Happy Holidays to you! Last I wrote, we were planning to spend Christmas Eve and day with my son and his family. We haven’t had the pleasure of watching the girls experience Santa and all of the related excitement. Alas, it was not to be. My son and his wife came down with the bug and were feeling ill. It was decided that each family would have separate Christmas celebrations in an effort to squash this virus we keep passing back and forth. We will go see the kids when given the all clear. We did FaceTime on Christmas Day and it looked like they were doing well enough. My DIL was on the couch trying hard to get well since she has to be at work today.
This year I made a strong effort to limit the use of paper when wrapping gifts. The challenge was actually quite fun and a bit success.
Here are a few of the gifts I wrapped using either holiday gift bags I made this fall or large pieces of fabric as wrapping paper. The gifts looked really cute under the tree.
Check out the small pile of paper on the right. Often times we fill a large trash bag with paper on Christmas morning. Granted there were only the three of us here, but this is still a huge improvement. On the left you see the stack of bags, folded fabric and ribbons all ready for next year. Hopefully next year I will have more gift bags made so when my husband wraps his gifts he won’t have to use paper. At any rate, I call this a success.
Ray was the baker for our Christmas dessert this year. He made these incredible eclairs. The ganache and the whipped cream filling were both dairy free. I was so impressed.
The week before Christmas the girls went to visit Santa. When asked what she wanted, little sister replied “a box with stripes and polka dots and a purple bow”. Santa told her ‘he would see what he could do’. These words from Santa so impressed A and she repeated them to me verbatim several times. She was focused on that box and even before her visit with Santa, she only asked for that exact box.
My daughter in law really wanted Santa to come through on his promise. Not finding any striped and polka dotted boxes, she made her own with stickers. I love this so much – making A’s Christmas wish come true. By the time they unwrapped these gifts on Christmas morning, little sister was so overwhelmed by everything that big sister had to open these for her. But I know she will remember that she got just the box she wanted.
The weather has been fierce for much of the country lately. I am holding good thoughts for those who have been impacted by the tragic storms in the Northeast. Not comparable at all, but still interesting, was the ice storm that happened recently. My husband took this picture of our rain chain. Two days after this storm the temps climbed to 50 degrees and everything melted off.
Today I am meeting a girlfriend for breakfast. We were really good friends in the 1980’s. Somehow we lost track of each other but with the help of the internet I found her last year. We have been chatting on the phone regularly since then. She doesn’t live up here but happens to be visiting family about 40 miles from me. I am so excited to see her! We think it has been 30 years since we last were together. Off to get ready for my date!
Wishing everyone a year of joy, good health and loads of creativity in 2023!
I’m so sorry sickness waylaid your Christmas gathering, but it looks like it all went as well as it could. Love the pic of the girls with Santa, and A’s request – aww. Love it, and then mom makes it happen. Great Christmas memories. We have yet to celebrate Christmas since hubs and I decided to share a bout of Covid. Thankfully it’s been fairly mild, but we are so ready to be done with it.
Oh no! Covid – that’s not fair. You both already had that. Are you done isolating pretty soon??
Are you going to have a delayed celebration with your kids?
Feel better soon Wendy. 🙂
Hi Bernie,
I really enjoy reading your blog. I can see through your writings, you have a wonderful gift. I’m going to make some gift bags, I do have some Christmas fabric somewhere in my stash! Great idea.
I was very impressed with your husband’s baking! The eclair looked delicious! Your granddaughters look very nice with Santa.
Happy and blessed New Year to you and family.
Gloria Herrera
Gloria – so nice to hear from you!
The gift bags are great and you can make them in whatever size works for the piece of fabric you have.
I hope the new year treats you well! Take care. 🙂
The girls are adorable and Santa looks pretty cute, too. Sorry you couldn’t be there on Christmas morning, but hopefully, everyone will be feeling better soon, and you will be able to visit them.
Thanks Janice. It will all work out. I am hoping to see the kids over New Year’s. We’ll see!
Happy New Year!!
Bernie, I’m so sorry the Crud messed up your holiday plans. It kept one of my kids away, too, and the other got stuck at home behind closed highways. Thank goodness for Facetime and Zoom! Such an adorable photo of your two littles with Santa. I loved the story of the special box they wanted – so sweet! Wishing you a healthy and happy New Year!
It seems like this is the Christmas where either weather or virus kept families apart. Sigh. I am glad you got to share some time with FaceTime. That is such a great way to visit. Wishing you a year of joy in 2023.
Oh wow, how wonderful to reconnect with a friend. I hope you have a lovely date together! And I’m sorry that your son and DIL were under the weather for Christmas. I hope she is feeling better and that going back to work today doesn’t set her back on recovery. And what an amazing request and fulfillment for A. Sounds like a very Merry Christmas, even if you had to celebrate a bit more separately than hoped for.
Oh my gosh Yvonne! We had the best visit today. It was like no time had passed at all! I am so happy to have her back in my life again. We were such good friends for a long while.
I hope you and Michael had a great holiday this week. Happy New Year to you!
Loved all your stories. The story about the box and her mom making her wish come true brought a tear to my eye. Christmas memories for sure!
Thanks Nikki. Haven’t chatted with you in a while. I hope you are doing well!
I was so touched that my DIL took time to make a striped and polka dotted box. It was so perfect!
Good job on the fabric bags! The girls are too cute and what a great purple bow box memory! Hope all are feeling better soon 🥰
Thanks Pam. I think the family is on its way back to good health. Crossing my fingers!!! I also love the purple bow box story. It was so darn sweet. She had no idea she might ask for something to be inside that fancy box!
That eclair looks heavenly! Sorry your plans were derailed, but better to be safe. Love the polka dot box story.
I think I commented on your fabric bags on the last post after I read this post – lol! I’m so impressed with Ray’s eclair – that is one of my favorite things to eat – and with your DIL’s “wish come true” boxes for your granddaughter. Wishing you and your family good health and happiness for 2023.
I am sorry you didn’t get to spend Christmas I hope you have kicked that bug to the curb with your isolation. I love the box story and the boxes that your daughter in law made for her…perfect. What fun that you saw a friend from 40 years ago…I did that when a grade school friend was in Maine and it was great fun to see her again, like no time had passed. We managed to travel while the weather was coming up the east coast, getting to NJ for a night, before PA. It all worked out…but boy that 50 degree drop in temp was something!
I love the idea of making reusable gift bags! I never thought about the wrapping paper waste before. I always reuse the boxes, ribbons, bows and sometimes the tissue paper. I love the photo with Santa.