A Simple Christmas

Rushing here and there. Flying from store to store, arms laden with bags and boxes. Flinging the door of your home open to slap your purchases on a table... Oh! they needed wrapping... Did I buy bows?


A list! I need a grocery list! Does sister's new honey have any allergies? Snap! I forgot to take the turkey out of the freezer! Dick! Can you get the turkey... Oh! you did it already? Thanks!


... And off you tear, cleaning, wrapping, cooking. You fall into bed a lump of worn out mush and the only thing jangling is your nerves.


This has been the story of my Christmases past and the day would sprint by and I would hate it and be exhausted by it.






We decided we needed to change. 




You see, life keeps getting in the way of happiness for us! We want something simpler for our days where there isn't a monster hiding around every corner intent on destroying said happiness and so we don't follow the conventions as much as we used to.


A simple Christmas becomes something you have time to enjoy rather than a chore. Fewer items on the dinner table means you have time to sit and visit with your family instead of slaving in the kitchen for hours. Fewer selections on your plate means each one can be the most savory morsel you could have in your mouth or one that has a dear memory attached to it. Fewer gifts means that each box can be lovingly adorned instead of so many that you just wrap and slap a sticky bow on top. Staying at home means that you can sit and cuddle your honey or babies and they will remember that instead of hours in the car whining 'Are we there yet?"


If it's only a phone call from the Desert you get, you will hang onto those words and relish them instead of those same words being smothered in a room full of noise that you don't remember the next day.




Do not think today that because you couldn't afford all the expensive gifts you've given in the past that you have suffered today. Each item you have given this year has been thought through and carefully picked, because if you can only afford one, you've had the opportunity to make it special.


Do not feel that you are missing out! Choose the moments and smiles to store in your memory, knowing that your family is also storing those same memories.


Do not see the things that aren't there this year because of lack of funds. The things that are still there are what's important. Your loved ones. Plain and simple.


Do not hear the complaints of the past years: I'm so tired. I'm so broke! You will hear actual conversations and 'you made this? How awesome!" ...instead.


Do not touch each thing in your day with regret and should haves. By cutting out all the extras you normally provide, you have showered them with love and thoughtfulness.






I know this has been a difficult year. Our savings and investments have suffered. Jobs are being lost and hours cut. We have not had the disposable income we used to have. We are allowed to feel that we have suffered because we truly have.




We do still have each other and love is still free and it's always the simple things that fill in the gaps and please remember!




Merry Christmas!  Suzie says so!

A Christmas Poem

This was sent to me via email and I wanted to share. When I tried to find some clip art to add, I found the original posting, I think and got the authors name which I have added at the bottom. 
Please copy and paste and email. 

We can't recognize the soldiers enough and I thank them! 

A Christmas Poem:

“Merry Christmas, My Friend”



TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.


I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.


I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.


NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.


WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.


FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.


THE SOLDIER IN IRAQ , LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.


THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.


WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?


I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.


SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.


THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.


I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.


THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.


THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
'SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;


I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY! COUNTRY, MY CORPS.'


THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CONTINUED TO WEEP.


I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.


I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.


THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, 'CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE.'


ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
'MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,!
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.'


This poem was written by LCpl James M Schmidt, USMC, 1986

Lights shine ever bright in our hearts for who've given so we could be free.

Merry Christmas..... 

See what the cat dragged in!

I had a really strange experience today and I just wanted to share with you all. You've all likely had this same experience as myself, but I still wanted to share it in case anyone else has insight on how this phenomena happened.


This afternoon I had to go out into our back yard to throw the birds some bread crumbs and noticed something in my wooden planters. 

Upon close examination, I could not believe my eyes! There, partially hidden amongst the bushes and half dead flowers were five little men!

...And one... being a little braver than his compatriots I suppose... took a hesitant step forward and in a very soft voice whispered: "Excuse me mam? But my brothers and I are cold. Could we come inside for a moment to warm ourselves?"


I know! I couldn't believe I was hearing correctly either and so, thinking I'd either had a drink that I couldn't recall, or needed a drink or three, turned to go back in the house.

...And the little beggars marched right in!

Before I knew it, Suzie had them in front of the fire. (She doesn't understand they really shouldn't have been there..)

...And once they'd warmed up, they took over control of the whole house! By the time Dick got home, they had commandeered his lazy boy and the remote too!

He was mad enough that they jumped out of the chair and ran to hide in the decorations. (You see, they'd been used to hiding in the forest.....)

He was of course a little abrupt with me and doing the only thing I could think of at the time, I turned and confessed: "Really look at what the cat dragged in!"

...No Wait! I can't blame the cat!  (She can't take the blame for everything I get up to after all.)





In actual fact: I found these while browsing at the BFM thrift shop. (Bibles For Missions.) They are obviously hand knit and formed over styrofoam balls and the best part is they were 50 cents each!

Cross Border Christmas Shopping

Ah! What do you get when you mix a minivan, four women and November?

The yearly trip to Port Huron for Christmas shopping!

MY FEET ARE SOOO SORE!

We live only an hour and a half from Port Huron, Michigan and my friends and I decided we 'needed' a weekend away from our men. So! Saturday morning we loaded small suitcases into Sarah's mini van, got our Timmies in the drive through and off we barrelled to shop, shop, shop! (Timmies are take out coffee's from Tim Horton's, the famous coffee shop of Ontario, named after it's creator the late NHL Hockey player.)

And... I got almost all my Christmas shopping done! Yaay!

Why do I shop there rather than locally you ask?

I do shop locally. But, even factoring in the exchange rate on the money; I can buy Ontario eggs in Michigan for more than a dollar less than here. I can buy better, nicer bath sheets at half the price that I can here. I can buys toys for our little ones way cheaper. The result is our limited dollars go farther and Christmas will be more bountiful. (Our products are mostly manufactured in the same countries anyway and they pretty much all come to this continent by ship, don't they?)

I believe in shopping locally... I do and we spend ninety-nine percent of our money here. I believe in buying most of our food produced in Ontario, Canada. I will put down the grown in Peru fruit and buy things grown closer to home and I think we all should. You know, green footprint and all....

We can only go so far and do so much before we cut off our noses to spite our faces.

We work damned hard all our lives to get what little we can to spend the last quarter of our lives in retirement doing what we want instead of doing what our boss, our spouse or the kids want and it comes down to this:

If I want to spend my money in Port Huron... I will!

Merry Christmas!