart." Don't stop believing, Vivienne.

Vivienne's little brother Sawyer is the third (and last) child and he is a little rascal. Sawyer asked Santa for a second chance.  

monday's mulling: i drive myself nuts

Saturday was the marathon Christmas present wrapping day. I had lots of boxes to wrap and not enough paper to complete the job. Last year Todd gave the "suggestion" not to buy any more wrapping paper until the current supply was done. I got a few presents wrapped, quickly realized more paper was needed, stopped the present wrapping momentum to go out and buy a few more rolls of paper, one being a red and black buffalo check which looks really pretty on the roll but turned into a royal pain in the patooty when it came to wrapping.

You see, I am one of those who likes lines and patterns to line up. And yes, I could have just wrapped the presents knowing that the paper would be ripped off in seconds and no one would notice the mismatched lines, but NOOOOO. I spent more time than I should have making sure the patterns met.

Not quite lined up but close enough. I gave myself a little grace...this is the underside.

The damn box is crooked! Someone did a poor job of taping it together.

Why I chose this paper to wrap biggest present, I have no idea. It needed extra to cover the ends, too. Yeah, it took over 30 minutes to finish but this became a challenge, one that I was going to conquer!