Those lovely times at Christmas

Christmas time in those delightful days of the past through ads and other images by Roger Wilkerson, Norman Rockwell, Stevan Dohanos and others.

Shopping

Wrapping

Decorating

The Eve and The Day

It happens every year and we expect it everytime.

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Shared at Grace at Home nº448 in Imparting Grace

The Immaculate - Solemnity

Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?

Song of Solomon 6:10 DRB

In a day like today, so many years ago, when I was a little baby just some months old, it was my Christening Day. And in what day was it? On the day of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

The ones who are interested in learn about it can read it here: Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Thanks be to God.

Image 1 - The Immaculate Conception / Tiepolo

Image 2 - The Immaculate Conception of El Escorial / Murillo

St. Nicholas Day

Do you know who was St. Nicholas, the one who inspired the Father Christmas image ? The one who some call Santa Claus or just Santa ? He was St. Nicholas of Myra, also known as St. Nicholas of Bari. He was born on 15 of March  270 and died on the 6 of December 343. He was a Bishop from Myra, in Asia Minor. Through him God made so many miracles that he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker.

See this: 

• Upon hearing that a local man had fallen on such hard times that he was planning to sell his daughters into prostitution, Nicholas went by night to the house and threw three bags of gold in through the window, saving the girls from an evil life. These three bags, gold generously given in time of trouble, became the three golden balls that indicate a pawn broker’s shop.
• He raised to life three young boys who had been murdered and pickled in a barrel of brine to hide the crime. These stories led to his patronage of children in general, and of barrel-makers besides.
• Induced some thieves to return their plunder. This explains his protection against theft and robbery, and his patronage of them – he’s not helping them steal, but to repent and change. In the past, thieves have been known as Saint Nicholas’ clerks or Knights of Saint Nicholas.
• During a voyage to the Holy Lands, a fierce storm blew up, threatening the ship. He prayed about it, and the storm calmed – hence the patronage of sailors and those like dockworkers who work on the sea.

https://catholicsaints.info/saint-nicholas-of-myra/

So, next time you think about Father Christmas, or Santa Claus or Santa, remember St. Nicholas, who helped so many people on his time on Earth.

Happy ThanksGiving

It's Thanksgiving Day.

It's not from my culture to celebrate it because I am not american but it means a lot to me because when I and my husband were not married yet, and he wanted to get closer to me and know me better, it came to his mind to arrange a Thankgiving lunch so he could invite me. So he did and I accepted unaware of what was in his mind. It was a long time ago.

But did you know that the first Thanksgiving was not made by the Puritans ? Let's then remember the real First Thankgiving. 

"Blaring trumpets and thundering serenaded Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés as he waded ashore on September 8, 1565. The Spanish admiral kissed a cross held aloft by the fleet's captain, Father Francisco Lopez, then claimed Florida for both his God and his country. As curious members of the indigenous Timucua tribe looked on, the 800 newly arrived colonists gathered around a makeshift altar as Father Lopez performed a Catholic Mass of thanksgiving for their safe arrival in the newly christened settlement of St. Augustine. At the invitation of Menéndez, the Timucuans then joined the newcomers in a comunal meal.

Some Florida historians have argued that this feast - and not the one held 56 years later by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags in Plymouth, Massachusetts - was actually North America's First Thanksgiving. It was the first community act of religion and thanksgiving in the first permanent settlement in the land", wrote University of Florida Professor Emmeritus of History Michael Gannon in his book The Cross in the Sand."

(https://myfloridahistory.org/frontiers/article/140 )

Anyway, as most in America celebrate it today, let's give thanks for everything Our Lord gives us.

Have your turkey with your family and friends and have a very happy Thanksgiving Day.

Happy ThanksGiving

It's Christmas time !

I have longing for writing a post about Christmas. Each year, as Summer ends, when I think of Christmas, I don't allow myself to develop much, only on the 27 or 28 of October I go in Christmas mode. 

So, this year, it was not even midday of the 27, I decided that the season was open and began singing Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, first in my mind, as I was at work, but then when I arrived at home, I began singing at the top of my lungs.

It was Christmas in my soul!

And since then I have been thinking about it and planning and dreaming. Things that I will buy for my children and others, things I will buy for me and for the home, which improvements I will do in the house, which wrapping papers I still have and which ones I will buy. And strings and bows. 

