CHRISTMAS FROM HEAVEN

This 2011 Christmas will be my first without both of my parents.  I know, I know, I'm almost fifty-seven years old, so what's the big deal?  The big deal is that "this 2011 Christmas will be my first without both of my parents", especially with my mom's passing in September.  By Christmas, it will have been very close to three months to the day.  She liked Christmas.  She especially liked the commercialization of it, the giving of gifts and the over eating.  She insisted on having her Christmas on Christmas Day, even when our daughters were in school, had a large Christmas Eve religious service on that night and a family Christmas that same night, it was expected that we get to her house before mid afternoon in Christmas Day.
Mom always  thought herself the "fun" grandma, the gregarious grandma, the generous grandma.  She gave numerous, unusual, often meaningless gifts, but almost all of these had some sort of monetary reward in them, so one had to open the entire gift.  She also gave "group gifts.  All the "boys" received "like" gifts, the "girls as well and the two groups of gifts were completely different and unrelated.  We had to sit in those groups and open the gifts together in the order determined by the hostess.  I. of course, had to add a wrinkle by handing a gift given to me to someone else and saying that I believed I received that particular gift in error and insisted on a trade.  We all, then, "traded" the gifts seeminly endlessly.  That, then, had to be included in every Christmas thereafter.  Tradition.
So, in wondering how Mom was going to manipulate this Christmas, she left us a pre-wrapped gift purchased five years ago in anticipation of her passing.  Below is are photos I took of the gift.

Ornament from Mom

Accompanying poem



It is a really nice gesture and I'm glad she did this for us all, but I am happier that she had the reassurance that she would be in heaven.  We will speak of her frequently during the holidays.  She will be with us still.  Thanks, Mom.

2011 BEST FALL EVER UPDATE

Well, it's after Thanksgiving (more on that later) and some things have changed.  The Brewers never made it to the World Series.  The Badgers fell from grace after two straight Big Ten losses, one to MSU, the other to OSU, both in the last second.  They deserved to lose the OSU game as they gave up a lead.  Tomorrow is the last regular season game vs Penn State.  If the Badgers are triumphant, they get a whack at the Big Ten Championship, if they fail, it's to some crappy non-News-Years-Day bowl game.  The Packers, on the other hand, have remained solid and lossless at 11-0, seventeen straight including last season.  It must be my special underpants.  I still worry, but not quite so much.

Thanksgiving has come and gone for this year and, as usual, it was filled with family and food and good humor.  We actually celebrated twice.  Once in Oshkosh with daughter 1 and her family and daughter 2 and mate last weekend.  While daughter 1 tended to her craft booth at a local event, we got to tend the meal, turkey and all the fixin's.  The second was here and the same people, but different food and conversation Wednesday night and yesterday.  Today was our traditional outside decorating day.  We bought new lights for the gutters.  We had to give up our swags for icicles .  Icicles are packed in a box all scrunched up and tied in three bunches.  the do not hang all nice and straight.  They are very ugly when first hung.  We'll see how they look after a few days of hanging.

Also while in Oshkosh last weekend, my wife suggested that I spend some of the gifted money from my Dad earlier this fall, before my Mom passed away.  She remembered that we had an SLR camera when we were first married and the girls were small, but we had to sell it as it needed repair.  Since then, technology has made everyday photography very easy and reproduction even easier.  So, at her suggestion, I purchased a decent digital SLR, a Canon, Rebel EOS Ti2 with image stabilizing lenses.  It was a great idea.  I already like it.  The photos are on my laptop and I currently do not have access to them, so samples of my work will have to wait.

Here is an update to this update.  First, UW will play in the first Big Ten Football Championship game (vs MSU).  Second, I have added two photos taken with my new camera.  Niether was with the built-in flash.

Outside Decorations - 2011

The outside decor is a combination effort of both of us.  Sherri did all the indoor herself.  I carry the tree up from the basement entombment and assemble it.  Sherri decorates it.  She does much better than I do.  I lose interest very quickly and my frustation level is high.

Christmas Tree - 2011

So, Merry Christmas to all and to all, a good night!