Warning! Spoiler Below

I'm reading Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas prompt for today, and thinking of childhood Christmases. DH and I talked a bit about our memories of his childhood and mine before he left for the Florida trip. He, of course as a person 4 or 5 years older, sometimes pulls age on me. He did have more of a WWII experience than I did, tho I heard about the war which had just ended as I made my start in life. It's not a common occurance to have a soldier (Daddy), a sailor (my Uncle Jack) and little cannons under the tree these days...or is it??? I won't go into how many children may now think of Daddy or Mommy in fatigues these days somewhere far away.

My one memory that is funny now but also shows how detail oriented I was at age 5 or so...nit picker according to dh...concerns the Christmas I finally acknowledged that I KNEW there was no Santa Clause. Very much like young Natalie Wood above, I gave my mother that look as she tried to verify Santa Clause's existence. "Hrmph. Well, you left one of the stickers from Wanamaker's on one of my presents. Look!!!" I said accusingly and oh so righteously! (We lived in the Washington DC area and Wanamakers was in Philadelphia. Shades of a trip to see family.) I got the hurried explanation that Santa Clause just brought some of the presents and she bought others. No, no, I wasn't buying it and reveled in my oh so clever knowledge. Ah the arrogance of a smart little girl. Now as a parent, I also see how hard this must have been for her to hear. Watching your child's childhood slip away in one of those first Aha momemts is so very poignant.

I guess in looking back on this it's neither a good memory or a bad one. Wry perhaps in seeing a glimpse of my character even then. Do you have any Christmas memory that makes you see...Oh I was so me even as a child! I'd love to hear some.

Committed

Since DH and I got married, we have tried to keep our Christmas as a fairly low key season. I knew how much he hated the overabundance (addictive greed?) of some Christmas celebrations we had seen or known. I had certainly enjoyed decorating the house but when we combined furniture, there was less and less room even post renovation.

Finally we agreed that with 6 adult children, their Christmas was their Christmas with no obligation for anyone to travel in either direction. December would be a time we would do something for our marriage, and we have often have gone to CA for a couples retreat. DH does not like cold weather very much but one of our best 'Christmas' trips was to Prague, Vienna and Budapest in 2006. Cold but neither one of minded it. That may be a future repeat!

The tree saga you have read below.

So this year, we were to go to Florida - Marco Island (Marriott Preview) and then Miami for his conference. However my lingering cold and our inability to get a cat sitter led me to decide to stay home and have a Quiet Week. His gift to me is time and space. We will go to Hilton Head for New Year's and hope for some warming up there.

So with all this free time ahead, what's a good blogger to do? Not only sign up for NABLOPOMO but also for Ali Edward's December Daily AND Shimelle's Journal Your Christmas. This is sounding dangerously like I'm becoming a scrapper but...I'm committed.


For me these are not three different things, but one way to continue to document how I Cook My Life. I may not have an album like Shimelle's above with lots of bought goodies including a string of pearls, and it may not get done even in December, but it will be fun, and it will keep reminding me how good my life is and how many blessings I do have. Sharing the love...isn't that Christmas?