My grandsons headed out with their parents to TLV Tree Farm in Gleneig, Maryland over Thanksgiving weekend and selected the perfect tree for their family. Henry, Eli and Sam all assisted with the selection, the cutting down and hauling of the tree. I love this shot of Henry taking his turn toting their magnificent find. It is going to fill their home with the earthy, fresh fragrance you just can’t get from a candle!
To help kick off the Christmas season here in the love nest, I stole a page out of my sister’s book and switched out our regular coffee mugs for Christmas mugs for the month of December. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, I enjoyed my morning latte in my new Falala mug!
In further search of holiday joy, I’m gearing up for some Christmas reading with my grandchildren. My grandsons and I are going to read Merlin Missions #16 A Ghost Tale for Christmas Time by Mary Pope Osborne, a twist on Charles Dickens’s classic, A Christmas Carol. I sent them a letter to let them know what I had chosen, along with self-addressed postcards for them to mail back to me with what they thought might make good reading snacks. I don’t believe they have ever responded quite so promptly!
Instead of Victorian London, Olivia, Emily, Elizabeth and I are going to head to New York City with Claris, The Chicest Mouse in Paris. We will help her solve a Holiday Heist, me reading and them munching their treats on their new Paris plate and cuddling their own stuffed Claris.
I don’t have a fresh cut tree to make our apartment smell holiday-ish, so I decided to start on some baking. First up was my mother’s famous date nut bread. I shared the recipe in a post last December. Chopping the dates and mixing the thick batter takes me right back to hanging around the table in Galena Township where my mom was working, trying to “help”. I put a couple of loaves in the mail to my brother Danny in honor of my mother. I still don’t think mine is quite as good as hers was, but I keep trying.
What puts you in the holiday mood? Is it the first snow fall or Christmas carols on the radio?Baking is a good start for me. And FaceTime reading with my grandchildren always puts a smile on my face. They will show me their trees and I will try to spot my favorite ornaments. I think it is time for me to start decorating. I wonder if I have enough twinkle lights…
C’est la vie.
Camp Grandma 
Another wonderful issue. So warm and sweet….a bit like a needed hug. Merry season.
Sent from my iPad
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What wonderful plans! I got a smile from the postcards the children sent back! Great idea! Holiday music and decorating puts me in the Christmas spirit. One of my favorite activities is walking at night and viewing holiday lights. We’ll do that in our neighborhood and sometimes holiday displays – when they have walking nights. None this year, but hope springs eternal for next year! I can see the children holding onto their own stuffed Claris; I expect Claris will be a treasure to them for a long time to come. Enjoy your day!
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Hi, Betty. There’s been a lot of holiday music going on in our home lately! I’m inspired by your night walks. My husband and I usually get out everyday for some exercise, but I think the next mild evening we should go for a stroll and appreciate the holiday lights and decorations. Like so many of us, I am missing my kids and grandkids horribly and trying to be grateful for FaceTime. It’s not the same as being there, but so much better than not seeing them at all. Thanks so much for reading.
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