Not a Creature was Stirring

Friday evening, all day Saturday and most of Sunday was a blizzard of wrapping and cooking and decorating in preparation for my children and grandchildren's Christmas. If you recall, I moved our Christmas to the Sunday before the actual day when my youngest started her family. I'm still not really used to it. It seems weird.

I really start preparing for Christmas a least a year ahead of time. I'm ever torn by warring sentiments. How to keep a spiritual aspect to the day, how to create something magical for the gramerlings, how to please my next to impossible to please sons, how to give good gifts, not just something for the sake of having a present to unwrap, etc., etc.

Handy Man fried a turkey, which was delicious. To accompany the turkey, was the soups I mentioned yesterday, candied carrots, cheesy potatoes, green beans, homemade pumpernickel bread, pecan pie, cheesecake and piles of fudge. Gwen brought a delicious spinach salad, and Rae-rae brought vegies and dip, Ceece contributed brownies. I also made spinach/artichoke dip, brie w/apples,pears and some shrimp.

We opened gifts at 4, ate at 5, and then had dessert and opened stockings.

It is here I wished to entertain with pictures of the calm before the storm. Alas, the pictures I downloaded two days ago to IPhoto are still no where to be found when I browse to download them here. So, instead I'll show pictures of a couple of gifts we gave.

I received the sweetest gifts from my girls this year, but that will have to wait.

Do you know what these are? If you guessed salt cellars, you are correct. Ol' Mother Hubbard says I'm a salt snob and I fear it is true. I saw a picture of these on a spice website, but they were sold out. I asked Handy Man if he thought he could make them. Well, make them he did. I think they are so beautiful. Salt of the earth kind of gift-ha, so funny.

Several people on our list received his lovely handiwork, in addition to some snobby salt.

Rae-rae wished for wood blocks for baby Giddy-up. Again I dug around for an appropriate place to put the blocks, shared it with the Mister, and here it is. So lovely. Giddy-up loved it too and I'll show you when I can find my pictures. ArrrrGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH.

On an endnote, when I'm sad, Handy Man knows to get out the Lord of the Rings movies. Don't ask, I don't know why, it's just all I can think of to do. We just finished them night before last(extended versions, of course), and yesterday the trailer comes out for the Hobbit movie. I am so excited.