Tis the season.....

Hey everyone! The Holidays are among us! What's your favorite past-time during the holiday season?

Mine.....sharing stories with family about those we have lost during the year and being with my family is my greatest joy. I always "clean up" before the New year comes in....a spiritual clean where I let go of some people, places and things. And OMG....can't wait for the Twilight Zone Marathon from New Years Eve and all day on New Years Day!

Wishing you all the best this holiday season and peace and love!

Lee

Traditions in our family get revamped every year.

As of this year, I am the only member of my immediate family left. My little brother, Dad, Mom, have been gone for some time, and as many of you know, I lost my older brother to cancer last Christmas Eve.

And also, as most of you know, the kids' dad and I have been divorced since they were 6, 8, and 10, and they have a very large extended family on their dad's side, so getting everybody together is difficult, although we have managed to do quite well on occasion lately, now that we share a grandchild. At any rate, Dave and his family will be staying in New Jersey for Christmas, but are coming for a bit in early January. They took a train trip to visit Popop's brother and his family for Thanksgiving. It was Jaycie's first train ride:
here is Jaycie with her mom and dad

and with mom and Popop



Popop had a bad fall a few weeks before Thanksgiving, but recovered quickly, probably partly because he had been looking forward to showing off his granddaughter.

Many of you know, too that my younger daughter, Susan, and her Jimmy, moved from here to Colorado Springs about a year ago. It took them a bit to get settled, but they found a very nice home before the snow started, and were settled in when it did.

They will be home for Christmas, and are bringing the "boys," Waylon
Vancouver

and the baby, Ranger

This is the most recent pic I have of Susan and Jim, taken this summer in Galveston:
Jimmy, Thank God, is still cancer free, it's three years now, and Waylon came through his hip surgery quite well, as you can see.

I've kept you all up on older daughter, Lynn, her Chris, and their Himalayans, Cassie and Percy, so I won't show new pics of them.

Still don't know exactly what the plans are for Christmas Day. I often have a quiet day to myself on the holidays themselves. There are so many family members for the kids to see in Bill's family that it has always seemed unfair to "hog" them for the day itself, so long as I get to spend time with them at some point. A year ago Thanksgiving, when Jaycie brought her parents and Popop, I joined them all at the ex's house. Haven't heard anything about that for this year. Susan doesn't handle spending time with both of us together very well, and Lynn and Chris have decided to escape the holiday insanity by going to Tennessee for a winter vacation. They went to Galveston with Susan and Jim this summer, and since Dave and his family aren't coming til later, they decided it was a good time to split. Can't say I blame them.

So, it will be interesting, as usual.

Ann

Well, we were going to have the perfect Christmas and still may.

Our kids are all coming and we've been busy decorating and cleaning.

Our grandson underwent a heart test today and we are hoping all is well.

Nice to see and read about exciting plans for the holidays.
Merry Christmas everyone!

Ann....beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing!

Alice....your gift is going to be that all is well with the people you love the most - including YOU! Blessing to you and your family! Praying all is well for the grandson!

Abe....ditto man! Happy Holidays to you and your family!

Thanks, Lee,

I hope and pray you are right.

He had the test, now we wait for the results.

Ann Christmas in the snow now that's what I'm talking about.
A log cabin, just me, a bear skin rug and my beloved.
Eggnog, a log fire and no worries.

Such dreams.............

Lean times can be happy times.
David’s log cabin reference brought back a memory.
When I returned from Beirut, flat broke; my wife and I spent Christmas with a friend who lived in a log cabin. The cabin was built from logs taken from the neighboring farm (my farm before I moved) and I had sold the property to my friend’s father.
It was a few days before Christmas. We had no money and didn’t know what we would have to eat for Christmas dinner. My friend and I decided to go hunting. We bagged some game and then decided to get a Christmas tree to take home. We didn’t have an axe with us, so we shot off a small tree. We took it back to the cabin and Gisela nearly died laughing when she saw it. It was spindly and the bottom splintered where we had placed our shots. We decorated it and called it our “Charley Brown” tree. It reflected the hard times we were going through and yet there was beauty in it. We had a great dinner by the fireplace with the Charley Brown tree in the background. That tree and those times I’ll never forget. It doesn’t require money to enjoy Christmas. Sometimes the bad times are remembered most.

Abe...I love it!