Sweet Raccoon Face

 The fact human beings are all so different is one of the things that  makes them so precious.

For instance, of my four sisters, every single one has a slew of different talents.

Barb, who was the third born, is a marvelous artist.

That girl just has immense artistic talent.

Another sister loves nature and has a wonderful way with animals, including wild ones!

She has fed raccoons for years with no catastrophic results. 

She's like a queen of the forest!

For Christmas, Barb made my other sister a sign with the number of her house on it.

Also on the sign, she painted the raccoon face that is shown at the top of this post.

It is so totally adorable. She did a great job.

Don't hide your talents under a rock. 

Share them, like Barb did, with others.

A Village in Miniature

Wouldn't you love to shrink down to two inches tall and walk through the village shown in this post?

It is set up in an entire room in my niece, Amy's house!

Her handy husband, Jeff, helped build shelves on which to arrange the buildings.

 What a village it is!

The streets are safe and it looks like a great place to live!

There are so many houses and other buildings to look at and imagine opening doors and walking in.

Hope you enjoy this little peek into the land of Lilliput!

A Talented Decorator and Hostess...

My niece, Amy, has a special knack for baking, cooking, and decorating. 

She and her husband, Jeff,  hosted Christmas Eve this year.  

 

Even though staying home because of COVID seems to be over, we had below freezing temps and icy, slushy, slippery roads.

Many family members and friends still made it to the party.

Amy had a few new and very big purchases this year. 

One of them was a huge nutcracker with big blue eyes that moved back and forth. 

 Music from the Nutcracker ballet came from him, too. 

He stood at attention,  about seven feet tall!

He was the tallest Nutcracker some of the guests had ever seen inside a house and definitely the most unique.

 My niece bought a great big Santa, too!

He was a rather dapper, nice looking fella.

 Amy's wonderful holiday decor and hospitality made Christmas Eve very special.

If you like taking a peek into a home decorated to the hilt for the holidays, come on back another day. We'd love to have you visit again.

 

"Oh, Come Let Us Adore Him..."

Attending a beautiful Mass in a church in western Massachusetts happened to be one of the highlights of Christmas weekend, 2022.

Dozens of gorgeous poinsettias in different colors filled the altar and made a spectacular sight.

Baby Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, as well as a few other visitors, nestled in the middle of the plants.

 Oh, it was all so ethereal!

Those who decorated did a stellar job. 

White lights illuminated green garlands with red bows and everywhere one looked, there was beauty.

At the end of Mass, all bright overhead lights went off. 

Only white Christmas lights and candles illuminated the darkness.

Soon, a special guest came slowly down the darkened aisle. 

Santa, Himself, paid the church a visit.

He knelt before the figure of the Baby Jesus and brought tears to the eyes of many people in the pews watching the scene unfold.

Seeing Him near the Christ Child figure turned out to be a clear reminder of the real reason for the entire Christmas season.

Attending Mass is always a wonderful way to give honor and thanks to the little Lord Jesus for all the good things He continues to bring to our lives. 

Now, Christmas 2022 is over, but so many good things that transpired will be among "forever memories."

WHAT WAS ONE OF YOUR UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES OF CHRISTMAS WEEKEND?

The King of Peace

Today, Christians throughout the world celebrate the birth of the Christ Child.

The little King of Peace brings all good things to our weary world.

 In the most humble of beginnings, He brought light and goodness, gentleness and love.

Even today, if we follow Him, we have a solution to all problems, balm for hurting hearts, and warmth and love wherever we go.

 Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus!

Today, while we celebrate His birth, may we sing, enjoy food and drink,  be joyful, and feel the presence of the newborn King!

No number of presents, appetizers, or even full course meals can beat the joy that Jesus brings to human hearts.  

He is the essence of true, meaningful happiness.

I wish you a most blessed of Christmases to all who celebrate it.

Sweet Decorating Touches for Christmas

It's so much fun to go into someone's home at Christmas time and find decor to match the joy of the holiday.

My cousin, Marianne, loves Christmas and her apartment reflects that. Everywhere one looks, there is something whimsical to see.

(Check out the first post about how she does a tree decorated with many different kinds of faux birdies. If you missed it and would like to see it, go to this link:   http://writingstraightfromtheheart.blogspot.com/2022/12/a-christmas-tree-with-birdies-and-more.html      )

In today's post, we are going to release some of Marianne's whimsical and beautiful decor for your perusal. 

 

Here's an early MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and all your family and friends. 

 Many warm, holiday thanks to Marianne for allowing us all to take a peek into her apartment that is all ready for the holidays!

A Christmas Tree with Birdies and More

Imagine a Christmas tree with birdies among the ornaments, feathers tucked alongside the green tree branches.

 It is a truly lovely idea.

 My cousin, Marianne, has amassed many little faux birdies throughout the years and she puts them all on her unique Christmas tree.

Marianne has a wonderful knack for year-round decorating but the apartment is especially beautiful at Christmas time.

It is charming and festive enough to look like something out of a magazine. 

 She tends to the tiniest touches. 

We have great cousin chats over sweetbreads, cookies, and delicious coffee.

For our Christmas visit this year, we even had delicious sausage links and buttered toast with ginger spread that was a gift to her from one of her sons and daughter-in-law.

My daughter sent over some of her sugar cookies which added to the tastie offerings.

Having a dear cousin who shares one's history, and  times together, are special blessings in life.

Hope you enjoy seeing Marianne's totally adorable and darling  birdie Christmas tree and getting a peek at the holiday treats.

Wish I could share them with you.

She also okayed showing on this blog other decorations in her apartment so stay tuned for additional posts, if that is something that interests you!

The "Keeper" Angel

 Some gifts are total keepers.

When one moves, even to a temporary place, those kinds of gifts come along.

Such is the case with the little lighted angel, shown in this post.

The angel was a gift from the heart of my long-time friend, Jana.

There is a timer so angel friend lights up accordingly. 

She came with a package of different colored hearts which can be selected for the season or just the desire of the gift recipient.

This month, since it's the Christmas season, it was a toss up whether to use the green or the red heart.

Since a decision couldn't be made, I ended up using both!

Merry Christmas to all!

Santa in Shades of Pink

 A lot of people consider pink the color of choice.

It picks up the spirit and whirls it around like a merry-go-round. 

For decades, each Christmas season used to signal looking for Santa figures whenever shopping took place.

Those dressed in pink were  especially treasured when found and thrift shops often became places where one or two could be discovered.

No more.

Nope,  the Santa collection had to be massively cut down.

Some of the Santas have been given away and others still make the cut to be packed in plastic storage bins after Christmas.

This year, the small Santa dressed in pink made it to the top of a bookshelf.

He's a dapper looking fellow, guaranteed to fetch a smile or two from onlookers.

Keep Up the Good Work

The title of this post is "Keep Up the Good Work."

It is titled that with keeping a good attitude in mind.

It's true that if the attitude in the morning is one of gratefulness and hope, the whole day follows suit.

Each day is, after all, a gift that not everyone gets.

Even in this time of terrific transition, if an attitude of gratitude is maintained, the day is good.

Thinking of all the beloved readers of this blog and yes, I hope you "keep up the good work!" 

Each of you is very precious to me!

 

Snow, Snow, and More Snow

It looks quite snowy outside.

Big flakes are falling from the sky and swirling around.

The huge storm that caused all schools around here to be closed today didn't happen last night.

 Looks like it's happening now.

It's cozy inside, though, and coffee calls.

I hope you have a great Friday!