And what about the food, what will I make ?

Will it be very cold in  the Christmas day or warmer ? Will it rain ?

And my mind flies, happy, dreaming of all those nice things.

I must clarify that, in this corner of the world, we haven't Thanksgiving and Halloween is a foreigner idea which has nothing to do with our culture, even if the shops explore the idea to their own profit, with lots of people embarking in celebration of witches day.

Anyway, from the middle of the Autumn I begin living the pre-Christmas days. And what joy that is.

I will keep posting about that happiness till we arrive at the day.

It's Autumn

 

It's Autumn. It feels so good to say that. It's Autumn...

To think that Summer has gone it's such a relief to my soul. I really don't like it. I don't feel well in the heat, the sun is too bright and gives me head aches, the air is dry and as if it was not enough, the display of half naked people all around disgusts me. Too much body showing around, which is at the same time immoral and unaesthetic.

But now it ended. 

All over the floor there are fallen leaves blowing with the breaze. Oh, good times with in this nice weather.

I'm happy.

First the Autumn came so nicely in the end of September. Then it went away again. Usually by the middle of October the time is really nice with down temperatures. I always have tights and a coat from the 15 of October on. But not this year. It was not hot but it was not cool either. I didn't like it. But then, in the end of October, that glorious month, the Autumn came back in full swing. Now I'm happy. First it rained for some days and now we have blue skies and a nice sun.

The temperatures are going down. Today, for the first time, I wore my coat, a short one, but it's a coat. Everything is in its place.

This blog doesn't do Halloween

 

The Christmas Planner

It's all right, you don't need a fancy or expensive planner. Let it to the perfectionists out there, what you need is to have a place where you will plan your Christmas time, with all it has, in a calm way and early so you will not be overwhelmed.

Notice that I didn't name this post: How to make a Christmas Planner.

I really don't like when people, just posting about something they managed to make, name the post in a pompous way as if they were an authority about anything. It would be nicer just to say like that: How I did...(something) and not How to do... (something). Usually I don't read posts that begin that way. But that it's probably just me who does that and who doesn't mind to say it, not minding if I am stepping on some one's toes.

So, let's begin.

We just need a notepad or exercise book to write our plans on. And a pen or pencil. And maybe a rubber. And if you want to make it prettier you may want to have a ruler and nice colour pencils or pens. But that it's just if you want, not that you have to do it. It all depends on the personality of who is doing it, the time she has to spend on it and so on. So, don't be a perfectionist, which is never good, and be practical.

I will tell you how I do it and you will decide how you will do yours. Maybe you would like to take some ideas from mine or all or none. Each one of you are in charge of your own Planner.

I take an exercise book or some loose sheets and put it in a dossier, it depends on each year, I don't do always the same way. This year I didn't decide yet which way I will go but I think it will be the exercise book that I will have.

Anyway, in a place or in another, the most important is the content.

So let's think that it will be the exercise book that I will choose.

On the first page I will write, very proud of myself, Christmas Planner.

Then I will write the names of each one of my darlings to whom I will buy gifts, on the top of each page. Then I will write, in each line, real or imaginary one, what I have bought or what I will. Many times I have ideas in my mind, I write them and as I buy each one I put a tick in front of it.
Don't forget we must write the sizes of each person, either on the page of each person or on another where you put all together with the title Sizes.

On the back of each page I will write the amount I spent on each thing and I will keep adding each time I buy something.

When I bought already everything for that person I see how much I spent with her. Obviously I know, beforehand, which amount I plan to spend on that person. I always spend more with my girls than with any other person.

I count how many people I will buy presents for and, let's imagine, if I have twelve people, I count the same amount of pages, I write the names on top of each and I move to another section.

Now there is a page where I write what I'm spending in the whole, no matter with whom. I write : Spent in Presents.

Then on another page I write: Spent on Food. 

And on another: Spent On Other Things - meaning: not presents or food, just wrapping paper, bows, napkins and everything connected with Christmas.

Then it comes another part that I like very much: the list of things I will cook and bake and the ingredients I will buy. Each kind has a different page, one for food I will cook, another for the things I will bake. Another for the ingredients.

Then I make a calendar with days and hours of what I will need to do to have everything bought and done on time.

