Holiday Musings

I don't know why I can get some of these animated GIFs to animate and not others...for instance this lovely strand of lights is having a fine time twinkling on the WebPage - why not here?? I do have one that will work, but I'm saving it for next week.

Meanwhile, do you know this man? This is our poor bus boy Andrew, after his roommate slammed him in the face with a base ball bat. Accidentally of course. A broken nose, six stitches and a black eye were the result. He looked so good with that new hair cut, too....

I hope everyone is having a relaxing and warm December so far - we are pretty far into the Christmas Season at this point and there's not much time left to "be ready for Christmas". To keep me going, I have been enjoying a frequent "MoCo", which Kevin has been making for me whenever I whine for one - we made a cocoa syrup to use for hot cocoa, and with a little of that and a mug of hot coffee, you've got one tasty hot beverage, especially in the middle of the lunch rush when you need that little "pick me up" to keep you smiling. The whipped cream on top is mandatory.

We've been having a huge success with the seasonal ice cream sandwich - pumpkin ice cream in a snappy ginger cookie. This will be followed by eggnog ice cream in the same cookie, and next we'll see a chocolate mint cookie with either vanilla or peppermint ice cream. It's hard to say no to an ice cream sandwich.

On the home front, it is marmalade time and this year Kevin has made Meyer Lemon Marmalade. Those lucky individuals who find it in their Christmas box will be the envy of the neighborhood breakfast bunch. It's a beautiful lemon (imagine that?) yellow, with a sweet, mellow yet tart flavor. It will make an excellent spread for our Christmas breakfast toast this year, I am sure.

I'm supposed to be working on the house accounts here in the office, so I better get to it. Here's hoping that the Spirit of the Season has found you all - these hectic weeks leading up to one day are easy to rush through; the time to enjoy the full effects that this season of the year has to offer may seem a luxury, but try. Stop and smell the evergreens. Do a drive through town to look at the lights. Make a MoCo and sip it on the back porch under the stars - it's supposed to be clear the next few nights, with snow on the weekend! Watch "A Christmas Carol". Make a popcorn strand for the birds. Have a bonfire in the firepit and bundle the kids up to toast marshmallows. Hunt for some mistletoe. Lay a seasonal swag on a loved ones grave. Drink Champagne while you do it! What ever you do, enjoy the entire season. It's more than just a day. It's Winter.