White Christmas!

A forecast of snow usually means nothing will fall from the sky. On Christmas Eve, the outdoor carol service was canceled because of rain. We went to the indoor service at 5:30 and left the church in heavy rain. A mile down the road, rain turned to sleet. A few minutes later the car was engulfed with blinding snow. John could tell where the road was, but no lines were visible. It was a tense drive. We came home to a lovely wintry scene.

Before we went to bed, a text came that the Christmas Day service had been canceled. We had a leisurely breakfast on Christmas morning. I wanted to begin the day photographically, because we were going to have no guests. As it turned out, this was the only picture of me from the whole day.

At noon my view of the mountains was clear. During the afternoon more clouds came, and we had a few snowflakes drifting down.

Roads were white on top and icy underneath. On a hunch, John checked with neighbor Shawn. Their children and grandchildren could not get here, so we would have a party after all! What might have been a humdrum meal was transformed into a real celebration. Their food, added to ours, made a proper feast. Spirits were high, and we enjoyed being together.

Accidental video with my raspy voice giving directions

John found our table fidget toys, magnets that we thought Logan might enjoy while adults droned on. He read a book, but Shawn built a nice tower as we all talked. Several times she turned it for me, and it fell down. The last time, I got the shot as she concentrated on turning it. Bob tried his hand at it, too.

As we continued to visit at the table, Logan settled in the living room to read a lovely short story I’d printed out for him. It was The Bright Lights of Christmas by blogger Darlene Foster. See her post here. Logan said he liked the story.

Logan rejoined us for the flaming of the Christmas pudding, our standard dessert since we lived in England 40 years ago. The fire didn’t show in my photo, but Logan was using a phone to record it. The thing that looks like a leaf sticking out of the top was part of the pattern of the table runner.

Logan asked for permission to bring over his big Christmas gift, a hover board. He showed it to us at the table and headed out the door. I ran for my winter coat, made sure the camera was in my pocket, and joined him on the street. He had amazing balance and could totally control it with his feet. I think this was the first time he had it outdoors.

I had to retreat to the warmth of the house on that cold, cold day. Logan came with me, stopping to look at the icicles that stretched from the car to the stones of the driveway. He is always very cooperative about posing for the camera.

When Shawn and Bob went home, John watched the movie Home Alone with Logan and grandson David. Sharing Christmas was a blessing for us and one we will remember vividly.

Unto Us a Child is Born

My dear friend took a selfie of herself with her newborn grandchild a few days ago. Age-old emotions of love and adoration are written on her face. Surely our faces would be like that if we looked at the baby the shepherds saw – Emmanuel, meaning God with us. In this stressful year, God is still with us, surrounding us with everlasting love and grace.

May the love of the Christ child fill your heart with peace and joy.

Merry Christmas!!

My Birthday

While John and I were walking to the creek, son John $pencer cooked my birthday breakfast. It was marvelous to come back in the house and smell it cooking.

He made sandwiches with croissants, a choice of bacon or sausage, cheese, and scrambled eggs with dill. He added a hash brown patty on the side. Oh, my! What a treat! It was even more special to me, because only the croissant was allowed on his diet.

John snapped a photo of me with $ and grandson David.

The photo day started well, but I forgot to get a snap of John and me at the Sweet Onion restaurant having lunch. That was another culinary treat. We gathered at the home table again at 10:30, after John and David came back from a long taping session for the Christmas services. That explains John’s suit and tie. Doesn’t the cake look large? It wasn’t. It was about four inches across, but it was our choice to have a small dessert in this season of abundant sugar. We ate half of it and will finish it tonight.

What doesn’t show here are all the electronic greetings, cards, and phone calls, which I loved. How blessed I am to get so much attention three days before Christmas! I always expect nothing and am blown away by thoughtful well-wishers. Thank you all very much.

Logan’s Church Program

Neighbor Logan and his parents were involved in the service of lessons and carols at their church. Below, nearest the camera, was Shawn singing in the choir. We were watching it on John’s monitor.

I should have taken a photo showing the sanctuary, beautifully decorated by Shawn. The church uses her artistic skills throughout the year. The music was wonderful – well-chosen pieces sung with precision. The choir and accompanists did a great job, despite all being masked. I can’t imagine singing while wearing a face covering.

Bob’s role was off-camera, recording Logan’s reading the second lesson on our lawn. Below is an old-fashioned screen shot taken with my camera. Logan was the only child in the program, and he read with clarity and expression. We were proud of him. The service was a lovely worship experience.

