19 more days 'til Christmas

Ho, Ho, Ho! James has been practicing and is pretty good. He has to wait until after Thanksgiving to start talking about Christmas (or he would drive us crazy by Dec . 25).

James and I pooled our birthday money and bought this nice outdoor santa that my neighbor and friend Glenda Williams cut out and painted. She did a beautiful job. He looks so real standing in the front yard and at night he has a spotlight on him.

In most families, after the children are grown and gone from home, Santa is a thing of the past. But not for us. For over 50 years we have been playing Santa and he's still very much alive in our household.

Tonight I took James to Enterprise (for the 11th year) to the Rotary Club/Pilot Club Christmas party they have each year for mentally handicapped children and adults. This is his first Christmas party and tonight was no exception. He got a CD and a pair of gray lounging pants. McDonald's furnished burgers and fries and everybody got a backpack with goodies. They were entertained by some musicians and there was a sing-a-long which everybody enjoyed. We were there almost 2 hours.

So tonight was one down, and we have several more events to attend before Dec. 25th. I'll try to record them each day.

Note: We went away for a week to NC and SC during Thanksgiving holidays (Jim was feeling better) and it's hard to get back to doing things at home or to establish a regular routine again. It was a first time visit to Clemson Univ. in SC to visit a granddaughter. What a beautiful campus! Then we had lunch in Charlotte NC with 3 of my sisters who all live in NC and drove to Charlotte to have lunch with us one day at Jason's Deli near South Park. We visited other relatives in NC and SC before coming back home.

Letter to Santa -

Dear Santa...... last night Jim helped James write his annual letter to Santa. I asked James to draw me a picture of Santa and Rudolph, and he included a small tree between the two. We find these drawings all over the place during December.

Remember that James is almost 51 years old (Dec 8). See the article I wrote on Aug. 13, 2007, about "I believe in Santa, do you" and you will understand what this season means to James.

He likes to mail his letter to Santa on Saturday after Thanksgiving. It is ready to go in the mail this afternoon, address to Santa at the North Pole.

In case you are wondering what an adult mentally handicapped person wants for Christmas, here is a sample list: (dictated to his dad who typed the list) - Note: he has the same thing on his list every year!

THANKSGIVING DAY 2007

Santa at the end of Macy's Parade
(photo from the internet)
Thanksgiving Day this year was rainy, cold and windy. Our son James was up at 6 a.m. so he wouldn't miss the Macy's Parade at 9 a.m.! Of course he wanted breakfast as soon as he got up so it has made for a long day. I don't think he has ever missed watching Macy's parade. This year I watched much of it with him. I don't know any of the current singing groups or understand the music, etc. I did recognize Dolly Parton on one of the floats, singing one of her new songs. I always enjoy stories about how the school bands get to New York, their honors, etc. It was good to see the Va Tech band there this year. They had nice weather for the parade this year.



I went to my cousin's out in the country for Thanksgiving and brought back some food to Jim and James. There was so much food on the long tables in the barn; ham, turkey, pork barbecue, rice, camp stew, hash, dumplings, dressing, assorted veggies, lots of salads, and a big variety of desserts. Somebody made a hot chocolate cake/pudding in the crock pot and it was absolutely delicious. I haven't wanted anything else to eat all day!

I came home and watched TV most of the afternoon, which I almost never do. It was a nice lazy day today. I have so much to be thankful for, especially for a wonderful family. Many relatives called us today, including our sons in SC and TX.

Thanksgiving trip cancelled....

Yesterday Jim was struck with a terrible chest congestion and we had to cancel our Thanksgiving plans to drive to SC and NC for the coming week. Monday night he had a slight sore throat and by noon on Tuesday, he knew he was heading for bad chest congestion; he gets this every year or two and it always starts out the same way. Better it happened yesterday than today when we would have been on a 9-hour trip in the car.

All the goodies I had baked for baskets for 5 families (cookies, candy, cakes, etc) went to the freezer to be used later. I didn't complain since were concentrating on getting Jim well. We'll schedule a trip to visit our son in Florence, SC later before they leave for 2 weeks in London during Christmas, to visit his deceased wife's relatives. Our 3 granddaughters, ages 12, 16, and 18 will be visiting their grandmother in an assisted living home at Brighton by the Sea. I hope she will remember them after having a stroke a few years ago. They were last in England for the millineum (2000) celebration in London.

So, our son James and I will get to go to the country Thanksgiving I wrote about earlier, at my cousin's barn. I'll bring Jim a plate of food to eat later. I learned a long time ago that when "life gives you lemons, make lemonade" or as my sister Susan says, "Roll with the punches". So I'm going to celebrate Thanksgiving, but not as planned.

There are exciting things going on in Elba. There on the front page of the Elba Clipper today was my photo, receiving a check for $40,000 to be used toward the loan borrowed by the city to complete the new playground.   Someday it will be all paid for.

