Making Spirits Bright

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I saw a thing on Facebook that made me laugh.  It said, “It only snows in November because people decorate early for Christmas.” Blame me if you wish, but we needed to brighten things up over this way! 

There has been a lot going on in my life, some of which I have shared and some I have kept to myself. We’re all processing a variety of emotions. With the passing of my sister-in-law, there is an extra bit of sadness. Like the song says, “We need a little Christmas!” So we decided to put up the Christmas tree this weekend.

The older the kids get, the more fun this becomes. Andrew was just a couple months old last year, so he was especially excited to see the tree and the lights. He and Ella both “helped” handing me lights. They were both extra giddy.

I had the lights plugged in as I walked around the tree with them. That way I could make sure they were placed evenly and all areas has the proper amount of lights.

Andrew, as you know, is everywhere. He gets into everything! So we debated waiting until closer to Christmas to put ornaments on the tree. We also debated not putting any on at all. We did decide to put the tree topper on, and Andrew was the perfect helper!

My dad commented on a picture of the tree on Facebook. He said he was taking bets on who was going to know the tree down – Ella, Andrew, or the cat! For the record, the cat has yet to get near the tree, which is really odd.

We brought up the baby gate and set it around the tree. It’s the “look, but don’t touch” gate. The kids can still touch it, but the probability of the tree coming down is a lot less.

I decided that certain ornaments had to go up on the tree. As ridiculous as it looks, all the ornaments are on the tree from about a foot higher than the top of the baby gate and up to the top. In total, there are maybe 12-20 ornaments on there.

Every year, we got to Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth to get an ornament that represents a big even from the year. We got one for our engagement, or marriage, the birth of both kids, etc. We went early this year and at the time, didn’t really have an “event” to get an ornament for. We opted instead for a plaque for the door with a snowman family on it.

When my sister-in-law, Grace, passed away I decided I was going to get Sam and her folks a memorial ornament for the tree. I had seen a few designs in the Bronner’s catalog, and chose this one.

I had hoped to save it until closer to Christmas to give it to Sam, but I can’t control my face. Let me explain.

I took the kids with me to Bronner’s on a day Sam was home sleeping. I kept the ornaments in my car so she wouldn’t see them. Then a day or two later, she was getting ready for work and said, “I was thinking about getting a Christmas ornament with Grace’s name on it for my mom.”

I must have stood there dumbfounded. My face obviously giving away that I had already done it. Instead of just saying, “That’s a great idea. We should do that.” I knew that she would just go and do it. So I walked out to the car and brought inside.

I’m glad it’s inside and I’m glad it is on the tree. Grace already has a special place in our hearts, and now she will have a special place on our tree every year.

If my tree being up brings snow your way, I’m sorry. We needed something help brighten the season, even if it is early.

Another thing I saw on Facebook this week said, “Don’t you just love it when the Christmas tree is the only light in the room?”

Yes. Yes, I do!

Published by nostalgicitalian

I'm just a guy who likes the classics. I love Old Time Radio Shows. I love Classic TV. I love Classic Movies. I love songs from the "Great American Songbook". I dig songs from the first decade of Rock and Roll. Don't get me wrong, I am not opposed to newer things. My musical taste ranges from Classical to Classic Rock and Country to Rap. I love a good book and am always looking for something to read. I tend to lean toward historical fiction, biographies, mysteries, and more. I have always believed that our past (and the things we've experienced in it) make us who we are today. That being said, after reading through some old My Space blogs (yeah, that's about how long it's been since I blogged regularly), I decided that I should once again write. Welcome to my blog. I hope you find it interesting, thought provoking, and entertaining in some way. CONTACT ME AT - nostalgicitalian@yahoo.com

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24 thoughts on “Making Spirits Bright”

  1. Christmas trees go up whenever the family needs them. So yours got there just in time, Keith! There is no ‘too early’. This was your time. I love the special ‘Grace-Bauble’ you got made. That’s a beautiful idea to remember a loved one, both now and in years to come. We haven’t had snow here. It’s been very mild here in Scotland, which is all the better, because our boiler has just broken down, so we have no heating and no hot water. I’m waiting for the plumber to arrive. The way things are going, Santa might arrive sooner…

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    1. Sorry to read about your boiler, Britta! Not a good time for that. I certainly hope they fix it in sooner than later.

      We had a dusting the other day, but it’s gone already. Might get an inch Tuesday. I’m regretting not getting out when it was 70 the other day to get the outside lights up.

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      1. The plumber did turn up and was able to fix it. I know, this sounds too good to be true… We’ve got it very mild here just now. No snow in sight. Although, now that I’ve said this, we’ll probably be snowed under by tomorrow…

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      2. One of my all time favorite movies!! I want to see the sequel, but I don’t think I have the service it will stream on.

        There is a group on Facebook where the cast is active. Grover Dill kind of runs it. I guess they are doing something big in Cleveland for the new film next week.

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      3. Me too! I love to watch it any time of year. I want to see the sequel too, but I don’t have the right streaming service either. Hopefully they’ll make it available to the rest of us soon.

        Watch out for those bumpus hounds. 😄

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      7. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame looks like a pretty great visit too! I bet it was neat to see The House. ☺️. I think it would be neat to visit both places. Sounds like a really nice trip ☺️

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