England 40 Years Ago — December 21, 1980

Merry Christmas! We’ve started out the week in fine fashion with [John’s first cousin] Harold’s arrival. He landed almost an hour early and didn’t have any hassle with customs. He breezed in laughing and joking, and we’ve been having a great time. John is relaxed after almost clearing his desk Friday, staying until 10 and getting home after 11. The girls are so happy to be out of school and able to stay up later.

Cousin Harold — unmarried here, now 40 years later the grandfather of four

I bought a certain green vegetable in the freezer store by looking at the picture. I had the funniest feeling I suddenly couldn’t read. The label had three languages: Passierter Spinat which sounds like a cross between a football player and a piano, Epinards Haches which could be Innards Hatching and Gehakte Spinazie which sounds to me like you are rushing down to the pawn shop to hock something. You linguists will recognize Spinach.

Everyone has heard of New Yorkers, Riplians, Memphians, etc. but do you know who people are from Liverpool? Liverpudlians!! What do you do with Charlotte, Monroe and Stony Brook?

John $ had a cold early last week; he was like a time bomb. You didn’t know whether to run for cover from the fallout or advance like a bomb squad protected by a tissue vest.

The school Christmas program was marvelous. Kate’s form sang two long carols and used rhythm sticks. The second form also sang two selections, and then the upper three forms did a mime program. I think most of the performers were in the third form with the fourth and fifth doing all the choral work. There wasn’t a hitch in the whole program – everyone moved precisely where they were supposed to. The children acting out the Christmas story were so well-behaved; you could tell at times they found things amusing, but the giggles seemed to start rising, get to the throat, and were firmly pushed down again so that the face never cracked. The angel costumes were clever, and Gabriel had a more elaborate set of wings. I had a hard time with Gabriel, though, because she looked just like Big Bird when she folded her wings. The music was wonderful – interesting composed songs all done from memory with excellent diction. Discipline and hard work were certainly on display.

Christmas is a good time for homes to be broken into, especially if a lighted tree is visible with gifts under it. Here places are not burglarized, but “burgled.”

The greatest toys are free. $ likes potatoes! He sneaks into the larder at every opportunity to grab a couple. I must remember to look through them to see if any have teeth marks. He mainly likes to juggle them or use them as stilts for the hands when crawling.

The handwriting book arrived on Wednesday, the 17^th, the day school was out. Thank you ever so much for sending it quickly. Kate has done 12 lessons so far and is doing very good work. Think the influence is going to help Lisa’s writing and mine! Please let me know how much we owe you.

The home group Christmas party was fun. Barbara C did baby sit for us, so we could be the last to leave and not worry. They wouldn’t assign us something to bring, so I took a fancy Christmas bowl full of pecans newly arrived from Tennessee. What a hit they made! One person had heard of the nuts before, but most had never known about them. We had a traditional Christmas dinner of turkey, sprouts, carrots and steamed pudding. There were several other things, but we understand that sprouts are the mandatory vegetable. The pudding was very moist – I must steam mine just before serving and do it for hours. Penny says she steams hers five hours the first time and five hours again the day it’s served. We also learned how to serve it; it should be flamed, cut in tiny wedges and smothered in cream and brandy butter.

The girls and I went to the open air market that is held every Thursday in Redhill. What a sight! People were milling about the stalls until we almost couldn’t move. Some stalls were nothing more than a make-shift stand while others had material stretched on a frame over and to the sides of them. It had the flavor of an old country fair; some of the merchants were actually hawking their wares, keeping up a running chatter to lure in customers. I think you could buy almost anything there from hand-carved coconuts for birdhouses to carpets. We saw sheets, numerous places selling jeans, a butcher!, two fruit stands, jewellery (I’m right on that English spelling!), antiques, handbags, materials, candy, toys, and even shoes.

It used to be a step up to travel by air while others crawled on the ground. $ found the airport to be a step up – the Fischer Price airport, that is! He pushed it to the sink and stepped up to see what he could see.

I was commanding Lisa to cease and desist saying, “Cut it out!” I couldn’t continue my anger when she solemnly looked me in the eye, raised her hand to eye level and made scissory motions and sounds in a half circle in front of herself.

We went to the party at toddler play group so I could play carols on the piano for them to sing. Don’t know what I would have done without the girls. Lisa had to hold the music because there was no music rack on the piano, and Kate held onto $. Penny, who runs the thing, had asked the girls to help Father Christmas by handing him the gifts. Penny saw my good carol book, browsed through it, and was excited at finding the Polish carols. She asked to borrow it to copy those pages because Andy’s father is Polish and she wanted to try to learn some for him. Penny brought the book back that afternoon, came in for a cup of tea, and we talked for several hours while my girls entertained her little girls. We all had such a good time.

