A Christmas Curse?

People give you many greetings this time of year. Usually, they're good...like "Have a Merry Christmas", "Happy New Year", "Happy Holidays", "Season's Best", etc. But back in the Christmas of 1952, someone must have told my parents, "A Pox on You!".

That was the year that all 3 of us children had the chicken pox. My older sister, Karen, was just getting over them...so she was doing pretty well. I was sporting a full-blown case of them and my brother, Chuck, was just starting to show little signs of breaking out. My mother told me I even had them in my scalp, so she couldn't comb my hair. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Mom seemed to take it pretty well, but I know she was disappointed. Especially because she had paid a woman to make matching dresses for my sister and me. I remember the dresses well. They were light pink...and very scratchy. They also had the most wonderful, soft purple velvet vest-style jackets that went over them and closed at the waist. Even with all the scratching -- from the dress and the pox -- I remember thinking they were quite special. Karen was 9 and I was 5 that year.

Fast forward 27 years to 1979. I remembered those dresses so well that I surprised my mom by making them for my girls...then ages 8 and 5. The dresses were made of softer material and I didn't put the purple piping on the collars and sleeves, but they were definitely very close to the originals and it really surprised and delighted my mom to see them walk in wearing them.

Boy....how time flies. Now my granddaughter will be 7 years old tomorrow.

Oh...and by the way...yes, I've had my shingles vaccination!

Decking the Halls

Decking the halls this year began on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. A new tradition for us the past few years has been to make ornaments after our Thanksgiving dinner...which at our house is the Sunday after the traditional Thursday. This year's "craft project" was to take foamy snowman and tree shapes and decorate them as desired using a whole lotta trinkets and trash that were splayed out all over the table. Jeremy's mom and dad had joined us for dinner and were good sports about doing the craft as well. And after all that creativity, we had some very interesting new decorations for the tree. We usually put up two trees. There is a pretty one in the livingroom with all white lights and red and gold ornaments, garlands, and even some sprigs of berries and sparkly things sticking out here and there. And we enjoy looking at it every night during Christmas. Then there is the one downstairs in the family room. It's a good thing it's a big tree, because it is becoming quite loaded. We don't even put every ornament on it any more, but definitely a sampling of all the ornaments we've accumulated over the years. Many of them are hand made. I have some that I made before I was married, we have ones the kids made when they were little, ones my niece and nephew made when they were young, and now the ones the grand kids are making. There are also special ornaments from special friends and family members. And there are some antique ones that I remember being on the tree when I was little.

I asked Jodi if the kids could spend the night and help me do a lot more of the decorating the next day. She was fine with that. What she didn't know, was that I was going to have them for 3 days because Jeremy was surprising her with a little time away for just the two of them. We had set it up weeks before and she knew nothing about it! He's usually as bad as I am at keeping surprises, but he pulled it off this time and they had a great couple of days of "together time". So the next morning, I harnessed all the energy that's stored in those little bodies and there were that many fewer trips up and down the stairs for me to take down the fall decorations and get out the wreaths and poinsettias for the front porch, etc.

It's a funny thing about that energy, though. It only lasts in short spurts, so you have to take advantage of it while you can. So after a while the kiddos drifted off to play and I kept putting a few things up here and there. Later I had to laugh when I went down stairs for something and saw that they had added to the tree decorations down there. There, on some lower branches right in front (where they like to hang everything), they had put some of their stuffed animals on the tree!

So that's one new thing in the decorating department this year. The other new thing is that I was so excited about having a pretty, new mantle to decorate for Christmas that I didn't know where to begin. I asked Jessica if they had anything nice at the gift shop. So one night she brought over several pieces and helped me pick out some things. It looks very nice -- and you sure can't beat the convenience of shopping at home! Thanks, Jess! She also loaned us her Christmas tree since she wasn't going to be putting it up in her apartment this year (and also because she stores it here, anyway) and that looks really nice, too. So now we're all decked out and ready for Santa.

Cookie Bake '09

We had our (7th?) annual Mother-Daughter Cookie Bake on Sunday. Jessica was first to arrive, sporting a cute apron that said, "Santa likes my cookies best". Well...we'll just have to see about that! Then I found out that she got one for Jodi and me, too, so we were all cute! She got Savannah one just like it, but hers said, "Santa's little helper". Emery was already a little bummed because he found a new flannel shirt in his surprise box -- instead of a toy -- and then he found out he didn't have an apron. Jess didn't think he'd want a girlie one. But I had a man's barbecue cook-out apron and we put that on him. At that point he wasn't quite sure how he felt about how the day was going so far.

