Christmas 2021

I gave myself permission to break traditions. I don’t have to do everything. Or anything.

People kind of freak out about that. What? No tree? Am I okay? Is something wrong? Sad face, hugs and care emoticons.  Sheez. Can’t imagine being ME?

Okay, I will admit that slapping a wreath upon the door without decorating the interior of your home is ye equivalent to hiding depression behind a smile, but can we normalize being “alone” on holidays?

I’m tired of pretending life is a Hallmark movie fantasy, of silently letting others assume that I might have plans, that God forbid I wake up “alone” on Christmas morn just the same as I do on the 364 other days of the year.

Side note:  “alone” is in quotation marks because the word is defined differently by those who thrive in solitude than those who find being alone with their own self for any length of time to be unbearable misery.

Permission extends to all aspects of holiday prep. Do I need to bake cookies in all those varieties? No… one batch with grandchildren, sent home with the boys. That’s enough. I made Chex Mix with only my favorite ingredients, heavy on the peanuts.

My sweet treat for company this year will be a special pie baked in a rectangular dish, which I’ve yet to bake as I don’t know when my daughter plans to stop by, might not be until Boxing Day. She’s got her own traditions started… making memories with her children. They snuggle in for a family movie night on Christmas Eve. I suggested getting together on the 26th as their 25th is already a full day, better to enjoy a relaxed visit than a pop in and out, on to the next.

That’s part of it, letting go of old ways to make way for the new, the next generation takes the stage, does things their own way. It is a letting go of preconceived notions, of letting things just be, and being open to my own next. This is the space in-between.

Thanks for reading!

BTW, I decorated in Fishdom. It’s the only game I play, much to my grandson’s amazement. Grandma’s on level… what?

Screenshot of grandma’s game, lol.

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Salt Dough Ornaments

 

Paint and glitter day at grandma’s house.

Salt dough ornaments were made and dried in advance so they were ready to paint and decorate when the boys arrived. Their sister came later… she was out shopping with mommy.

I found the recipe here (link). Using a straw to make holes for the string works great, until it gets plugged up with dough, but a dowel rod inside the straw makes it easy to push those dough dots out.

Each child decorated four of their own to take home. I painted trees and snowman scenes.

It was fun… thanks for reading!

 

Cinnamon Ornaments

I had some homemade applesauce leftover from Thanksgiving. It had yet to mold on me so I used it to make cinnamon ornaments. I rolled some too thin, so I strung those in stacks of three… bit crude, but oh well. The twine and cast brass bells give some a “rustic” appeal.

They smell wonderful.

I’m sure there are recipe bloggers with step-by-step photos and good how-to instructions… you might want to find them. All I can do is tell you to add a squirt of white glue to some applesauce and stir in enough cinnamon to make a dough, let it rest awhile (covered so it won’t crust over) and roll it out like cookies. Bake until dry on both sides, ye 2 to 3 hours at 200 degrees.

IMPORTANT: be sure to add holes for stringing BEFORE you bake them.

Oh, measurements… ye a cup of applesauce, good tablespoon of Elmer’s white glue, and maybe 6 ounces of cinnamon? (I had three 2.37 oz bottles, dumped two in making the dough and used ye half of the third to lightly dust when rolling it out.) I also baked on parchment paper, flipping each over after the first hour. Here’s a photo showing how many that makes… please keep in mind that I did roll too many too thin. Those rolled ye 1/4 inch thick came out better.

If you like to make cinnamon ornaments, feel free to post photos or links in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!