$ is taking two to ten steps at a clip now. His trouble is that he’s trying to run before he learns to walk! One day he stooped to pick up a toy and was able to stand up again.

My walk has changed since we folded up the play pen – it’s a shuffle so as to avoid tripping over toys, with a quick flick to right or left to propel toys to the sidelines. There are no rules in this game!

John and the girls put up the tree last night. John said it looks German/American. We certainly haven’t seen any Christmas trees here pretty enough to write home about!

Harold slept while we went to church this morning. We ate dinner, went for a drive in the country and had tea. Now all but $ and I have gone to church for the service of lessons and carols. It is supposed to be like the one at King’s College. I may not miss it entirely because they took our brand new tape recorder!! If they are in a good spot, we’ll save it for the rest of you to hear.

Hope all of you will have had as wonderful a Christmas as we are going to have!!

Logan and Lily Spread Christmas Joy

Neighbor Logan (10) and his niece Lily (8) bopped over to visit for a little while. It’s always fun to see them and listen to them chatter. We got a kick out of the footage from the outdoor cam, showing them running over here at top speed.

When conversation lagged, they said they should go because they were going to bake Christmas cookies. Again the only speed was fast. If you can see it clearly, the clip shows that Logan beat Lily up the steps.

Logan wins

I was taking a nap when they came back, but John was there to receive their Christmas card and a lovely tin of fudge and festive cookies. What a treat! I read the card and lingered over the signatures, because each had signed his own name.

The children may have made a special trip to bring a nativity scene Logan made for us. John found a special spot to hang it on our tree.

I always make my bed, but I was glad it was still neat that day. Lily saw it from John’s office and said, “I like your bed.” Yes! Funny how four little words can make one glow.

Three Hoods

I’m not writing about hoodlums or neighborhoods, but clothing hoods As I layered up for our morning walk to the creek, I realized the three items I was wearing each had a hood attached. Many windbreakers have hoods, as do sweatshirts. Mine did, but so did my Christmas top. I should have asked John if I looked like a hunchback, wearing all those hoods.

We saw this scene as we went down the steep hill. Along with a blue sky, we saw clouds that were probably releasing snow on the mountaintop.

England 40 Years Ago — December 14, 1980

Did you know there is no Santa Claus here? The English call him Father Christmas. His wife is Mrs. Christmas!

I heard Lisa calling for help and found her locked in the loo upstairs. Must run in the family. She was able to unlock it after I had tried several times from the outside.

Monday I went to lunch at Enid G’s (mother of Merrin who is Lisa’s friend). Met an Ann there who is also Aussie, but just came from six years in the Fiji Islands. She said she had to adjust to having a live-in maid. At first she couldn’t have the girl clean unless she herself was also working. By the time she left she could have the girl vacuum under her feet while she read a book. In talking about pets, I learned that Australia has a nine-month quarantine. That is, you can bring your animal in for the wait only after you have a permit to bring it into the country in the first place!

Kate’s class was doing a project in school Said Kate, “Mrs. Fitzhugh brings such small needles that you can hardly find them on the floor.”

Heard a commotion upstairs and ran to find the wardrobe doors open, vacuum hose down, various shoe polishes scattered about, and a wire hanger hung on $’s socks and his arms tangled in the straps for the Johnny-Jump-Up. A movie of that boy would run like a cartoon! The same day he turned over the laundry basket and proceeded to climb on top. Later he pulled the extra oven shelf from beside the stove so that I tripped on it.

John $ has learned to point. He sat at the table, smiled, pointed, and I turned around to see who he was smiling at. Nobody. Left me with the funniest feeling!

The church home group met at our house this week. I have no idea how many groups there are; must be scads. Five people came to ours that night.

The days can be so dark now as we approach the shortest day of the year. I usually have the lights on to drive the girls both ways to school and home. It doesn’t bother me, but it is enough to notice. If there are clouds overhead, it can stay almost like twilight all day. I think it makes homes and stores look so warm and cozy when it’s dark and there are lights on.

I was on the phone for a short while and came out to find $ brushing his hair with the toilet brush. Perhaps he thought it was the Johnny brush.

[I never mentioned $ in the cloakroom, so I’ll include his photo here. As far as I could tell, “cloakroom” was often used as the name for a half bath. Ours had a toilet and sink and certainly no place to hang coats. We kept the door open, because it smelled bad if air didn’t circulate there. This was the only toilet on the ground floor.]

