It's Beginning to Look, Smell, Taste, Sound a Lot Like Christmas!

Tonight's picture is one of the tastes and smells that makes it Christmas around our house. (Can't you almost smell and taste it just by looking at the picture?!) Woody made Chex Mix today...lots of Chex Mix! Yum! Yum! It smelled incredible while baking...talk about something that makes your mouth water! He makes it the old fashioned way...long baking time and stirring it every fifteen minutes. Woody left me with one of the batches with the stirring duty when he walked about five miles this afternoon. Today's other taste was Peppermint Stick Ice Cream. That's a taste that brings back memories of childhood Christmases for me.

Woody and I got up early this morning. I planned to get going on the Christmas tree...but...Woody decided to write the Christmas letter and I got in on that. He wrote it out longhand and then I typed it into the computer. He is a bit slower typer than I am since he has to type one-handed due to his left arm lacking range of motion. I got it typed out and he proofed it and then we got it printing. Then he folded the letters and put them in the envelopes with the cards, sealed them and put them in the mail. For some years Woody has taken on the task of addressing our Christmas cards. It varies as to who writes the Christmas letter...sometimes me, sometimes Woody, and sometimes both of us.

The sounds of Christmas are coming from my CD player that I have here in the sewing room. I turned it up really loud so I could hear it downstairs while I got busy on the Christmas tree. The tree is a major task...but what fun...and...what wonderful memories! You can be assured that if you have ever given us an ornament you were thought about today. Each ornament brings back a memory...be it just that I have put it on the tree for more than 40 years, or a memory of a special place/vacation/trip where it was purchased, or a memory of the special person who gave the ornament to us. Today while hanging the ornaments, I called a few of these special people who I hadn't talked with for some time...one a special friend who moved to Georgia some years ago and the other a neighbor who moved across town some years ago. It was good to touch base with them! So lots of good memories have run through my mind today. I wish that I could say that the tree is all decorated, but it still has many ornaments to be put on...but with each one it looks a little more like Christmas around here! I do think that I have more than half of the ornaments on. Hopefully when I blog tomorrow night I can say that it is all decorated...as a matter of fact my goal is to be completely finished decorating tomorrow.

I have to take breaks periodically from hanging ornaments...it gets to my back. So I decided to lie down and rest (really Woody sent me off to rest) late this afternoon...well, next thing that I knew it was dark outside! Guess I needed to close my eyes for a while...bit longer than a power nap, though. While I rested our band fruit order was delivered, Compost Boy "flew" through, and Woody completed his last recipe of Chex Mix. Woody is relaxing this evening watching a DVD. I guess I'll turn up my Christmas music loud and head back downstairs and hang a few more ornaments on the tree. I sure could use our six-foot grandchildren...the top of the tree still is a little bare, since it involves me climbing up on the step ladder and leaning into the tree. I had Woody spot me this morning while I leaned really far into the tree to place the star on the top!

Hope that it is beginning to look, smell, taste, sound a lot like Christmas wherever you are!