Christmastide 2021/2022 - 5th Day of Christmas: Finishing Up the Tree

 Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Today I finally got the star on the tree.

Also got the skirt under the tree and drank a little egg nog. 

Christmastide 2021/2022 - 4th Day of Christmas

 Tuesday, December 28, 2021

I put some finishing touches on the tree. Now I just need the star and to figure out where I stored the tree skirt last year. Maybe I'll have it all ready by New Year's Eve. 

Also got the angel display set up. According to something I found in House Beautiful magazine it's common to find an abundance of angels in German homes at Christmas. Sometimes they're on the tree but they're also displayed on sideboards. When I started this collection a number of years ago I didn't even know I was giving a nod to my German heritage. 

Holiday Season 2021 - Winter Solstice

 Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Got the tree up and the lights on just in time for the solstice. 

Sylvester seems quite curious about it. Although he recently turned two years old this is actually Sylvester's 3rd Christmas. According to Dale, John didn't have a tree last year. John got Sylvester from a shelter in September of 2020 so who knows what his 1st Christmas was like. It's possible this is the first Christmas tree Sylvester has encountered. We'll just have to see how this plays out. 

                  

Christmastide 2020: Christmas Day - The First Day of Christmas: Dinner with Mom

Friday, December 25, 2020

It's been ages since we've had Mom over for dinner. I think it's been since summer and we probably ate outside. 

We all chatted for a couple of hours, then ate dinner and chatted some more. 

We had planned on watching a movie but then Mom started getting tired. She had brought a gift over for us. 

It turned out to be a beautiful edition of the four Gospels of the Bible. Lots of beautiful artwork throughout. 

Dale made Julia Child's beef bourginoine for dinner. I was sous chef. 

Mom wasn't up for dessert. Dale and I indulged after she left. Pumpkin. Pie.

Christmas Day 2019 - Merry Kiltmas

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

It's that time of the year again. I wanted to be all fancified for my hosting duties so I went with a blue velvet blazer.

Christmas Day 2019 - What a Wonderful Christmas

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Quiet Christmas morning. 

Drank Bloody Mary's as I continued to clean the house and get it decorated for company this afternoon. 

More tchotchkes to set out...

Finally finished decorating the tree. 

As I got the house ready, Dale worked on the turkey. 

I don't think we've made one for about 5 years. Dale has really become quite the turkey-meister. 

As I finished up my tasks I was overtaken by a rather touching sentimentality while listening to the above song. It's not a real common Christmas Carol but I've come to love it quite a bit.

Athena's sweetness is alway appreciated around here. 

She ga lot of walks, attention, and rest today. She blends in with the chair in the above picture so I put a label next to her. 

After getting cleaned up I tended to getting the sweet potato casserole, my one contribution to Christmas dinner, ready to go. 

This was my first ever effort at the task and Mom, who's been making it for years, was horrified to find out I'd be using canned sweet potatoes. She was pleasantly surprised to discover it turned out GREAT (if I do say so myself) and she said as much. 

Our dinner guests, Mom, John, and Noel, started showing up around 3 p.m. which is about the time the turkey came out of the oven to rest. 

It turned out to be a lovely Christmas. The house looked great, the food was fantastic, and, I believe,  a great time was had by all.

I finished out the day with a little Irish cream. 

Christmas Day 2017 - Merry Kiltmas

Monday, December 25, 2017

I wore my kilt for Christmas Day dinner.

So nice to spend the day with Mom and Day.

Mom brought over chocolate covered cherries which were always Dad's favorites.

Christmas 2014 - The Tree

December 22, 2014

Minnesota State Fair 2014

Sunday, August 31, 2014

First-Prize Winning Christmas Tree at the Ag/Hort. Building

Silver Christmas Ornaments at the West End Market

Christmas Season 2012 - The Tree

I did not have the time or energy to decorate the tree as elaborately as I usually do.  This year I only hung the Christmas balls.  It turned out to be understated and still quite lovely.  Dale particularly liked it.

Christmas Eve 2012 - Setting Up the Tree

A special thank you to my photographer, Dale, for putting up with me while I hammed it up a bit.

Ornaments off the Tree - February 2012

Last year I had the ornaments off the tree by January 30. This year they're all off by today, Groundhog Day. The tree itself didn't come down last year until Feb. 27. Let's see if I can beat that this year.

Christmas 2011 - The Tree

This year I worked right up to the 23rd of December and didn't have a large chunk of time to get the tree decorated. I dedicated a little time each night during the week preceding Christmas to put up some of the decorations. It made this monumental job seem a bit more manageable although by Christmas day it felt like I had been at it forever! The last few decorations and the star were finally on shortly before Mom arrived for dinner in the afternoon on Christmas Day. I think the tree turned out pretty well even if I do say so myself.

Christmas Eve 2011 - Dinner at Mom's

After the Christmas Eve service, Dale and I went to Mom's for dinner. We started with some lovely hor d'ourves of brie cheese and jelly on crackers. For dinner we had cheese fondue and steak. Brownies for dessert.