Enough of the fashion show. Now it was time to get down to business. I had already done my two make-ahead standards -- fruitcake cookies and apricot fold-overs. But we set about making some other favorites like apricot double dips, potato candy, citrus white chocolate macaroons, chocolate truffles, chocolate-covered peanut clusters, Chex mix, sugar cookies, snails, and every body's favorite -- fudge! We tried a couple of new things this year, too; lemon cookies, polar stars, pretzel bark and Heath chip cookies with a Kiss.

Grandpa and Emery spent most of the day outside playing baseball, etc. But when I need extra muscles to stir the potato candy, I need to call them in for some help. Emery told me has stronger muscles than Grandpa. And Savannah learned just how easy (she would say, "Easy, cheesy") it is to make GREAT fudge.

My favorite comment of the day came from Savannah. She was mixing the melted chocolate chips and enjoying "taste testing" while we were making truffles. When I added the sour cream, she wasn't quite sure she was going to like these any more. Then I poured in the Amaretto. She smelled it and said, "What's that???" Jessica told her it was liquor. Her face lit up and she said, "Wow! It smells like magic marker!"

By the end of the day we had filled the dining room table with goodies to share with our friends and neighbors. Just a note for those who live near us: you may need to go outside the county to find any chocolate!

Happy 4th of July

Every 4th of July, my heart is in Sheridan, Illinois. We had such fun times there with friends the years we lived there. Last year Jerry and I were there in person again and it was just as good as I'd remembered. This year we will be at a cookout at "Papa Jim's". Papa Jim is Jodi's father-in-law and he's always so nice to invite us over to his holiday cookouts, dinners, etc. His family are all very nice folks and we have a good time with them. And, of course, the grand kids will be there. Today we will be celebrating Emery's 4th birthday -- which was actually on Thursday. But what a fun celebration it will be with so many people around. And I'm sure he'll think the fireworks are just for him!

There are a lot of things today that deeply concern me about this country. But I believe that even with all our faults and problems, it is still the best country in the world and I thank God that I was born here. I don't know how to add videos to my posts (help me out here, Jessica), so I will just tell you to go to this web site and see a really neat video:

http://www.bornagainamerican.org/

Have a happy 4th of July holiday however you choose to spend it!

My Heroes

Today I would like to pay tribute to the veterans in my family. First, there was my dad: SGT Charles R. Berry. He served in the Army Air Corps during WWII. He enlisted in January of 1942 and was honorably discharged in November of 1945. The majority of his time was spent state-side at various bases...mostly in Texas. But the last 13 months he spent in Italy. He was a cook. He was also a very short man and used to joke that when the shooting would start, he would just get into one of the big soup pots. He and my mother were newlyweds when he entered and my sister, Karen, was born in September of 1943...about half way through the time that he was away from home.

Three of my mom's four brothers also served during WWII. Ralph and Tim were in the Marines and Pete, I believe, was in the army. I know Pete served in Paris, but I'm not sure about the other two. None of these men (part of the Greatest Generation) talked much about their military service.

SSGT Jerry L. Simons was in the Air Force from 1965 to 1969. I tease him about spending 3 of his 4 years "fighting the war in Hawaii". He was very lucky to be stationed there, but his work was vital to the battles raging in the jungles of Viet Nam. He was a photo interpreter...and his job was to examine the photos brought back by the men who would fly over the thick brush. He...and the rest of the men in his group...needed to let them know where there were missile and artillery sites. The VC would move these around constantly. He showed me some of the photos and explained. Like in this one. You can clearly see the "artillery piece with barrel muzzle visible", can't you? (???)

I know I have the wrong holiday. I should post this on Veteran's Day. Memorial Day is, after all, a time to remember those who gave their lives in service to our country. But even though these 5 men were blessed enough to return to their homes and families uninjured, they did not know where they would be asked to go or what they would be asked to do when they signed their enlistment papers. They were ready to give whatever it took to ensure our safety and secure the many freedoms that we usually take for granted. That still makes them heroes in my book.

Spring, Easter and the Gospel According to Emery

Spring is glorious this year. Lots of much-needed rain has made the sunny days brighter and the blooming things even more beautiful. Our cherry tree, dogwood trees and some azaleas are in bloom now...and the show topper will be when the big, white azaleas in the front yard come into full bloom some time this week.

