The Christmas Toy Enjoyed The Most...

My son and I did some last-minute Christmas shopping this year. Little did we know one of the things we bought on that trip turned out to be possibly the most-enjoyed gifts this year.

It was a cat toy.

The cats loved it!

It's been a different Christmas for us this year. Because of the play and other things, we ended up doing a lot of things late. We thought we had everything ready when we realized we hadn't gotten anything for the pets. I don't know where you come down on the whole "getting pets Christmas gifts" question. We usually do, even though I'm pretty sure the animals didn't notice the times they went without.

And since we needed to pick up cat food anyway, we decided to check out their toys.

Our cats are getting older. The one, Gracie, has eye problems and doesn't play very much. Our other cat, Teewinot, is usually not interested in cat toys. He's a hunter and finds the real things--mice, birds, bunnies--more fun than imitations, but when both cats got a look at the new toy, they went nuts. Both attacked it with gusto. Of course, the kids (and the adults...) had fun with the cat toy, too.

I'm not saying that the other presents were not appreciated. I think the kids had a good Christmas, it's just I think the cats had more fun with what we got them.

Gingerbread House...Try Gingerbread Castle!

Our kids have tried, over the past couple of years, to build a gingerbread house at Christmas. We normally buy one of those kits with everything included. I'm sure some kits are better than others, but the ones we got turned out to be less than stellar. 

Beginning last year, my wife suggested something new--use graham crackers in place of gingerbread. This year the kids decided to go for broke.

When it was all said and done, we got the lowdown on the structure. It's a castle, complete with a king (gingerbread man on the right--I think--with a jellybean for a crown...), and a queen (gingerbread woman on the left, also with a jellybean crown...), and all the subjects below (the line of gummy bears on the next level...).

On the back there's aquatic animal gummies complete with lobster and dolphins. It's quite a thing to see. I told the kids they'll need to up their game for next year. I suggested they make our house. We'll see what happens.

New Traditions...This Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is slipping into history. The kids are in their rooms--most likely not asleep. My wife and I are watching (upon recommendation of a friend...), Arthur Christmas as we wait for the kids to begin dreaming of sugar plumbs and other such things.

The show, Arthur Christmas--it's a first for us. There's a couple of other new things we're trying this year. And even though "New Traditions" is an oxymoron, we're hoping the term sticks.

Since Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday this year, we had church--great day to go to church, by the way. Then we got ready for Christmas Eve. I spent time making a video for tomorrow. The kids did some baking and cleaning, and tonight we all gathered in our room and played a game.

Both my wife and I read somewhere about Christmas Eve traditions in other countries. They give books to their kids on Christmas Eve. We thought it would be fun, so we packaged books and pajamas and let the kids open those presents tonight.

The experiment was a huge success!

After the kids retreated to their rooms, I stepped outside with my phone. Just like in a book or a Hallmark movie, it's snowing, covering the world in a blanket of white. Even without the light of day, it's absolutely beautiful outside. I took a few pictures of our house, and a video of our culd-a-sac. I sometimes can't believe I live in such an amazing place surrounded by not only neighbors, but friends.

Will the kids be getting pajamas and books next year? Will we play games together and watch new Christmas shows? If so, then the term "new traditions" might actually apply. As always, time will tell.

...With Presents Neath The Tree

This morning, before I left the house at 6am, I quickly turned on our Christmas tree lights. I wanted to snap a few pictures of it while the house was dark and, more especially, while there are presents lying underneath.

A lot has changed since I was a kid, but that scene, the presents, the tree, the lights--it's one of my favorite childhood memories.

I grew up in a very large house, not a mansion, but large for my mom and us three kids. My dad designed the house and almost saw it completely built before he died. He wanted a big front room and that's what we had. It's a great room for a Christmas tree and we put it in the same place every year, the southwest corner. We sold the house after my mother passed away. The new owners realized just how perfect that corner is for a Christmas tree--it's where their tree is right now. You can't argue with a great place to put a Christmas tree.

The house where I now live is smaller and we've had our trees over the years in various places. And because the house is smaller, we can't have as many presents under the tree, like we did in my parent's house. I don't remember exactly when the presents started showing up when I was a kid, but by the third week of December, there were just so many--or so it seemed.

I loved just looking at the tree. I suppose that what kids did before the internet. With it dark outside and all the lights turned off except the Christmas lights, I would just sit, put on a Christmas album on the HiFi, look at the tree, and wonder what was in all those boxes.

Yesterday my wife and I wrapped presents and put them under our tree. We've only a few days until the 25th so there'll be fewer chances to kick or knock them around. This morning, as I took the pictures, I remembered those days decades ago when lights, a tree, some holiday music, and the mystery of wrapped presents was enough to completely captivate a young boy. If that's not something special, I don't know what is.