I began with One Month Before. Then I have another with Three Weeks Before. And so on. I will have one with 23 December. Another will have 24 December and another with 25 December. Also with the 26. If you are British or in any way related with them, you will have one with the 26: Boxing Day. If you are Portuguese you will have the 24 as a very special day too. It all depends on the culture of each person. 

On the pages for the days 24 and 25, I plan with times for each thing, like 7 o'clock or 6.30, depends, wake up to put the presents ready for being opened before Mass. At a certain time: get ready for Mass. And so on. This for the 25. For the 24 I write at what time I will begin peeling the potatoes for dinner, at what time I will make the soup and so on.

Each person knows what she has to do and must plan what time she begins to do each thing that will be eaten and when.

Another thing is that you may want to plan what you and the children will dress for Christmas and what needs to be done with that.

If you are traveling that time you need to plan the steps you will need to do for that.

And what about your self care ? To book the threading for your eyebrows ? Or the beautician who will wax your legs. The hairdresser ? That kind of things. And don't forget to write what you will pay for it in the section Spent On Other Things. Be careful, those are dangerous fields, plan ahead what you will spend on it and what are the prices before doing it.

I think by now you know the idea. 

The first step is to have your materials ready and to think what you will need to do for Christmas and to write all of that. Never mind if it doesn't end as a work of art, the important is to get organized so you will have peace all this time till Christmas - and after.

It's very important that you keep track of your expenses ! Be careful with that.

Add also a page in the end of everything to write anything about Christmas after it is gone, maybe it will be useful on the next one. Maybe something you will want to improve or just something like: thanks God, it all went so well. Praise the Lord!

And now let's begin with the first step: to think what to do, which materials to choose and what needs to be done. Just as thoughts, let your mind wonder. 

Next step is to take action. Don't procrastinate, please take action, you will feel so much better, you will feel happy with yourself. You can do it, just begin and everything will be in the right place.

Take something to write your ideas and plans. And write. Just do it. 

You will be really happy with it.

Some things I don't like

https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/15-reasons-to-think-twice-about-an-open-floor-plan-52554

There are some things in houses that I can't stand. I recognize the right that some people have to like those things but that doesn't mean that I have to like it also or to pretend that I like, just because most people do.

So now I will say what are those things.

1 - Open space concept.

I can't stand it !!! I usually say that I dont't hate anybody but as this is not a person, just a thing, I think I can say: I hate it the most my soul can bare to hate something.

It comes to my mind that the person is so poor that can't afford a proper house so he bought a warehouse and dumped everything he had in that. No walls, no doors, a mix of livingroom, diningroom, entrance, hall and kitchen all in the same chaos.

I like walls, rooms, doors, corners, cozy feeling and privacy.

No, to have children is not an excuse, I had several and I could be in the kitchen and them in other room near by. Yes, I couldn't see them but I could ear them. When children are silent, something wrong is happening, unless they are sleeping. So, provided that I could ear them, I could be in the litchen or another room, there was no need for knocking down walls and have everything in a big, amourfous open plan.

2 - No walls and door between the kitchen and the dining room and living/familyroom.

A house has rooms: bedrooms, livingroom/familyroom, diningroom, litchen, bathrooms, halls and so on.

One thing is the kitchen, another is the livingroom.

The exception I can accept, if I have to, is to put together the livingroom and the diningroom. That is the most I can have, more than that, is not possible for me.

https://franceandson.com/blogs/recent/an-open-and-shut-case-the-pros-and-cons-of-an-open-floor-plan

3 - Very high ceilings, in such a way that, instead of having two floors, one has only one. 

Such a waste of space ! And the look of it it's most unpleasent too. I can't stand it.

https://www.skyscrapercity.com/threads/churches-converted-into-houses-apartments.1730747/

4 - To transform churches, big or small, in homes, restaurants, libraries, you name it. 

That really gets on my nerves! That, for me - and not only for me - it's the ultimate abomination.  How can people sleep and eat in a worship place ? No, it was not a worship place in the past, it is always.

5 - Modern decoration.

Cold, not cozy, nude, minimalist.

That's true, people has the right to like all those things I can't stand and present it as a beautiful thing. The same way I have the right to not like it and tell the world that I think those are ugly things. It's just that I am sick and tired to see it presented as the only right way to do it.