Easter doesn't always coincide with the peak of the blooms, but this year it came close enough that we got a few cute pictures of the grandkids yesterday posing in their Easter duds by some of the bushes in the back yard.

On Saturday, we were invited to an Easter-egg themed birthday party. Billed as Allen's "65th birthday eggs-travaganza"...it did not disappoint in the "eggs-pectation" department. On the way to the party, the grandkids said they were so excited they could burst! They had a great time with the other kids hunting Easter eggs, jumping (and jumping, and jumping and jumping) in the inflatable birthday cake, and eating lots of candy...as well as some actual food.

On Friday we had the grandkids for the afternoon and evening. Emery gave me a very concise explanation of the whole story of Jesus' death and resurrection. He said that "Jesus died because all his blood came out. Then they put a big rock in front of the "creepy cave". But it's okay (he assured me) because He's alive!"

Amen, Emery. Jesus is alive indeed...and I'm glad that I'm alive, too.

I Had a Seizure

That's right. Last week -- right in the middle of the great cookie bake -- I had a seizure! I was melting some chocolate morsels for my chocolate covered peanut clusters and then it happened. Instead of a bowl of smooth, creamy chocolate that I could work with, I pulled from the microwave a bowl that had a wad of chalky brown stuff in it. I was very upset. I had bought several bags of different types of morsels for my baking and none of the rest had any problem. I had more, so I could go on with my clusters...but then I wouldn't have enough for the fudge. You've GOT to have the fudge!! So I told the girls I was going to write to Nestle and complain. Jodi ignored me and Jessica just rolled her eyes.

The next day I dropped an e-mail note to Nestle. (Don't you just love the computer? I would never have taken the time to sit down and write them a real letter!) I was very pleased to get a prompt reply. They told me my chocolate had "seized". Hmmm. They also said they would send me by mail a pamphlet that has baking tips and talks about seizing and how to avoid it and how to fix it. They also said they would include a coupon for a free bag of morsels. Now aren't they just the nicest people? They could have just said, "Look, stupid, you got moisture in it somehow and we can't be responsible for that." But they didn't. So I sent a copy of the e-mail and their answer to the girls and said, "See? The squeaky wheel and all that." Jodi's reply was, "Yep, that sounds like you. Seizing the chocolate. And the coupons."

May your holidays be bright and your chocolate always creamy!

Terror Strikes Small Town!!!

I have several Christmas village pieces and I usually set some of them up on the mantle and some on top of the piano. The grand kids haven't been that interested in them until this year. Now they play with the ones on top of the piano (because they're the ones they can reach) every time they come over. Sometimes I won't notice what they've done until I plug in the lights for the next evening's ambiance. Then I get a chuckle. Like the time the hedges that usually "grow" on the sides of the house had been transplanted to the front...and a yellow rabbit in a pink hat seemed to be standing guard in front of the door. I can only wonder what was going on in their imaginations.

Then another evening I noticed that pirates had taken over the house and stood watch on the balcony. This one I can understand a little better. One of the things they like to play with when they come to my house now is the pirate ship toys. Besides the big ship which they can build, there are pirates, treasurer chests, canons that really shoot canon balls...and their new favorite -- a crocodile.

But the other day while they were here playing, I saw what Emery was doing. There were canon balls laying on the ground and all the people in the village (the "Village People" as it were) were laying down as well. There were pirates and the ever-popular crock. I said to Emery, "Oh, my! It looks like the pirates are shooting the people with canon balls!" He calmly, and somewhat sadly, said, "Yeah. The crocodile has ruined Christmas."

Cookie Bake Day

Yesterday was our annual "Mother-daughter Cookie Bake" day. Before we started I explained to Savannah that even though Emery would be helping and Grandpa and Daddy like to wander through and see how things are going, it's basically up to the women folk of the family to make the Christmas cookies. I also told her that she was old enough now to have her own baking utensils. Then I gave her an early present. Now she has her own rolling pin, wooden spoon, cookie cutters, decorator tube and cookie cook book. She was quite proud...and couldn't wait to put them to use.

One of the candies I always make is potato candy (don't knock it if you haven't tried it!). At the beginning you keep adding powdered sugar to a mashed potato until the dough becomes stiff. Near the end of this process, I need to call in extra muscle -- Grandpa. Emery told me he has muscles and he wanted to do it. Turned out he liked the whole process very much. So here's how you make potato candy:

First you stir the powdered sugar and mashed potato until it's good and stiff.