School will “break up” for the holidays on the 17^th of December. It breaks me up to hear that expression for school closing.

At the home group they discussed the Christmas party for this week. We were unsure if we could go, mainly because John gets phone calls at home, but the others thought it was because of sitter problems. The following day Barbara C called to offer to sit for us! She had stayed with Rob and Mary’s children while they came to our house; when they mentioned wanting us to come to the party, she called. Isn’t that something?

The light in the entrance hall has been out and we knew it wasn’t the bulb. Lisa learned how to turn it on – you flip the switch and run upstairs and jump hard in the middle of that hall. Makes you wonder about the wiring in this place!

Without looking ahead, try to define a play yard. I discovered it isn’t outside except in the summer. It’s inside mostly and measures about one square yard. Yep, a play pen.

The burglar alarm had its six-month check up. A man (called an engineer) came to test it, making all the different systems work. He had buzzes in the closet, clangs outside the house, and nasty bells inside the house. Bet a musical person could almost play a tune with it.

To save time, I gave $ his lunch to feed himself while I jotted a note. Without thinking, I held the pencil in the hand I picked up his cup with, and he went cross-eyed looking at the pencil while drinking.

John $ is a boy in a hurry. He actually slithers down the stairs! He stretches out his arms and legs, has his whole body undulating, and rides down mainly on his stomach. I must admit, he has plenty to ride on!

[This photo is an action shot, probably taken when he began taking several steps at once.]

$ has also acquired an English polish recently. Unfortunately I had to remove it as best I could with a tissue. I was polishing shoes when he suddenly galloped across the floor on all fours, jumped up, and struck three fingers all the way to the bottom of the gooey polish. Navy blue, for your information. Yuck!

People in the home group had talked about a float that would go all over town, and I was so glad they told me ahead of time what it was all about. Friday evening I heard a loud speaker and then Christmas carols. By the time the float came into view, we had our money ready. A car or truck was completely covered with a lit up house and Santa, I mean Father Christmas, gaily waving from the chimney. A dozen or more people were running along with it and darting down to each house to collect money for the Round Table. This organization uses the money to buy medical equipment for local use.

We’ve had one little group come caroling. The custom is for groups to go from house to house singing and collecting for worthy causes. When the three boys started singing at our front door, I first thought one of the children had turned up the TV too loud. Realized it was for real and opened the door to find these three lads cheerfully singing. I asked who they were collecting for, and they said, “Ourselves.” I was told you’re expected to give 5 or 10p to such people and 50p if you recognize the charity they’re working for.

In looking for a good source of heat, I decided to put the angel chimes over the stove (cooker here). Now when I have a meal under way, things are not humming, but tinkling.

Found out when and how to use Christmas crackers. They are small favors like ones we used to have at birthday time and are decorated for Christmas here. Just before the Christmas dinner everyone stands in a circle, crosses hands, and helps each other pull the crackers. I think they make a noise when pulled and have a hat, favor, and motto inside. You’re supposed to wear the silly hats during dinner. According to Mary G, that’s the one time English people unbend and act silly! We have them already, but I don’t think I’ll require cousin Harold to wear a hat during dinner! Can’t see John doing it either.

Logan Reads by Light of the Star

Neighbor Logan (10) practiced reading a lesson to be taped and incorporated in a service at his church. He chose our nativity scene as the set for his reading, and the star provided enough light for him to see the words. He did a fantastic job. We hope to see the service with this video in it.

After the third take, we looked at it on the tablet. Normally we think of the director sitting in a chair, but Bob was the camera man. Shawn, the director, was standing behind him. When everyone approved the final version, our quiet lawn returned to normal.

Jumping into Christmas

John brought out Christmas mugs, dishes, and ornaments while daughter Lise was still here. The day after she left, he put up the tree and decorated it. We have never had such a lightning-quick transformation, and I doubt the record will ever be broken. This activity did not violate the unwritten rule of waiting until after Thanksgiving to begin Christmas.

It is unproven, but I suspect he wanted everything in place before December guests arrived. Church friends Susan and Martha came for lunch. Being in the “risk” category for COVID-19, we didn’t come near each other, and they wore masks except while eating. Time will tell if we were careful enough. It was delightful to have unhurried conversation instead of brief greetings and distant waves.

We have been extremely blessed to be able to see family and neighbors during lock-down. Just for laughs, here is a photo of irrepressible Logan using chocolate or nuts to enhance his appearance.