(Old) FA LA LA LA LA Decking The Halls In The MMP

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Good Mornin’ Y’all! Up and caffeinatin’. YAWN ‘Tis 48 Amurrkin out and clear with a predicted high of 58 and N.O.S. for the day. If/when it dries up enough out (rained all yestiddy and into the night) I may get out and accomplish mowage. Maybe. Of course there will be the usual sloth, general overall uselessness, nappage, and day drinkin’. Sup shall be burgers 'n fries with all the fixin’s, just cause.

I know we kinda discussed this last week, but I figure ‘tis the season and all that there stuff, so the big question/topic to hijack this week is about decorations for the horror days. First, do you even bother? Beyond the clear acrylic sparkly table top tree, we do not. I used to go all out, but have not for several years now. Second, if you bother, when do you start and how long do you leave your festive decor up? Third, are there any decorations you must have year after year such as a family heirloom? Nosy enquirin’ Dopers want to know!

Now I need more caffeine and to feed rumbly tummy. Then, onward into the day! Rah.

Happy Moanday Y’all!

2

I don’t bother. It’s just the 2 of us, the grands don’t care, and when we had Taz, he cared too much. If I don’t decorate, I don’t have to un-decorate!

Dr appt this morning, and FCD asked me to get him some more Rice Chex, so I’ll swing into Food Lion on the way home. No other plans - maybe I’ll tidy the basement a bit. Gonna kinda make it up as I go along.

Happy Moanday!

3

Third!

Mornin all. About an hour post-dawn as I start this. Presently 75/24 on the way up to 82/28. Partly cloudy, but promising mostly sunny. I’m up, sheveled, out, just finished breakfast at the deli, and am lingering over coffee w y’all.

The day’s plan is golf lesson later this morning and eye doc appointment to pick up new contacts in mid-afternoon. These contacts are the one eye close, one eye far prescription. If I can master them I’ll be able to jettison dragging old fogey glasses wherever I go. FAA didn’t allow that stuff, so I’ve never tried it. Now that they don’t have dibs on my body all sorts of new adventures await.

Might have Spanish tapas & sangria for dinner; Monday is their discount day.


As to the topic of the week:
As y’all know, my whole world got a complete reset a couple years ago.

In current world we put a (real) wreath on the front door, which we did yesterday. The Christmas-themed dining table runner also got installed yesterday. We intend to put up our new artificial tree & ornaments & such in the next couple of days. It happens this week has a lot of scheduled activities and tree-raising keeps getting pushed back. And that’s it for our decorating. Not having an outdoors certainly helps with keeping the scope of decorating small. It’ll probably all come down shortly after New Years.

At various points in my prior life we had a big house with a huge heavily decorated tree inside, pine bough centerpieces on all the many tables, and light nets stretched over mongo juniper hedges outside, lights on the eaves, etc. Other eras we had just a little tabletop tree with a half-dozen small ornaments. Some years we went all out and other years we skipped the whole holiday.

One of our important holiday traditions every year was to listen to Bob & Doug McKenzie’s Christmas song. Her Ladyship now finds that insufficiently highbrow.

Speaking of Christmas decorations, somebody forwarded a funny pic. It showed a typical suburban front yard with a half-dozen of the ~4’ inflatable Christmas characters all laying there deflated in a ~15 foot rough circle. So a Santa, a snowman, a reindeer, etc. Standing fully inflated in the center was a white-robed Yoda with his glowing light saber raised.

No more joyous carols sung off-key shall be.


As to the very last of last week:

JtC, that is a beautiful bird. Congrats! Though I admit it looks a little odd splayed out like that. The only downside I can see is no stuffing. Although I’ve never been gaga over stuffing. Nice if you’ve got it, but not really worth the flail.

Happy moanday to all! And to all a good … day. :slight_smile:

Cheers!

4

We have a fake pencil tree that stands over six feet tall but is only about 18" wide at the bottom; a truly ugly thing, but we’re not allowed to have real trees here at The Home and anything larger wouldn’t fit. It’s okay once a few ornaments are on it and the lights are on, but nothing like the glorious live trees we use to have.

Had a good delayed T-day at the youngest’s house across the border. Had some snow flurries to make it seem like winter. My daughter was also there with her boy, and the usual zaniness ensued. A slow drive back as a lot of late-stayers were trying to get home after a long holiday weekend. After making the stuffing, I have some leftover sage sausage, so I see biscuits and gravy in our immediate future.

The coming week promises to be a slow one, and then we’ll make Christmas cookies at some point. We don’t get caught up in the annual present-buying frenzy, which is a relief. We haven’t even exchanged gifts with each other for about 20 years now.

5

I looooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeee Christmas and everything associated with it, so I definitely decorate. Normally, the day after Thanksgiving is the day but, since I was out of town and didn’t get back until Saturday night, yesterday was the day. I decorate my deck with Christmas lights and I put up a tall tree by the sliding doors leading out to the deck. It took me about 3 hours and an extra trip out for lights to replace a couple of strings that somehow died while sitting in a box doing nothing for months.