Then you roll some of the dough out and spread peanut butter on it (sound better now?). Next you roll it up jelly-roll style and "roll it back and forth under your hands like when you make a Play-Doh snake".

Then you cut little slices off so you can see the pinwheel of peanut butter inside and put them on the tray to dry.

Making potato candy is hard work, so then you need to go lie down and watch a movie...maybe even take a

nap.

But after a brief rest, they were back at work.

After all...it takes a lot

of hands and hard work to produce a spread like this!!!

A Strange Tradition

Living the first 43 years of my life in Illinois, I didn't think much about mistletoe. But after coming to Georgia and seeing it growing high up in the tree tops in the winter time, I've wondered many times about the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe at Christmas time. So I did some research. Here's what I found out:

The word mistletoe is derived from the Old English words "mistle" (dung) and "tan" (twig). The plant is thought to be named after bird droppings on a branch. Mistletoe is a parasite that grows attached to a tree or shrub. It is poisonous and causes acute gastrointestinal problems including stomach pains, diarrhea and low pulse. In culture and mythology, the Norse god Boldr was killed with mistletoe. An old Christian tradition said that mistletoe was once a tree and furnished the wood of the cross and that after Crucifixion, the plant shriveled and became dwarfed to a parasitic vine. The sticky juice of mistletoe berries was used as an adhesive to trap small animals and birds.

Then suddenly I read that according to a Scandinavian custom of Christmas cheer, any two people who meet under a hanging of mistletoe are obliged to kiss. (!) The origin of the tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is vague. However, the tradition may have stemmed from either the Viking association of the plant with Frigga (the goddess of love) or from the ancient belief that mistletoe was related to fertility. The correct mistletoe etiquette is for the man to remove one berry when he kisses a woman. When all the berries are gone, there's no more kissing permitted underneath that plant.

A confusing tradition to say the least. I further read that the ancient Druids were in awe of this plant and would catch the cuttings in white cloths as it was never to be allowed to touch the ground (thus the hanging of it in homes). But leave it to the rednecks to put their own spin on this rite. Mistletoe shooting has a long tradition in the southeastern United States. A headline in Nation Geographic states, "Harvesting Mistletoe: Gunfire Gets the Job Done." The article goes on to say, "Those cute little wonders of nature, those totems of romanticism that turn Scrooges into smoochers during the holiday season, often find their way to doorways by first getting themselves blasted out of treetops."

So there you have it. Everything you ever needed to know about mistletoe...and then some. So as you go about decking your halls this year, don't forget the lowly, poisonous, cursed "dung twig" and it's proper place in you home. Remember the etiquette of removing a berry for each kiss...but be careful not to ingest it. Don't let it touch the ground...unless you see signs of gunshot residue -- then it probably doesn't matter. And be sure to avoid getting birds or small pets stuck in it's juices.

And have a Merry Christmas.

Those In-Between Days

While most of you spend the days after Thanksgiving recuperating from an overload of turkey-induced tryptophan or napping after getting up in the wee hours of Black Friday morning to go shopping...I'm cooking, cleaning and getting ready for Thanksgiving. When everyone else is gearing down...I'm gearing up! It has been our tradition the last several years to celebrate our Thanksgiving dinner together on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. That way Jodi, Jeremy and the kids can spend the holiday with the York side of the family without any hassles and Jessica can work and give someone else the day off to be with family. Then we can relax and enjoy our day together.
Since I love the colors of fall and the harvest themes of Thanksgiving, I don't like to decorate for Christmas before we have our big dinner on Sunday. But I do make a few concessions to that. I like to put the outside lights up the day after Thanksgiving and put up the big Christmas tree in the basement. The reason for putting that tree up is that after our Thanksgiving dinner, we all decorate ornaments for this year and go down and hang them on the tree.
Jodi and the kids came over on Friday to help with these lighting chores. So one more item that I included this year was a snowman magnet set that I got to put on the refrigerator. The grand kids had a ball putting it up (and taking it down, and putting it up silly, and taking it down and doing it all again...and again.).
But tomorrow morning I need to kick into high gear and decorate the rest of the house. I'm hosting the Batty Babes on Tuesday night and want the house all decked out for Christmas by then. After this week, the rest of the holiday season should be a breeze!

