First of all, let me wish you a wonderful holiday season with a Merry Christmas and a happy, satisfying new year.
My husband and I opt out of holiday travel so we can avoid the stress that comes with airports and airplanes and weather disruptions, not to mention the whole family gathering, gift-buying, cooking, and over-indulgence. We do cook a little…my special dressing for Thanksgiving along with a roasted half turkey breast and a few trimmings; a Honey-Baked Ham for Christmas with a couple of side dishes (and a shank bone leftover for a great winter bean soup). I won’t say we avoid over-indulging completely, but we do better alone than we do in a crowd. Shall I blame peer pressure? Stress-eating? I’m not sure.
We still love family visits, but prefer everyone travel at non-holiday times and preferably when the weather is less likely to interfere with flights. It’s not that much fun to get stranded at an airport during a blizzard, even when the therapy dogs and carolers do their best to lighten the mood.
Because of our animals, we no longer bother with a Christmas tree or decorations. The cat will try to eat anything new I bring in the house, so I can’t buy a poinsettia or keep a Christmas cactus like the ones I used to grow years ago. The joys of the season include the Christmas decorations on neighborhood houses, (me) singing alone with the CMA Country Christmas show on television, (the two of us ) watching the Broncos play their last, sad game of the season on Christmas Eve this year, and playing our holiday rounds of Boggle and Scrabble.
The above photo was a November sunrise in northern Colorado, close to Thanksgiving. We’ve had quite a few pink and orange sunrises lately, but this one was pure gold and caught my interest enough to actually go outside with my Nook Samsung tablet, in my pajamas, and try to do the sunrise justice.
Two of the great joys of our life here in Colorado are named Katie Cat and Sassy Dog. I walked into the living room the other day and found Sassy nosed up to the box I’d left for the cat to explore. I suspected there was a reason for the dog to be so interested, so once again I grabbed that tablet.
Sure enough, Katie Cat eventually peeked out to see if the coast was clear for escape. She never knows for sure if Sassy is going to ignore her antics or give chase, so she’s cautious. Watching a cat tiptoe across a room in show motion, passing within a foot of the dog’s nose, is very entertaining. Someday I hope to have that tablet or my camera handy so I can film the action instead of grabbing still shots.
What are your special joys this holiday season? Are you a traditionalist when it comes to decorating or have you gone minimalist as we’ve done at our house? What special activities do you reserve for this time of year?
We had a nice, quiet Christmas – food, movies, favorite sitcom holiday episodes, reading. We even sat out on the patio on Christmas Eve since it was about 70 degrees. The tortoises enjoyed their holiday basil plant in the sun. 🙂
Love the sunrise pic!
Good morning, Madeline! A quiet Christmas is so good after years of frantic shopping and cooking….but somehow I still managed to pack on a few pounds. We enjoyed three rounds of Boggle (and I even won almost half of the games). It was sunny, so the walk around the block with Sassy was comfy, although definitely not as warm as in your part of the country. It was a fine day.
You and your husband take a very wise approach to the holidays and to the enjoyment of the small but notable pleasures.
Much like you, my husband and I tried to avoid travel on any holiday. It is not worth the stress or the disappointment of travel plans falling through. Gatwick just flashed into my mind.
Today I shall be joining nearby friends, grateful that they have included me in their family group, as being with my family would mean travel.
Merry Christmas.
Oh, wouldn’t it have been horrible to have travel planned through Gatwick? Once the planes began to fly again, I would still have been terrified.
I hope you have a wonderful time with your friends … the highlights of my day will be the extra time to sit and read, another Boggle challenge with my husband, and a walk with the dog. And a good dinner…because the diet starts tomorrow.
Merry Christmas, Liz!
We’re lucky enough to have our children all close by this season and for once, none of them had to work on Christmas Eve. It was special this year with our granddaughter being almost two. She loved unwrapping presents though she didn’t care what was inside.
I”m pretty good at not eating too much, but my husband is moaning already.
Merry Christmas .
When my kids were small, Christmas was such a big event. My dad loved the season and went all out to make it as memorable as possible for all his grandkids. He would even wear all red clothes on Christmas Day. Those were good times, but often stressful, expensive, and exhausting…not too mention the overeating. I cherish the memories, but sure do enjoy the peace and quiet. (Shhh….it might be an old age thing.) Merry Christmas, Susan.
It sounds as though you have such a peaceful time at Christmas, Pat, and that’s great. And Katie and Sassy look happy, too, so what more could you want. I wish you and your family all the best for the holiday season and in 2019!
Thanks Margot. I hope your holiday season is amazing and that 2019 is a wonderful year for you and your family.