Christmas Presents From My Friend...Before And After He Got Married

My friend Steve stopped by my office today. He dropped off a Christmas present.

It's amazing what getting married can do for a guy.

I've blogged about Steve Before on this blog--several times, actually. We've been friends for about a decade. A few years ago he gave me a Christmas present--sixty packages of Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate. It's a good gift. I'm not quite through them all, but I do enjoy them from time to time, especially when it's cold in my cubicle (I've blogged about that a few times, too...).

Today he dropped off this year's present, and once again it was hot chocolate. Except something changed, something's different and it all has to do with him getting married. This year's gift is amazing. It's stylish, unique, special. Steve told me that when he told his new wife (they've been married about six months...) what he was planning on giving out to friends this Christmas, she was more than a little surprised not necessarily at what he was giving out, but how. She was shocked he would just give out packages of hot chocolate, like he did years ago.

So, she took the reigns and wen to town. The result is very cool, very hip, very not-Steve. I told him the two presents are kind of like he and his wife. When Steve was single, I got a box, like you'd find on a Costco shelf. Now that he's married, the presentation's much better--you know, kind of like when he and his wife walk into a room--the presentation's much better. Thanks, Steve, and Merry Christmas!

Getting Motivated...At The Post Office

Fridays, as well as being a day off for me, turns into a day to run errands. I don't mind--it's nice to emerge from work and feel the sun on my face. One of my stops today--the Farmington Post Office. What caught my attention as the pleasant postal worker calculated costs and affixed proper postage to our boxes, were all the signs hanging on the wall.

Since I didn't want to be too obvious, I secretly snapped a picture of the wall. Luckily, I am able to blow up the shot to see what all the little sayings say.

Here's a few:

WARNING: You have entered the Twilight Zone

The Limit to you Ability is Where you Place It!!

Tough times don't last...Tough people do!!

KARMA has no deadline.

The Statistics on SANITY are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from one form of MENTAL ILLNESS. Think of your three best friends, and if they're okay, then it's you.

No to Bullies and Mean People.

"Can't we all just get along?" Rodney King

I dream of a better tomorrow where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned!

When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the fire department generally uses water!!

Everyone drives somebody crazy. Some of us just have a bigger car!

"My Religion is Kindness." Dalai Lama

Everyone Deserves to be treated with Respect.

"May we meet again in the light of understanding." Malcolm X

Old timer crossing.

I have some personal favorites--the Karma one, the fire one, and Dalai Lama's quote. Of course, they're all good to keep in mind, especially when working in an undersized building dealing with thousands of people during the busiest time of the year. I'm glad I took the time to take the picture. Hopefully, the sayings with help not just the people in their office, but everyone who takes the time to read them as they wait to be served.

Getting This Year's Christmas Tree...At Costco

Things have been a little different preparing for this year's Christmas. It's little things that have caused me to be busier than I normally am. I'm in no way complaining, it's just different.

We would have liked to have gotten our lights up and a tree bought last week, but that was just not possible. We decided this was the weekend to do all that, and since tomorrow is going to be a little less hectic than today, tomorrow was going to be the day.

That is, until I went to Costco.

If you had asked me last week if I thought Costco sold Christmas trees, I would have not believed it. I should have believed it--they sell so many other things. We went there this afternoon looking to buy something else, my daughter and I turned a corner, and boom--there it was, along with other trees lying on a big orange cart.

After a few texts back and forth to my wife (complete with several photos...), the decision was made. I bought it, took it to the car, hoisted it up, tied it down, and drove away. It's now in the house waiting to be trimmed, and it makes the front room smell heavenly.

Usually we go to a place that brings trees down from Montana. We've been so pleased with them in the past. We did get a tree a few years ago from our local grocery store. That one turned out to be a pretty good tree. We hope this one does to.

A Little Decorating At Work...And What It Means

I didn't even realize it was December when I came to work this morning. You'd think the snowy roads would have given me a hint. Many of my co-workers welcomed the new month while at work last Friday. I did not, so it wasn't until a co-worker tossed me a Christmas stocking to hang in my cubicle that I realized it was time to decorate.

Just like Halloween, I know there are others in my building that will go all out. Downstairs they have a completely decorated Christmas tree and a fake fireplace with stockings hanging over wood logs covered with Christmas lights. There's no way I'm doing that. My small knick-knacks will have to do.

I almost forgot that last year, after the holidays, I packed up my items--including the wrapping paper--and put them in a drawer. It made it easy to put things up this year.

No, my little displays will not win any awards, but it will allow me to remember what's really important, that there's a season of the year that should bring out the best in us, a time when we do tings for others first, and the world becomes a better place.

If only we could keep doing it all year long. Maybe, after the time off, the food, the presents, the hanging out with friends and family, I didn't put things in a drawer for next year. I know I'd get some strange looks, but to keep that message going, it just might be worth it.