When I have friends over, at least one of them will look at my display and say, “I didn’t know you have kids!” I reply, “I don’t, it’s for ME.” LOL They look surprised as if it is a violation of some kind of unwritten code that says a single person can’t have decorations. LOL

6

Mornin, all. I decided to start late, since it’s going to be a late end. Tis my first day with the after school rehearsal. We shall see how it goes.

7

And a good morning to all. 31F early this morning, heading to 47F later in the day and no rain in the vicinity. Will try and get back to my usual routine, meaning a quick trip to Publix, sammich at Jersey Mikes, and some swimming-n-sauna at the gym, where I will step on the scale and see how much damage my three weeks of hedonistic living has cost me weight-wise. About 40% caught up on my You Tube channels (working on ‘The Weird History of Food’ channel now), will keep at it this week.

I normally spend the Xmas holiday with my family so I do not bother with any decorations around the house here.

Pilot, that sounds like a marvelous picture. Hope the new contacts work out well.

swampy, I really, really don’t want to mow the grass in December, but I’ll see how it’s look and if it warms up a little this week…

OK, onward into the week. All y’all take care and have a good one.

8

What about a real tree that’s actually a plant? Not exactly the same as a cut tree, but it’s yours year-round… unless, of course, space is that much of an issue.

Good visit with my doc - I need to arrange for a mammogram in Feb and she wants me to get exercise, which I truly intend to do once I no longer have Tobias all day. I made a quick Food Lion stop and now I’m home waiting for the guy who claimed all the back braces - hope he’s not jerking me around.

I still haven’t cleaned the critter fountain - that’s next on the list. Then, dunno.

9

Putting up some indoor lights and boughs, started last week. We have 2 small artificial trees on loan to family members who are hosting the rehearsal dinner for their kid’s upcoming wedding, and are looking forward to getting them back and putting them up.
Someone in the cranberry thread asked if residents of Soviet Canuckistan have cranberry sauce in tins, and we most assuredly do. I like the stuff, whole berry or jellied, and always keep a spare can on hand. I greatly prefer the version we make, with Cointreau or Grand Marnier and other ingredients, including real cranberries, but for an impromptu chicken dinner, I keep a can on hand. I like cranberry sauce on ham sandwiches, too.
Going over my notes for lecture today. It is a depressing one, about the Chilean coup of 1973, made more poignant this time by the death 2 weeks ago of Joan Jara. Her husband, Victor Jara, sometimes, if inaccurately, called “the Bob Dylan of Chile,” was tortured and shot in the early stages of the coup. Joan Jara spent 50 years bringing his killers to justice. Just before she died, one of them was ordered extradited from the US to face trial in Chile. Joan learned of the decision, but died, age 96, before the trial will begin.
Sometimes teaching history depresses the hell out of me. But the optimism and energy of students is awesome and gives one hope. The trick is to teach to offset Aristotle’s observation that “Youth is easily deceived because it is quick to hope” without giving them cause for despair and cynicism.
I hope I get it right this week.

10

Mornin’ kids! It’s a brisk and invigorating ten degrees out, but no new snow expected for over a week so the roads at least are clear.

As prior mentioned, I’m one of those troglodytes that puts up Christmas stuff in early November. I live alone now, so like @Jasmine there’s nobody who can stop me! Muahahahaha! I don’t have any heirloom decorations aside from a few special tree ornaments. I’ll be leaving it all up until after my birthday toward the end of January. It’ll be interesting if I get a job offer and wind up moving before then - will I pack it all away and then put it all back up in the new place, or just call it done?

On that subject, interview went really well. It seems to me that I’m perfectly suited/qualified to the role, I mean perfectly. Of course, I thought I was well-suited and interviewed well last time too. Doesn’t matter how good you are if someone better applies. Should hopefully hear if I get a 2d interview sometime this week or early next.

Saturday night I cooked belated Thanksgiving with the intention of feeding three coworkers and my - I guess “girlfriend” is the appropriate word now, neat. The coworkers all flaked. I was not at all put out, as it meant we didn’t have to wait for them to filter out for, ya know. Girlfriend Things.

So! A pretty good week/weekend. We’ll see if I hear about the job and continue the streak.

11

Space really is a problem. The only place for a tree is in a spot that is also the only access to the heater controls, as every other inch of wall space is taken up with furniture. Don’t get me started.

12

So it was mostly smooth heaving, apart from SSLAW #2 crapping out(shocking, I know!) and 2 Richmond loads being late, requiring the non Blueberries to stand around in a frigid building for 30 minutes.

  1. November 1st…2002
  2. Ongoing(It’s not sloth anymore, it’s Tradition!)
  3. I do have a couple of old wooden ornaments from my parents, plus a TARDIS ornament. Oh, and my Festivus Pole.

Everybody is working 6 day weeks till Christmas.At least the 6th punch is now time anna half, due to the new contract.

Tell her to take off, eh?

But do you have it during Metric Thanksgiving?

Yay!