Gotta Get a Gun

Do you know what a "Gund" is? Here's one on the left. They are adorable, cuddly little stuffed animals. "Gund" is the brand name and their marketing slogan is, "Gotta Get a Gund". Cute.

Every once in a while I look at my neighbor across the street and paraphrase that slogan to myself, "Gotta get a gun". Most of those times have to do with his motorcycle. He is a man about our age, not a kid. But his motorcycle has no muffler!!! So many times while we're sitting on the front porch enjoying nature sounds or just mostly peace and quiet, he will decide to get the bike out and go for a "little" ride. And I do mean "little". He'll rev the bike, rev the bike, rev the bike...then go down the road. We can literally hear him when he makes the turn on Salem Road -- a mile away! Then in a couple of minutes, he's back. He'll rev the bike, rev the bike, rev the bike and then put it away. Just making sure it's still loud enough, I guess. This is an almost every day occurrence. Sometimes more than once a day. Sometimes early in the morning. Sometimes in the afternoon, when the grand kids are napping if they happen to be here. As I sit on my front porch, I level my eyes over the top of my book as he goes slowly -- but loudly -- past the house. And I think to myself, "Gotta get a gun".

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a violent person. I've never shot anything in my life (I'm no Sarah Palin, after all)...but there's a first time for everything.

Then earlier this week, as dusk was setting in, Jerry noticed something across the street. "Mike's got his Christmas lights up", he said. It's not even the middle of November yet! What ever happened to Thanksgiving? He gets earlier every year. And he's one of those fellows who will be out there on Christmas morning taking them all down. I don't get it. But it's a pet peeve of mine when people rush the season like this. It not only takes the joy out of it because you're sick of Christmas by the time it gets here, but it also makes me feel pressured -- like I should have my tree up, all my gifts wrapped, and be sitting here sipping egg nog already! Not only all that...but his decorations are UGLY. The bushes in front of his porch are all completely covered in red lights (the big bulbs). It looks like his bushes are bleeding. More like hemorrhaging. All except for the one on the far left. It is covered in blue lights. My thinking is that there are no more red light bulbs to be had in the county.

Yep....Gotta get a gun. Maybe I'll ask Santa.

Happy (Belated) Halloween!

Yes, I know it was two days ago. But I was waiting for Jodi to post pictures of the kids in their Halloween costumes. And besides...I've been in pain for two days! (Sic 'em, Dawgs!)

Savannah had seen The Wizard of Oz for the first time last fall and she loved it. So for Christmas, I got her ruby red slippers and a basket with Toto. She's enjoyed playing with them ever since. Then one day a couple of months ago, I saw some blue and white checked material in my sewing closet and I asked her if she wanted to be Dorothy for Halloween. Well, of course she did! Then Jodi found a Dorothy wig on line and she was good to go. Also last year, my mom had gotten Emery some Batman pajamas...complete with a cape. They were too big on him, but this year they worked just fine for a Halloween costume. Again, Jodi just had to find a Batman mask and he was all set.

Since I don't have children to dress up any more (except for making a dress for Savannah), I "dressed up" my living room with a few new pieces this year. I have recently discovered an artist by the name of Bethany Lowe and I like her stuff. I like the old fashioned look of this little Trick or Treat girl...and the gnarly feel of "Mr. Gourdo". One more "treat" I gave myself was a spider web valance for the top of the window along side the fireplace. Jessica looked at it and asked, "So...is Elvira living here now?" (I don't know where she gets that smart mouth of hers...must be from her dad.) But I like it! That way I can leave all the rest of the cobwebs in place and call them decorations, too.

Hope you had fun on your Halloween!

Eggs-elent Fun

Jodi let me borrow the kids the other day while she had a couple of things to do. I had told her I wanted to see them this week some time so that we could color eggs. I also had some Easter foamies left over from last year, so I got two big sand pails at the dollar store and let them decorate them. I used those for their Easter baskets this year. In their "surprise boxes", they had egg coloring kits. Besides the color tablets, Savannah had princess stickers, egg stands, punch-out crowns and so forth. Emery's was Sesame Street themed. They had fun and did a good job.

Luck of the Slovak?

