O' Christmas Tree!

Our family puts up two trees each year. One nine foot tree (artificial, I have to admit, that I will show later) covered with all of the ornaments that we have collected over the years; the ones bought, the ones received as gifts, and the ones our girls have made in school. It is quite a conglomeration of colors, shapes, and textures; each ornament has a special meaning.

The other tree, a six foot live frasier fur, is reserved for the ornaments from my childhood trees. Several years ago, my mother decided to no longer put up a full-sized tree so she gave me the ornaments that had been collected since she and my father married in 1948. Although we have very few left from the 40s and 50s, there are several from the 60s that I carefully place on my special tree each year. When this tree is done, I love to just sit and spend time reflecting on Christmas' past. Such special memories I have!


This little guy is the 60s version (the original version, that is) of The Elf on the Shelf! He sits in the highest branches of this tree watching over all of his ornaments from the past.













This bell from my parent's first Christmas together is the only ornament that has survived so many years (and so many moves). I love this ornament, chipping paint, old spray-on snow and all!






I save bird nests that I find in our yard and place them on the tree every year.










My prized possession! I have two ornaments like this and I love them.










O' Christmas Tree, I love thee!

We Gather Together

"We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing! Sing praises to His name, He forgets not His own."




I love this hymn. It's funny how, although I sing it only once a year, I still know the words. "We Gather Together" and "Come Ye Thankful People" are songs that will always remind me the Thanksgiving season.







The "horn of plenty" or cornucopia is also a symbol of this time of year. I wish that I had the one my mother used to place on our table during the season. It was huge and she filled it with fruit. The one I have is a much smaller version of hers.







My Harvest Home!

Blessings to all during this Thanksgiving season!

'Tis the Season to be Thankful

Why is the Thanksgiving season so overlooked? The department stores put out the Halloween merchandise in August as soon as the first day of school is over. Then, before Halloween night arrives, the costumes and candy are pushed to the back of the store and prices slashed in order to make room for the Christmas decorations. So, what happened to Thanksgiving? Other than a few tacky pumpkins with "Give Thanks" written on them or cheap ceramic pilgrims and scarecrows, Thanksgiving doesn't get much attention in the department stores. It's even difficult to find anything that resembles fall once Halloween is over.

Although I don't have the bulk of decorations that I do for Halloween or Christmas, I still like to put out a few things to decorate our home for Thanksgiving. I remember getting pilgrim and Indian candles like these as "gifts" in elementary school. I have paired these with a pinecone turkey which were staples on most Thanksgiving tables in the 60s. We now celebrate with a traditional dinner, complete with turkey napkins and pumpkin spice candles. It is important to me that we celebrate Thanksgiving Day with family and take the time to reflect on the many blessings we have been given.

Thanksgiving is a day that is not overlooked at our house.

I pray that it never will be.

The Ghosts and the Goblins Will Come Out Tonight!

I loved Halloween when I was a child. My mother didn't decorate the house or spend time putting together elaborate costumes but I do remember the excitement that I felt each year in anticipation of trick-or-treating. Our costumes were usually homemade and put together at the last minute. I remember a few of them. I was a tomboy so I never wore anything girlie. I remember being a sailor, a clown, an Eskimo (yes, an Eskimo because I had a large winter coat with a furry hood), a baby in footie pajamas, a hobo, a cowboy, and a skeleton. Our neighborhood was large so we always came home with a pillowcase full of candy that lasted for weeks. When we got home, my sister and I would dump out the candy on the living room floor and sort out everything that we didn't like. My father was right there to retrieve the licorice, rootbeer candies, and peanut butter kisses. I can still see him sitting in his chair with a lap full of candy "rejects".

As an adult, I still live in a large neighborhood where Halloween is a big deal! Prior to trick-or-treating, all the little ghosts and goblins (and their parents) meet in our cul-de-sac for a hot dog supper. It is a wonderful event that allows the neighbors to gather, show off their costumes, and socialize prior to hitting the streets for the night. Once the signal is given for trick-or-treating to begin, our house is their first stop. Kids from zero to about thirteen or so, run up our hill for their first treats of the night. This year, we passed out over 500 pieces of candy in about three minutes. Our candy bowl was practically empty and we rested in the front yard waiting for the next round to show up. A crisp, fall night in Georgia...the weather was PERFECT for Trick-or-Treating!












As I reflect on Halloween's from the past, I wanted to post this little poem that my mother used to recite when I was a child. I believe that she made it up but I'm not sure...




The ghosts and the goblins will come out tonight.
The ghosts and the goblins will give you a fright!
The ghosts and the goblins will all trick-or-treat.
You better give them something to eat! BOO!

Happy Halloween to All!

School Days in October

I love things that are associated with my own school days...old desks, textbooks, lunchboxes, and notebooks. I have collected some of these over the years and am always on the lookout for more. This bow-tied teddy shares his desk with items from the season. I found a piece of artwork that one of my girls made in preschool and added it to the desk. The nose and glasses remind me of
the school carnival days; carnival games and prizes, lots of greasy food, and homemade costumes. Great memories for me.



Do you remember the grade school music books? There was usually a section dedicated to each holiday. I found these two songs in a third grade music book; it sits on my piano with a hand holding the page. The hand reminded me of "The Thing" from the 60s show "The Addams Family" so I had to add it to my collection.

King Zor, the Dinosaur costume, kindergarten artwork, and a vintage noisemaker...

A bucket full of Halloween treasures!

Tricks, Treats, Trash, or Treasure?

Decorating for Halloween started early at our home this year. Since I am retired and have time, I decided to get the decorations up by October 1st so that we could enjoy them for the entire month. I find myself collecting items throughout the year (Goodwill is one of my greatest resources!) and I was like a child in a candy store when I opened my boxes of Halloween decorations this year. I had acquired several "new" items and was excited to find just the right spot to display them. The lamp on the Hoosier cabinet above is filled with candy corn. I use this lamp throughout the year and fill it with things like candy corn, peppermints, conversation hearts, marbles, and even crayons. It's a great conversation piece and sheds "light" on the season.

A painted window above the mantel sends a Southern message to those witches who've left their special ingredients behind, ready for the potions of the night! I use this window throughout the year; using acrylic paint makes it very easy to clean and repaint another saying for another season.

And, what do you do with all those stuffed animals that your children collected over the years? You dress them up for Halloween, of course! Large bears are particularly eager to be donned with hats and masks and Halloween "Beanie Babies" are great sidekicks.

Pumpkins and Plaid

I have found that people collect most anything. Several years ago, I saw a picture in a "Country Living" magazine of a bookshelf with several plaid tins stacked together. Being a child of the 50s and 60s, I had an immediate attraction to these plaid tins and to the plaid lunchboxes and thermoses. It was then that I decided to begin my own collection. To date, I have thirty five thermoses of various plaid patterns, five plaid lunch boxes, five plaid tins, one plaid cooler, and one plaid grill. Yes, I said a plaid grill. So cute and very unusual. I keep the plaid collection out all year, as it looks especially festive during Christmas.

A happy pumpkin full of mums standing tall atop the plaid cooler, accompanied by a metal barn lunchbox and a pair of pumpkin clogs.

The barn lunchbox is a duplicate of my very first lunchbox, taken to first grade with me. As you can see, I've loved plaid for a long time!



Another touch of plaid and orange!