13

I go all out in an understated way. 4.5 Christmas tree with white lights and a bazillion ornaments. Holiday tablecloth with centerpiece. Lots of table decos with white lights. I won’t be able to do outside stuff since it requires climbing a ladder and I ain’t doing that with a fractured leg. Everywhere you look there is a little piece of Christmas in my house. I’ve been known to leave it all up until January 31. Except the pole. That goes back in the crawl space December 25.

Winter is here. High today of 24. I’m staying in.

14

Afternoon, mumpers! It’s currently 6c/43f with no predicted change, and partly cloudy. Weather app says “I’m sorry, the sky can’t fucking stand you today.”

After four fantastic days of musical shenanigans at the WinterStorm festival, we are having a day chilling out day in Largs. Tomorrow will be the long drive home.

We don’t decorate for hexmas, I get enough of that in the office and when we’re out and about. It’s nice to have peace and calm at home instead. And, well, cats.

Got a cuppa, about to watch a documentary about Detroit since we’re visiting there next year, along with Chicago and maybe somewhere else. Time for sloth!

15

Decorations aren’t really an option over here around a certain orange brat getting into everything he can and not caring in the least about damage done in the process, plus two cats’ worth of zoomies.

16

I’m on vacation this week, but I wanted to take care of a couple of things at irk that wouldn’t take very long. I find an email from Big Multinational Credit Reporting Agency saying that a file I sent them last week had account numbers in a different format, and that the Comment column was missing. Oh, and by the way, it was the same with the file I sent them last month. I replied, asking them to read the [attached] email I sent them on October 5th that informed them that the account numbers would be in a different format and that the Comment column would no longer be sent.

17

I’m hoping to go all out this season, or at least moreso than I have in the past. My mom used to make her place absolutely magical. I can’t compete with that, but I do usually put up a tree and some decorations, generally when my daughter kicks up enough of a fuss my hand is forced. I’m considering paying someone else to put up lights outside our house, but that would require me to call someone and it would also require money. I don’t like calling people and I also don’t like parting with money, especially when I’m about to replace my oven.

In other news, our piano was taken away for recycling today. It was hard to see it go, but once we got an electronic piano, we stopped using the heirloom piano and I couldn’t sell or donate it for love or money. Finally a church told me, “We would love to take your piano, but when we’ve taken piano donations, it generally puts us in the red because someone usually has to spend money, time or both to restore it. That’s probably why you’re having trouble finding a home for it.” I’ve wanted to get rid of it for years but mom made me promise to keep it until she passed. I thought I’d be sad, but I didn’t realize that its presence was bothering me so much until an hour and a half ago when it was wheeled out the door. That’s probably where our Christmas tree will go, once I vacuum up all the dead spiders. I guess they had a home back there? (Probably another reason pianos are hard to donate.)

Anyway, that’s a load off. Thanksgiving was really nice. I don’t think I’ve lounged so much in years. I also managed to pack up eight very large bags of clothing donations at mom’s house, plus several small appliances. I’m going to make my sister look through them when she’s in town next week. She was making noise about trying to return some of the clothing items that were more expensive, but she implied that I should go through all eight bags again, pick out anything that looked expensive and take a load to whatever store we thought they came from, which seemed kind of ridiculous. Sure, someone will be hitting a payload of beautiful, expensive clothing, but I have no intention of weeding through everything again when I will probably end up with at least another eight bags (mom had a bit of a hoarding problem). Also, there were a lot of sweaters in there, and I’d like to see those go to people who will need them this season.

Oh, well - work beckons. I hope everyone had a relatively relaxing or at least not too bad weekend.

18

I must give you the address where FCD lived as a teen - surely you’ll want to gaze upon it in wonder!

Back braces are gone. FCD is home. Chillage is underway. I need a nap.

19

I usually put up a tree, a creche scene, and a wreath on my door, but I’m not going to be home for Christmas, so if I do anything, it’ll be the creche scene. My wreath is made of pine cones and is a peace symbol. I like the thought, but the brown isn’t exactly cheery.

When the fog lifts, I’ll walk to the PO and then the gym. In the meantime, I’m simmering the ham bone and the meat on it for soup.

Last night I dreamed I was teaching and it was the first day of school. For once, it wasn’t a teaching dream where I couldn’t find my classroom or showed up in my undies. It was nice.

If you haven’t been to Chicago before–or I guess even if you have–there are many Chicagoland Dopers who’d happily give recommendations.

20

We have a little Christmas tree that’s about a cubit tall, which we place on the bar each year. It’s pre-decorated, so there’s literally no setup work involved.

Other than that, Mrs W has a handful of Christmas-y tchotchkes she puts around the house.

This year, we bought a box of snowflake ornaments and hung them on the front door with removable 3M hooks. We also bought a single string of icicle lights with the intention of framing the front entryway, but we couldn’t come up with a way to hang them without making larger holes than we’d like. We might end up putting those up in a tree, or we might not.

Our ukulele club is going to perform at the clubhouse tree lighting this Thursday evening. I haven’t been able to make any of the practices, so I’ve got to cram at home the next few days. We’ll be doing “Deck the Halls,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Mele Kalikimaka,” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” They’re all fairly simple songs, but it’ll be… interesting playing in front of people. I’ve never performed music in public before.