Fa La La La La - The Sounds of the Season

Ho Ho Ho! It's that special time of year again.

♪♫  It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas  ♪♫
Everywhere you go;
Take a look in the five and ten, glistening once again
With candy canes and silver lanes aglow.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Toys in every store
But the prettiest sight to see, is the holly that will be

♪♫  On your own front door. ♪♫

I can hear the distant sound of tinkling jingle bells - smell the mouthwatering aroma of gingerbread - anticipate the twinkling colorful lights adorning every other home on my block.

Of course, it wouldn't be the holiday season without the start of those incessant advertisements everywhere you look - beckoning, pleading, guilt inducing the unprepared gift giver into parting with their hard earned dollars.

And how about those holiday carols(of which we know every word) blaring over the airwaves on local radio and drifting into our subconscious at our local Walmart?

But you know what? Though I hear the grumbles from my family, friends, coworkers and the media that it's all too soon, it doesn't bother me one bit. I've never let commercialism dictate how my family and I celebrate the holidays and special occasions.

See, I don't like pressure. Or stress. And I won't be sucked in by the Madison Avenue advertisers who strive to use their Jedi mind tricks on the weak minded and influence their buying decisions. 

I will shop where and when I want. Purchase the items I want, and not the items they deem that I can't live without. I'll put up decorations when I feel the time is right (and keep them up year round if I so please, thank you very much). I'll watch the holiday shows and movies when I'm in the mood (thanks to DVD's I'm not dependent on the scheduling decisions of some yahoos in Hollywood). I'll listen to the holiday music when I'm in the mood via either my CD's at home or bopping along in my car with the radio turned up to 10.

Because of my resolve, I bet you think I'm not a Black Friday or Cyber Monday shopper. And you'd be right! I look for bargains and shop year round. But mostly I'd rather bestow memories or provide help year-round than another meaningless chotzke, like - movie, show or sports tickets - trips such as ski weekends with our children - dates with friends - pay someone's bills (like the year I had my parent's oil tank filled) - adopting a needy family - donating to a worthy cause - newspaper and/or magazine subscriptions - giving a photo album full of cherished photos.

How about you? What's your take on this time of year and all the hoopla associated with it?

My Backyard - Marble House, Newport, RI

Ah, another day in Newport....another Mansion tour. And what a glorious one it was, too!

In a previous post, I told you about my adventures at the Breakers. I promised myself (and you, my dear reader) that I would return to Newport to visit another grand old manse. That opportunity presented itself last December. (Ok, so I'm a little slow in writing this post about it....been a bit busy....but i'm trying to catch up...honest!)

continuing on....Hubby actually brought it up. "Let's go see one of the Mansions this week," he said. "They should all be decorated for the holidays. It'll be a good time to go."

Ok....hmmm....let me think bout this...twist my arm...ummm...weeelll...Of course I'd go, and with hubby along, too? Heck yeah!

So on a cloudy, cold day we headed to Newport and chose to visit Marble House on Bellevue Avenue. We parked across the street and, after buying a ticket for hubby, we strode up to the massive entrance to the mansion. While grand, we immediately recognized that this place is nowhere near as large as the Breakers. But maybe that's okay. It actually felt a bit homier to me, more comfortable. (If you can call a large, stone mansion built in 1882 homey and comfortable.)

My Backyard - Yankee Candle Village Shop

Are you a candle person? Do you search for just the right scent to please your senses or set a mood in your home? Do you mix and match or change them up depending on the season or holiday?

Ok, I admit. That's not me. Don't get me wrong. I DO like to use scented oils and warmers to enfuse a calming, feel-good warmth throughout my home. But when I think Yankee Candle, I think wax and wicks and flames and decorative holders to retain it all. It wasn't a store I normally would find myself in, unless I was looking to buy a gift for someone else,

All that changed recently, last Halloween, when my sisters invited me to accompany them to a local Yankee Candle store. While they oohed and ahhed over the latest in the "Boney Bunch" line of items, I perused the shelves and aisles and found much more than candles. I left the store with a bag full of goodies for myself and gifts for my daughter-in-law.

That got me thinking. I had heard about a very large Yankee Candle store. A Village Shop actually. In Deerfield, MA. Not too far from me. Maybe it was time for a visit. To find out what all the talk I'd heard for years about the place was all about.

Two months later, right before Christmas, I called my sisters with my idea. Let's plan a sister outing with our mother to the Village Shop. All agreed, a short time later, we set off on the two hour ride on a cold December weekday. We chatted and laughed like families do which made the hours seem like mere minutes.

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

All Good Things Must Come to an End - And That Includes Vacation

I'm home. Back in my own old lumpy but comfy familiar bed. Surrounded by my forgiving dogs and kitty. They've gotten over their irritation with us for being gone so long. We're all back to normal, whatever that may be.

In a previous post I mentioned how our vaca was in 2 parts: first we visited oldest son in the Orlando area and then we visited youngest son and his family in the FL panhandle. We were relieved to see that the grandchildren were very happy to see us! Of course, not unexpectedly, the first words out of their mouths was something along the lines of "What you got for us in your luggage?" After all, our 4 year old grandson thinks hubby is "Papa Claus".

My Backyard - Waterfire; Providence, RI

Friday night. Date night with hubby. Nice to be out, just enjoying ourselves and not worrying or agonizing over our unemployment situation. The road of romance led to Providence. The downtown Providence Place Mall to be exact. We arrived thankfully before the evening onslaught of holiday shoppers.

First stop: Macy's. Always reliable store to purchase gifts for the family party yankee swap this weekend. Hubby and I found 2 perfect gifts in our price point and moved on. Next up: Bed Bath and Beyond. We've gone back and forth about trading in our old dependable Tassimo for the popular Keurig coffee maker. (I've been inconsolable ever since Starbucks jumped ship and joined forces with the K-cup.) We hemmed and hawed and finally gave in. Luckily, I had some of those pretty blue 20% off coupons and handed them to the cashier to save some $. Our Christmas gift to each other this year was now in hand.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.....

Christmas. It’s coming. Some say it comes earlier every year. Now you know that isn’t really true. Christmas falls on December 25 every year. But retailers are coming after us and our holiday budgeted dollars earlier every year. Or maybe it just feels that way.

So I’m sitting in a hospital waiting room (more on that in a later post) watching the tv to pass the time. The Today Show is on. They’re running a segment about stores and hot toys children will be begging for this year.  Main topic: “What are retailers’ plans for Black Friday?”