'Over the River and thru the woods......

I love the hustle and bustle of Thanksgiving. Whether it's people gathering at our house or trips to another's home. We leave tomorrow for Florence, SC to spend Thanksgiving Day with our son Bill and family. He said he would be cooking a turkey and for us to come and eat with them this year.


 I didn't know what to do, not having to cook Thanksgiving dinner. So I made 2 cakes, lots of cookies and candies, and other goodies. I prepared 6 Holiday Baskets to pass out to 6 families we will be visiting along the way. The baskets will be filled with jellies and preserves, pecans, persimmons, nut breads, tins of homemade cookies and candies, and something special for each family (our son, 3 sisters, Jim's mother, and Dorothy, a friend).

I received this email  today from a friend  I thought it was so fitting to share with others.  For everything give thanks!

"I grew up in the 40's/50's/60's with practical parents. A mother, God love her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it  She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it.

A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones. Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress!

Things we keep!

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing, I wanted just once to be wasteful.

Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

But then my mother died, and on that clear summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.

Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return.

So... While we have it... it's best we love it... And care for it.... And fix it when it's broken.. And heal it when it's sick.

This is true... For marriage.... And old cars.... And children with bad report cards..... 

There are many things that make life important, like people we know who are special.... And so, we keep them close!

Good friends are like stars.... You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.

Keep them close. Dogs and cats with bad hips.... And aging parents.... And grandparents.

We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some other things we keep can be a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with."           

Thanksgiving Memories

We never had turkey for Thanksgiving when I was growing up. Thanksgiving was just another day except we didn't have to go to school. Usually there were chores for us to do on the farm that day, i.e. triming leaves from sugar cane, or going to the edge of the "back 40" to cut broom straw to make brooms to sweep the floor. That seemed to be a favorite thing to do Thanksgiving afternoon. It was fun for us to have a day together with our parents and grandparents. Some of the foods I remember having for Thanksgiving were fresh turnips, sweet potatoes (cooked many ways), cooked apples and fried apple pies, and usually fresh pork and rice cooked together. Sometimes we had stewed chicken and dumplings and those were my favorite. And chicken and dressing in later years.

Then when I got married and was living Germany I decided to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving. I got out my Betty Crocker cookbook to see how to cook a turkey. I didn't removed the giblets from inside the turkey and was surprised to find them when I sliced the turkey! No wonder I couldn't get much stuffing inside. Since then I have cooked many turkeys for Thanksgiving.

For the past 20 years we have spent many Thanksgivings at my cousin's barn out in the country where they have a community Thanksgiving meal, inviting family and neighbors who are old and alone during the holidays. We always enjoy going there and visiting with cousins that we sometimes only see once a year. They clean the farm equipment barn and place tables inside for the food that everybody brings. There are always turkeys, hams,
barbecue that cooks all night, rice, and so many vegetables and desserts. You never go away hungry. We've only missed a few over the years when we would be away. This year we will be going to SC to visit our son and family and will have to miss "Thanksgiving in the Barn."


Pictured here are some of the cousins eating in the barn.

It's Candy Making Time

I usually don't start making Christmas goodies until the 2nd or 3rd week of December. But this year I'm ahead of schedule since we will be going to SC and NC during Thanksgiving, visiting with family along the way. I like to make baskets of goodies for families to enjoy during the holidays.


Today I started early by picking out pecans to use in recipes I would be cooking. I made small loaves of persimmon bread and zucchini and apple bread. I wrapped these to put in my baskets.

Then I made brownies for one of the granddaughters. Another wants chocolate chip cookies and the oldest wants chocolate wagon wheel cookies. Our son Bill's favorite is peanut brittle that I make in the microwave. I used to make it in a black iron skillet just as my daddy did. But I've learned that it's a lot faster to cook it in the microwave, and it's just as good. I made a recipe of chocolate covered wheat crackers with peanut butter between them. They taste just like Butterfingers. I have a batch of coconut/nugant filling in the refrigerator and tomorrow I will roll out little balls and dip them in chocolate. They taste just like Mounds candy bars. And of course the little sand tarts will be made tomorrow to complete the Christmas goodies I will make for my baskets. The baskets will contain jars of grape jelly, muscadine jelly, pear preserves, fig preserves, and apricot/pear marmalade. Also a bag of unshelled pecans that I picked up in a friend's yard under the big pecan trees. The 6 baskets will contain something special for each individual family.

Candy making has been a part of my Christmas traditions all of my life. When I was growing up on the farm, we always had peanut brittle, divinity (I could never make this delicacy), fudge, and pulled taffy made from syrup. I guess that's why I always enjoy making candy at Christmas time - just a tradition.


I think I'll take a tylenol and get some rest. I must have spent about 12 hours in the kitchen today.