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Oh Christmas Tree...


I wasn't going to blog about my holiday weekend because the grouchy teen and I had a big showdown on Thanksgiving day that ended with us spending our day in separate venues. The showdown involved the typical mother versus teen scenario. I am apparently unreasonable and he is of course selfish. It is a fight as old as time itself, I am sure. However, on very rare, I'm talking when pigs fly and the moon is blue occasions, it just happens....


We put up the tree every year on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. This year was no different except for Bug Juice had a birthday party to attend which involved swimming in the middle of November (heated pool at the Y...no I am not an entirely negligent parent!) so she couldn't leave us to deal with the tree fast enough. With a tree ready to be trimmed, the grouchy teen and I spent one of the most perfect evenings doing so. We started with the many, many, many lights I bought. This was quite and ordeal I assure you. Something about making sure all the plugs are in the right order so that it will plug up with the next strand can be mind boggling, but with a little laughing and maybe a few (close your eyes on this part, mom) under the breath profanities we managed. We then did the garland and finally the best part...THE ORNAMENTS!!


"This one is 19 years-old, mom!!" he says as if it was from the days of dinosaurs walking the earth.


It was the one of a penguin driving a convertible and was given to me by one of my favorite people to commemorate the year I turned sixteen. There is also the one from the year before of a mouse on a bird with a sign that says "flying South" because she knew how much I loved going home to Georgia and the one from the year after of the volleyball-playing moose. I wonder if she knows how much we think of her at Christmas when we pull these out of the ornament box.


I would also like to take a moment here to thank Hallmark for putting the year of the ornament for all grouchy teens to see and for giving them yet another moment to tease their mothers.


It was a special night that he and I got to share together and it makes all the parent/teen battles vanish into then air when these kind of times happen.

A little bit of magic...




Music.

It is the most magical thing.

A song can take you back in time. A song can remind you so strongly of someone that it can take your breath away. A song can bring back a memory so vivid that you swear you were there. A song can leave you crying, laughing, wishing, mourning, at peace.


I have many, many songs that take me to these places. A song about the sun and the rain reminds me of my mother. Another about the light in the darkness...my sisters. A song about a bullfrog of the best teacher I've ever had. A song about not being able to lose me...the kids. I won't bore you with the extremely long list.


This new one was linked to me by my sister because it reminded her of me. The thing is....it reminds ME of me. At least how I want to be...accepting of whatever is to happen. I love you, little sister. Here's to hoping...






Things Forgotten....


I've been so obsessed with this birthday coming up that I have forgotten that there are other things to look forward to this month. Stuffing. Friends coming home for the holidays. Christmas decorations start going up. I think the kids and I will have a real tree this year. Stuffing. Some time off from work to spend with family. Stuffing. Towards the end of the month we might get to break out the scarves. OOoooo I love scarves!! My mom usually makes me a carrot cake at some point. Stuffing. The River will start playing Christmas music and I will get to hear Kenny Loggins "Celebrate Me Home" a few hundred times. Good thing it's my favorite. Stuffing. Even my grumpy teenage son gets a little more chipper this time of year. This is going to be fun and did I mention stuffing??