Decorating for Christmas

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John has already spent days decorating our house for Christmas. We have used the holiday dishes and drunk from the Christmas mugs. The angel collection is displayed all around the house, and the manger scene is on the front lawn. Yesterday we woke to snow on the ground and clear skies above. It was a lovely Carolina snow, leaving everything but the roads covered in white.

View from my computer table

John, grandson David, son John $pencer, and friend Rose bought the tree. We learned the hard way that you have to get your tree early in this area. Today they drove past two tree farms that have already closed for the season. I’ll bet the locals would die laughing to find out that it’s not rare for New Yorkers to buy a tree on Christmas Eve. I really appreciated Rose’s taking a photo and sending it to me before they got home.

For the first time in 55 years, John set up the tree the same day he brought it home. It was marvelous having so many willing hands to help.

Rose, John $, David, and John. Oh! The rear end of dog Sadie, too!

Rose saw the Christmas alphabet book and sat down to look at it. My childhood neighbor, Miss Lesta, made it for our daughters in 1973. The book was a shop catalog for cards, and she meticulously cut out pictures for each letter of the alphabet. Our children loved it, and so did our grandsons. Neighbor Logan was the third generation to read it. You can feel the love rising from every page.

John $ and Rose look at the Christmas alphabet book.

M is for Music like carols so sweet That rang out at Midnight the Christ Child to greet.

The letter “M” from the Christmas alphabet book

Published by Anne Mehrling

I'm a retiree who loves to write about life in the mountains of North Carolina.

Published

40 thoughts on “Decorating for Christmas”

  9. What a beautiful looking tree. I too, haven’t had a live one in soooo long. They do smell nice. I didn’t set up much this year. With so many uncertainties health-wise in our family (my sister is declining faster than expected), plus having the flu, I haven’t had much energy to go all out this year. I even got the flu shot! Dag nabbit!

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    1. Having the flu would certainly curb your ability and desire to decorate for Christmas. We got flu shots and are thankful we haven’t been infected with it.

      I haven’t heard dag nabbit in years. I’m sure this is the first time I’ve written it. Thanks for a nostalgic memory.

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  10. Love seeing the three gens of men 🙂 Mor Mor made books similar to that for my kids when they were toddlers.. Now they are grown up and have moved out, but when I went through to box up all they had left in our home, I found two of those books. There’s something very special about them.

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  11. We’ve been waiting to cut down our tree until our youngest got home from college. Finally, all the ducks are back in the nest and we will go today to get it! Later than usual. I love the alphabet Christmas book!

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  13. Our schedule is all off what with a late Thanksgiving and two snow falls. I hope we can get a tree tomorrow and set everything up. I have a collection of miniature Nativity sets that I like to put on the mantel. Your tree looks great. Our room is a little smaller so our tree will be too(once we convince everyone to face reality at the tree farm!)

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    1. John did not always face reality in picking trees. He got one so tall that we decided the best way to display it was to cut a hole into Lise’s room above the living room. From outside, you could have seen the tree in the living room and bedroom. Needless to say, we didn’t do that.

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  14. Your tree is so pretty! Is it a Douglas fir? We have our tree but are waiting for middle son and his wife to come home tomorrow before we decorate. I love the way a Christmas tree makes the house smell.

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  16. Loved to hear of your Christmas activities- the tree- can see the happiness on John’s face near the tree. The Christmas Alphabet book is such a good idea and wonderful that you kept it for 45 years – wow ! I think I will make one for my niece- there must be a post on Pinterest about how to do it.
    Keep Sharing Anne!
    Susie

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  17. A perfect day to gather a tree amongst the memories … the Christmas season is in full swing at the Mehrling household. I see you mentioned your angel collection and here is something for you to try in the “off season” the next time you pick up a book for a song. I follow Margy and this post links to an earlier post on how-to make folded book angels … I figure they are warmer than making snow angels. 🙂 https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/99108485/posts/2516411331

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      1. You’re welcome Anne and that’s great that you have one angel already, so you could make another one for the other side of the piano. I’ve never seen that done before and Margy sure gave comprehensive steps to create one in the preceding post. Do you think you’ll try it when you get some down time?

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  18. I love the book Anne! If you would have time I would love to know the rhymed she had for each letter. I am thinking I need to make my grandkids each one. If I would start now I would have an entire year to finish….maybe…just maybe I could get it done!

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