A Most Merry Christmas!

 and may 

you sparkle

in the 

New Year!

 The view out my front door onto my porch.

A little of inside on Christmas Eve.

more on my Instagram

I hope your Christmas is full of laughter and love.

I spent Christmas Eve with my friend David.

It was a bumpy night!

An odd Christmas Eve but one day we'll look back on it 

and remember and think it wasn't so bad.

You see I was delivering food to make extra money.

My plan was to stay out as late as possible to make 

the most money but my last order was at midnight 

at Jack in the Box and the line was 30 cars deep!

That's when I decided it was time to go home. 

I've been doing this here and there to make ends meet...

sometimes I'm out till 2am.

Oh...I have a glamorous life.

Two pizza places were open till 4am and 

I fully intended on working till 4am.

David came along for the ride. 

His boyfriend was out of town and he had nothing better to do.

We also drove around and looked at Christmas lights inbetween. 

I only got in 10 deliveries. I was hoping for twice that. 

I always do it alone. I listen to podcasts during and between.

I'm learning lots of things from that.

I'm currently listening to every episode of Alec Baldwin's podcast -

"Here's the Thing"

I love Alec Baldwin and it's quite enjoyable listening to him

 interviewing artists, actors, musicians, scientists and politicians.

But last night David and I just rode around 

and sat and talked and laughed.

We like to do that.

An odd Christmas Eve.

We used to have big family Christmas Eve's 

and then they got smaller and then it was just me.

Mom goes to my sister's. 

I can't do my sister's. 

(I love her...I just can't do her married family)

I'd rather deliver pizzas which is what I did!

Merry Merry!

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A Few of My Favorite Things

for Christmas

 

 

I love vintage Shiny Brite ornaments 

and have collected them for years. 

My tree is literally drooping under the weight of all of them. 

Even though they are very light, 

I have so many it weighs down the branches.

Almost everything on my tree is vintage. 

Well that one that says Noel is not. 

It is new from a few years ago but it has a very vintage look.

 When I was a kid, I hated Shiny Brite ornaments, 

especially the ones that had writing on them.

I liked fancier Victorian ornaments or 

Hallmark ornaments when I was a child.

But now I love the simplicity of the round bulbs 

or the ones with atomic shapes. 

And I especially love the ones with messages 

on them like the one above.

If the ornament is faded and a little tarnished - even better!

That pink one? 

We had one just like it on our tree when I was a child.

It was always a favorite of mine.

Our tree when I was growing up had many 

Victorian ornaments on it. They came from my Mother's family.

 

 This year I tucked all my elves and snowmen into the tree too.

Little Shiny Brite houses sit upon the branches as well.

 

 I love these simple little elves.

They sold for 10 cents each in the 1960's.

Now they are quite expensive. 

I bought most of mine 20 or even 

30 years ago 

when I could pick them up for 2 to 3 dollars.

 The newly painted cabinet got all decked out too.

 I put this wreath together out of things I had lying around. 

I added tiny pom poms to it and the Christmas tree.

 That little deer is a Montgomery Ward Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Did you know that Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was originally written by a man who

worked for Montgomery Ward? My Mother has the original book that was published and given 

out as a promotional item from the store. 

My maternal Grandmother worked for 

Montgomery Ward for many years as an accountant. 

We as a family have several of these ornaments.

I used to pick them up every time I ran across one at flea markets.

Read about the history of Rudolph here.

This version of Rudolph is the real one for my Mom.

But for me. I adore the 1960's TV special.

I listen to the soundtrack to this over and over during the holidays.

This show inspires my decorating choices for Christmas.

 Picked up this sweet deer this year at Hobby Lobby. 

She could fit right in at the North Pole with Rudolph.

Ok, so she's pink. 

The other reindeer might call her names.

 I filled the iron plant stand with tinsel trees. It's usually full of a variety of faux ferns and plants.

But that wouldn't do for Christmas.

 I have cute Christmas pillows that should be out but I'm not sure where they are.

This will just have to do for this year.

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Oh I Need A Little Christmas

 Just this very minute

 

 I need a little Christmas....right now!

I didn't think it was going to happen. 

 I questioned if all this would get up.

But it did.

 Christmas Mantel 2019.

I'll share other photos of it at night.

 My sister gave me this tree a few years ago. 

It has yellowed over the years.

Just makes it look more vintage. I think.

I hope.

 

I could not bring myself to take the frames down off my mantel. 

I have had them up for a couple of years and just decorate around them. 

I just like the way they fill out the wall. 

I did manage to finally gold leaf this small vintage frame. 

It's been up here for two years in a dingy brown.

Now it's finally a crusty gold leaf. Much better.

Now it fits right in with the other vintage frames.

I love bottle brush trees. Can you tell?

The tree. 

This little tree I've had for several years and sadly this is 

the first year it's gotten fully decorated. 

I've just done lights for the past three or four years. 

A shame cause I have many beautiful vintage ornaments.

I'll share more tomorrow.

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Merry Christmas!

 I hope all of you make precious memories this Christmas.

This is not my best "looking" Christmas but sometimes you have to let your desire
for the perfect holiday go and just enjoy the moment.

 I bought a new tree this year...off Ebay and after buying; read in the details that it could
take as long as 15 days to arrive...and it did.

By the time I got the tree...my schedule was full of work and parties and no time for decorating.

So this year...I just have a tree up with lights and no ornaments and until about two hours ago...

my mantel had pumpkins and fall leaves on it!

I did finally a little before midnight on Christmas Eve quickly create a simple Winter Scene.

But it's ok....

Cause today was a great day. My life long friend, Pam came to visit with her husband and son from Memphis.

I only get to see them once or twice a year. We had lunch at a Mexican restaurant and then
spent the afternoon running around doing last minute shopping
which included both Target and a large super market.

And it was a great day ending in seeing a few Christmas lights around town as we raced back
to my house so that they could get on to their family celebration
and I could get over to a friend's house.

It was so fun for me to be out shopping with my friends on Christmas Eve.

I rarely get to shop with anyone. I usually shop alone. So it was really a treat.

Laughing and remembering the past good times we've all had together.

After saying good bye...

My friend Petra and I threw together a dinner of snacks, cheese and wine.

Her boyfriend was also in attendance.

Very spontaneous and yet just right.

via

While there I made

Cranberry Salsa 

using a recipe from a friend at work

it's similar to the one linked above but I used a little different ingredients.

see below

Fresh Cranberries

Green Onions

Ginger

lime juice

fresh jalapenos 

and a little sugar.

I made it at Petra's cause I don't have a food processor.

Then I came home and wrapped presents while listening to my favorite 

Christmas CDs.

I haven't had time to do that at all till this night.

After that  - I went to wash my face and burnt the crap out of my skin and eyes

for although I'd washed my hands several times since making the salsa...

there was still plenty of jalapeno on my hands to burn myself.

It really hurt! Skin burning...eyes burning and every time I went to rinse using my hands
it just seemed to put more jalapeno on me.

I now have coconut oil spread all over my face and am hoping those jalapenos don't 

cause my skin to peel!

Now

Dogs are all sleeping around me as I type this and even though

the tree is not decorated and the mantel is thrown together and the Christmas pillows never

got put out...it will still be a Christmas to remember.

I hope your's is too.

Nita and Pam
Christmas 2014

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