Aside from our unexpected car accident, we had a very nice (if quiet) Christmas.
It started in mid-December, when Older Daughter and I took Mr. Darcy and drove higher into the mountains to cut some cedar branches (with permission from the Forest Service). Darcy is always so thrilled by these excursions.
The forest was beautiful. (That's Older Daughter's car at the bottom.)
Darcy was raring to go, so I walked him around while Older Daughter collected branches. She was careful not to cut more than one branch off any one tree.
It soon became apparent, however, that a service crew had come through a short time before and trimmed a bunch of branches along long stretches of the road, presumably for maintenance purposes.
When we realized this, it was a simple matter of finding a collection of downed branches and taking as many as we wanted. There was a nice amount in this bend of the road. (You can see Older Daughter in the pink coat.)
What I didn't realize, however, was in this particular location, the fairly thin layer of snow on the road disguised a solid sheet of ice. I fell once and hurt nothing but my dignity. But then I fell a second time and managed to pull my entire left quadriceps muscle. Whee! That had me limping for a few days.
See that dark spot on the road?
That's the place I slipped. You can see the ice under the snow.
The muscle tear wasn't bad ... at first. It was much improved within a day or two, and then I took a misstep and injured it again. Then a day or two later, I slipped (on dog poop – in the yard!) and re-injured it again, at which point Don practically tied me to a chair to keep me from moving. The muscle finally healed.
Meanwhile, Older Daughter was weaving garlands with lights and hanging them above windows and doors.
On the eve of Christmas Eve (the 23rd), when we all settled in to watch "A Muppet Christmas Carol" (well, why not?). Older Daughter made us a tasty dinner of Cornish game hen and trimmings.
On Christmas Eve, we had a leisurely day of not doing much. I made sure to feed the livestock extra well on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Legend has it animals are granted the gift of speech at Christmas and will gossip about us. Can't have any bad news spreading to the neighbors!
Toward evening, we opened a few presents. For the first time this year, we skipped using wrapping paper and wrapped the presents in fabric according to the Japanese technique of "furoshiki."
With my long-time interest in sustainable and zero-waste living, I'm shocked I never even heard of this technique until last Christmas, and then I experienced a "Where have you been all my life?" moment. It makes so much sense, doesn't it, to use something for wrapping that can be used again and again? Accordingly, last year after Christmas when fabrics were on sale, I purchased a selection of holiday-themed fabrics (as well as some non-holiday samples for birthdays, etc.). Some of the fabrics are small, others larger, for different-sized packages.
So all the presents were wrapped in fabric, which meant no waste. How cool is that?
Late on Christmas Eve, we attended our church's "Lessons and Carols." The darkened church looked lovely.
Christmas Day, of course, was dominated by the car accident that prevented us from attending the proper church service, but these things happen.
In the evening, we gathered to watch George C. Scott's version of "A Christmas Carol, arguably the best version of that famous story ever made (in my opinion).
Above all, we thank God for the gift of His son.
How was your Christmas?
Mine stunk. My two YA kids decided to have a knock down, drag out fight. Grrrrrr.
ReplyDeleteOoof. Sorry.
Delete- Patrice
Thanks. Admittedly I'm sad because my mom died a few months ago and my best friend of 40+ years passed on Christmas Eve two years ago. I'm sure my kids were on edge too as they were very close to their Nana.
DeleteDouble ooof. I'm so sorry. Hang in there.
Delete- Patrice
I laughed when you wrote about extra food for you animals. I also provide a little more for them on holidays so they can "celebrate" with us!
ReplyDeleteI feed a feral cat colony about 8 mins' drive from me every day. Every year on Christmas Eve I ask them what they'd like to say to me. I'm pretty sure their meows mean "Less yapping, more kibble, Food Lady."
ReplyDeleteQuiet and warm here. And the animals all got an extra helping of hay/food.
ReplyDeleteOur Christmas was super, thanks! Church in the morning, then lots of food and fellowship and a big gift exchange (we drew names) with our three married kids and their families and the three unmarried (plus one boyfriend) still at home. Lots of noise and lots of love. We are thankful!
ReplyDeleteAnd indeed, above all, we thank God for the gift of His son and the salvation He freely offers to all!
Oh, and I'm going to go looking for Christmas fabric (hopefully will find a bunch on sale or at thrift stores) to try furoshiki ourselves! Great idea.
ReplyDeleteWhen my kids were young, I made bags out of Christmas fabric. We’ve been using them for years. Of course, when I tell people that, I get weird looks. Looking back, I am glad we did that. My mother-in-law would never give a present that wasn’t wrapped in pretty paper.
ReplyDeleteGeorge C. Scott’s version is our favorite too, in great part due to the splendid performance of Edward Woodward as the Ghost of Christmas Present. Terrific cast all the way around, though.
ReplyDeleteOur Christmas was the first "empty nest" Christmas for us, as our boys are all living in their own places now and have girlfriends. They did come by later in the day, but it is all a sign of change to come, as girlfriends become future wives, and grandkids start entering the picture.... All in all though ours was much less eventful (and stressful) than yours with that terrible accident! Merry Christmas nonetheless, and hope everyone recovers!
ReplyDeleteI've frequently used fabric for gift wrap for any occasion, for years. But it isn't the gift, just what's inside. I don't use themed fabrics....just beautiful works. There are a lot of other non- gift wrap options too. Newsprint, brown paper like paper bags are made from, whatever. Just use your imagination. And instead of bows get twigs, grasses, berries, holly, mistletoe, whatever you can find in the woods. Nowadays they sell that outdoor debris. Dried fruit slices can also be added as well.
ReplyDeleteSometimes when out and about I also buy some of those bags stores sell that look fun and festive. The kinds meant to be reused. I use those as gift bags. That has gone over pretty well, especially some of the larger ones like from Tractor Supply. Much less expensive and more practical than gift wrap.
Merry Christmas and happy new year to you all. Thank you for sharing your life with us with such beautiful pictures and interesting experiences, good and bad :)
ReplyDeleteI always give my animals extra food too. I like the idea of using fabric to wrap presents.
ReplyDeleteI’ve been thinking about this for the last few days, and I think this is a good place to ask you. (We’re experiencing an ice storm and were without power for just over four days. We used paper products during this time to cut down on hot water usage.) You’ve commented before that a roll of paper towels lasts you quite some time because you rarely use them. I’m curious. When do you use paper towels?