CHRISTMAS IN GUILFORD

Hi to all my blog-land friends - here are some Christmas season traditions from my world to yours. (if you click on the pictures and enlarge them as you go along you will see better detail) thanks. :-)



The above picture is of our Manger. I have had this since I was a little girl. In fact, the figurines were my Grandmother's and are about 75 or so years old. Some of the original price labels are on the bases - average price - 15 cents!! The manger itself is made of cardboard and I store it in 'bubble wrap so it will 'hold up'. I have twigs inside the manager so it doesn't lean over too far. Baby Jesus has been glued together many times - he is beautiful still.


And this is our tree - I am not the best photographer - but you get the idea. It is filled with collector ornaments that Skipp has been giving me over two decades. Also, the school decorations the kids made years ago and many other treasures with a story of their own. I/we re-live and honor each memory every year. My Mom loves to be part of the 'memory-decorating'. She has touched and appreciated each one. I feel like she is "in" every ornament and memory.



and here is a close up of some of the collector ornaments. The beaded candy cane my Dad made the month before he died 25 years ago is in front to the left.. There are also little ET's he made as well. I think of Jackie taking a picture of her "Daddy's hands" and I thought of my Dad and how hard he worked and how his big calloused hands made these delicate, lovely ornaments. Amazing. :-)

.....and I had to take a picture of this center ornament with the red trim. This was given to us by my sister's oldest sons lovely wife, Gatey on their first and ONLY Christmas together in 2001. She made them. Clayton died that following November. I bring this ornament to my heart every year when I carefully remove it from it's packaging.


....and this is our dining room table, decorated with candles and baskets and treasures we have had for years. My sister made us the place mats years ago - I love the colors - purple and gold and deep blues and greens......Skipp loves the little snowmen tossing snowballs, and the view, to the snow covered land outside is perfect and so "Wintery". :-) There is also a Menorah and we light the Hanukkah candles to honor Skipp's Jewish heritage - he was adopted and was raised Jewish - Hebrew school and all! Later, we found his biological family and learned he was part Blackfoot Indian -
Our harvest table, that we designed and had made on an Indian reservation, has 'served' many. In times of family gatherings from simple family meals and after school snacks, to holidays, filled with joy, sadness, fear, loneliness, celebration, births, deaths, challenge, sickness, health, music, planning, laughter, tears, hope and faith.......and so it is the heartbeat of our home - where the heart, soul, tummy, mind and spirit are nourished. We always say it is where we "solve the problems of the world - well, of our world at least" :-)

And so our blessed, magical and loving Christmas tradition will bring us together with hope...we will certainly feel the loss of my sister's husband - who died this year as you all know. And of course, Clayton, their son is so missed and so remembered. My Dad - he is in our hearts forever. And we are so blessed to have my precious Mom with us. She exemplifies the spirit and meaning of our Saviours birth, life and death. She is ALL love. And so it will be that on Christmas Eve we will gather at my Mom's, which is attached to my sister's home. A Lovely. warm, cozy and happy Gramma house. We will have traditional Italian foods as we have for as long as I can remember. We will have fishes, like calamari, allege, bacala, smelts, and eel. I make the fried dough every year served with Mariana sauce and/or butter and sugar. Delicious!! A pasta dish pronounced like this - 'bostid'. actually spelled 'pasterrie' and is made with a special thick spaghetti, #6, cooked aldente and then mixed with ricotta cheese and baked. Delicious. There will marinated mushrooms and artichokes, provolone cheese and assorted Italian olives and of course, sweet poppy seed rolls. Delicious. We open gifts and eat and always finish with a game of Yahtzee. My sister's husband played Yahtzee last year - he was so weak and so ill but he played one last time. It is a wonderful magical night filled with so much love, traditional food, simple gifts, laughter, a few tears and hope, above all, hope.
At midnight I will light a candle and sit and think of Jesus - and his birth and life and promise to keep our friendship strong and purposeful and to do all things with love just like he always did. As you all know I don't have a faith community but I have a lot of faith. :-)

Christmas day we open gifts here. Dolan is always home which I love. To honor Skipp's Jewish upbringing we have bagels, with cream cheese and smoked salmon for breakfast, coffee, juice and some type of sweet roll. Delicious. Later, Jen and Jo'el and Jen's new guy Zack, whom we like thank God, :-), and Skipp's brother will come for dinner. We will have another blessed and appreciated gift sharing, and then gather at our harvest table for a delicious meal. This year I am making a turkey with all the trimmings - and pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin pie. I am filled with gratitude and blessings for all I have been given - for the love that surrounds me and fills me - for our peaceful home where so many find solace and hope, music and laughter, for my abilities and independence, for my faith, for the bounty of life I so humbly embrace and for all of you who have inspired me and gifted me in ways that I am honored to have received.




I love this song - and I do wish this for all of you - "A white, merry and bright Christmas...."

"MERRY CHRISTMAS"