Christmas yesterday and today

I love this picture, it reminds me of my childhood when I had an overwhelming amount of gifts each year. I was the only child of my middle aged parents who married later in life. My mother was a widow with seven children and my father had one son from a previous marriage. By the time I can remember, all my brothers and sisters were all married and had families and everyone bought me a Christmas present. Not to mention the presents purchased by doting parents. Woo hoo!

However, that is also the reason I preferred limiting the amount of gifts my children received when they were small. Rather than being wonderful, I remember feeling overwhelmed by it all. Although, I wouldn't mind being overwhelmed by gifts as an adult. :)

I was watching a perfume commercial on TV last night and it reminded me of the perfumes I received as Christmas gifts over my teenage years (from my mother). There were two primary perfumes I used as a teen, the first being Heaven Scent and later I used Musk oil. I can still remember the scents! I also used Wind Song off and on...remember any of those? As a young married, I wore Channel #19 a lot. Later I preferred (and still do) using Tresor. I loved receiving Tresor as a gift again recently. What memories that perfume commercial brought back (I believe it was a Channel #5 commercial).

When I was a teenager, Seventeen magazine still gave charm courses at local department stores. Of course, that was when the department stores also had tea rooms. That was also when Disney would not let Annette show her belly button on the beach movies, hehehe. How things have changed.

Back to Christmas this year...I had most of my baking done but I wanted to make something "with pecans" for my husband's Christmas Eve dessert. My daughter and I were chatting about recipes this morning and she gave me a wonderful pecan bar recipe over the phone (which, thankfully, I had everything I needed to make). I was able to whip it up as soon as I hung up talking to her. I am certain my husband will love it. I decided to make the pumpkin pie tomorrow afternoon, if nothing else to have the aroma of "Holiday" in the air (there is something about pumpkin pie that says celebration to me).

My son purchased a few small gifts for the family who has meant so much to him. He gave his friend one of the electronic gadgets he owned that he knew he would like. I was touched that he used the small Christmas bonus he received ($25.00) to purchase a Starbucks gift card for the mom, a Border's gift card for a paperback book for one of the younger sisters (along with his copy of the first in a series he knew she would like by Lloyd Alexander), and a box of chocolates along with other "penny candies" for the youngest sister. I sent the big tin of puppy chow with him and put together a box of the Tulip Time brownies, along with the pecan bars for them. With only the three of us here tomorrow evening, it seemed a nice idea to share some of the sugar goodies with them (and it keeps me from eating too many!). I was touched that he cared enough to give them gifts like that. I told him later that their mom may not appreciate the fact I put her children on a sugar high. :)

This year, I'm getting my daughter something small in January that I will send along with my granddaughter's birthday present. My son is getting his Christmas present in February. I will include "something extra" in my son-in-law's birthday card in April. Some people have the twelve days of Christmas. This year, I'm extending it a few months.

The decorations are up, the music is lovely, I have food for a great dinner. I just do not have cash this year for gifts and we cannot go into debt. So...I give IOUs!

Now, I am off to brew a lovely pot of tea and read some more of Evasions, the third in the Oxford Chronicles by Melanie Jeschke. It is due back at the library soon. I'll write a real review of it later in the week but I'll give you a peek by saying...each book she writes is better than the last (and I loved the first two).