The End of Pumpkin Palooza
Well, it’s over- Thanksgiving Day is kind of like the closing ceremony for Pumpkin Palooza. (In case you missed it, Pumpkin Palooza is an entirely made up “festival” that only my sister and I celebrate- although we’re always encouraging others to join in.) Since I get out my fall decorations promptly on September 1st, you’d think I’d be getting a little tired of them. It’s true- compared to the brightly colored, sparkly Christmas decorations, the fall things look so drab and… brown. But still- I’m sad it’s over. This week with my son home was so nice, and it’s hard to say goodbye to him. I know- he’ll be back in three weeks, and that vacation is even longer. But… Thanksgiving of 2022 is over forever, and it makes me sad. I know the remedy for this is simply to forge ahead. Get all those pumpkins put away! Get the Christmas decorations up! I absolutely love Christmas, and the house is so pretty and cozy with the tree and all the lights up. And, I have a few new things. Last year I shared my Christmas mug collection. I’m happy to report that I did get rid of a couple I don’t use anymore… but then I got a new one. I couldn’t help it! I love the design, it’s the right size and fits comfortably in my hand. Here it is yesterday for the first Christmas-y breakfast of the year (gingerbread oatmeal): Another collection I have is my Christmas cozy socks. Again, I really didn’t need another pair, but couldn’t resist these new ones: And, here’s something old, but also new. Last year I also wrote about this nativity scene set of wax figures that my mom always put on our mantle. We had it as far back as I can remember, which means it’s at least as old as the 1960s (and possibly older than that- who knows how long my mom had it.) Well anyway, as we were putting it out this weekend, my son joked, “Should we light it?” What??? NO, of course not! They’re not CANDLES! And he replied, “Well, this one has a wick.” Sure enough- the angel has a wick, which I never noticed before (I think it must have been pressed down against her head, and my son pulled it up.) Do they ALL have wicks? This was an alarming thought, because that just seems… very wrong. We checked, but Jesus, Mary, and Joseph have no wicks, phew. But that leads me to believe that the angel was not originally part of this set, which was a little disconcerting- I always thought they went together. And also… who would want to light that angel? What an odd thing. Do you have a hard time making the transition when something ends? Or are you eager to move on to the next thing? Is your house decorated for Christmas? #nablopomo2022 – we’re in the home stretch!