I know I'm a little late. Saint Patrick's Day was Monday and I'm just now getting around to writing about it. I'm half Irish (my dad's side) and half Slovak (my mom's side). And so I usually like to celebrate. Normally I try to force the kids to come over and eat "my version" of a St. Patrick's Day dinner: corned beef, boiled potatoes, but NO boiled cabbage (yuk!). They gripe and complain and only sometimes come for dinner. Last year the girls decided they could at least cook something better if they came...so I made one corned beef brisket and somebody else made another one. They insisted on putting cabbage and the potatoes and all in one pot. They said that was better. Well, this year we didn't have the "dinner of obligation" at all. A few weeks ago, when my brother and sister-in-law were here, Linda made corned beef for us. It was WONDERFUL! She spent 3 days on it; soaking, simmering and finally cooking it in a yummy sauce. So...now that I know how to make corned beef right...I didn't. Beef is upsetting mom's system these days and since it was less than a week between St. Pat's and Easter this year (another time for a family dinner), I just let it go. But mom and I did don our green shirts for the day and posed for this shot with our green hats on. We also had mint chocolate chip ice cream and a mint-filled Oreo cookie for dessert.

He Done Good -- Again

Jerry has always done very well for Valentine's Day. Yesterday was no exception. I had to work all day and then teach a class at night, so we decided we would celebrate tonight with dinner and a movie. That plan is still in place, but still...yesterday was the "official" day.

Usually when I go to work he asks if there's anything I need for him to do that day. Yesterday I told him he could fold the clothes that were in the dryer. Then in the dryer ... on top of the clothes ... I left a box of candy for him and a silly card with a monkey on it that said something about him being my prime mate.

When I got home from teaching my class, there on the table was a beautiful bunch of Calla Lillies (one of my very favorites), some Ghiradelli dark chocolate (better for your heart than milk chocolate) AND a new John Grisham novel! Pretty great, huh? His card was hilarious, though. On the front are a couple sitting together:

Her: "Well, here we are, together for another whole year."

Him: "Sure...I could go for a cold beer."

Inside: "Listening and Understanding...the keys to every great relationship." His personal note mentioned that he sometimes misplaces the "keys". :)

That's Souper

This weekend is time for one of my favorite charity events of the year. Most of you realize it's Super Bowl Sunday...but do you also know it's "Souper Bowl Sunday"? I love and appreciate a really good idea, and this is a fine example. Actually, the official title is "Souper Bowl of Caring".

Back in 1990, a Seminary Intern serving in a parish in Columbia, South Carolina, said this simple prayer, "Lord, even as we enjoy the Super Bowl football game, help us to be mindful of those who are without a bowl of soup to eat." That led the youth group of his church and 21 other churches in Columbia to raise $5,700 for local food banks in the way of cash and cans donated. It works like this: the youth group sets a big soup kettle in the narthex of the church on Super Bowl Sunday and you can drop $1 in. There is also a container for donated cans of soup. What is collected goes to local food banks. How easy is that? God answered that intern's prayer and this simple idea has spread in a wonderful way. In 2007, Super Bowl of Caring raised over 8 million dollars.

This doesn't have to be done by a youth group...or necessarily even a church. Melisa did it at the quilt shop one year and had a generous amount to turn in. If your church or other community group isn't doing this, please give some thought to organizing it. It's probably too late for this year, but keep it in mind for next year. What a simple way to share our blessings!

I Made It!

One of my favorite Christmas decorations...and one that I put up even the years when I don't put everything up...is my "winter wonderland" in the front yard. I have 4 white light trees (not the spiral kind -- the kind that are actually shaped like trees), we put lights on the hemlock tree, garlands and lights on the arch and the two bird houses, and then put lights on an old artificial tree and put it up by the house. Jerry has them rigged to a timer, and I love looking at them every night when they come on. The "problem" comes when it's time to take them down. Jerry thinks they are Christmas lights and should come down the day after Christmas...New Year's Day at the latest. I think they are Christmas SEASON lights and should stay lit until the Epiphany. What if the Wise Men want to come and bring me some gold? How will they find me???

One year, on New Year's evening, I was surprised to see they did not come on. I went out to check to see if there was a problem. Jerry had simply unplugged the extension cord and taken it in. (Can you say "passive aggressive"?) This year he did not fight me on it. They were still lighting the neighborhood (he thought it was embarrassing) on January 6th. :) Yeah!!

So today we took the whole thing down. It's not really that hard, so why was I working up a sweat? Because it was 70 degrees when we put them up, and 70 degrees again today when we took them down. Ahhhh...winter wonderland in the south.