What would this time of year be without spending time with our Family and Friends. Earlier today I had my sister's family and mine over for Lunch and a Movie. My grand-nieces are both 2 years old and I don't remember it ever being so busy with little ones around. I love them dearly but I was glad to finally have everyone leave today.
We squished together to watch "A Christmas Carol", the animated one with Jim Carey in it. Great graphics. A bit scary in parts but we learned to laugh and make jokes so the little girls wouldn't get scared. We had a lovely lunch of sandwiches, salads and for dessert, I broke down and made the Toblerone Cheesecake. Man it was rich, but yummy. I couldn't even finish my piece. Love my band. And here is where we watched the movie. Love the projection screen. Everyone is so big. We will be watching lots of movies this Christmas.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are pretty quiet for us. Usually just the immediate family. In fact it may only be DH and myself for dinner that day. Just waiting to hear if my daughter and her BF will be joining us. Peaceful, relaxing, no frantic activity. A few years ago we changed to have hubby's family over on Boxing Day, the 26th. DH has 5 brothers, there are 4 wives, and 12 kids mostly older now. I used to cook everything but this year it will be more of a pot-luck. I'm serving lasagna and a bunch of appetizer type foods. I will ask the others to just bring something to add to the table. Funny but I don't want to make it about food. This year is getting back to basics and just enjoying family. I want to eat lots but my band says no. I haven't been stuck since before my last fill but I definitely can only eat half to one cup of food and it keeps me full for 4-5 hours. I haven't lost anymore weight this week but then the few cookies and bites of chocolate (and let's not forget the cheesecake) have slipped easily through the band. I will be content to maintain this weight until January.
And I can't leave out friends. Everyone is so busy this time of year that I rarely see any of my local friends. I am travelling to visit my BFF near Toronto. We will spend some time together and enjoy the lights and liquid enjoyment. And I am hoping to meet up with Gilly during my travels. Lets hope the weather holds out. I was watching the news and the Midwest is being pummeled with snow. We have a bit of freezing rain and they are predicting only a few inches tomorrow. South of us, they are digging out of 3-4 feet of snow.
Family and friends. Can't live with them, can't live without them. Even though it can be stressful getting together, it really is about enjoying the season. My present this year has been losing weight with the band and feeling so much better. Without it, I would still be struggling, praying for a magic diet. Someone else posted that they don't have to make the New Year's resolution to lose weight. Me either.
Although this isn't really Draz's BYOC, it inspired me to remember the Christmas Music and movies I watch every December. I begin listening to Christmas Carols on November 12th. I have 3 CD's in my car and need to burn a few more to include all my Christmas songs. Listening to them makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. I sing along too.
My Top 5 Christmas Carols:
O Holy Night by Aaron Neville
Little Drummer Boy by Faith Hill
Happy Christmas (War is Over) by Neil Diamond (originally by John Lennon)
Silent Night by Alan Jackson
Do You Hear What I Hear? by Third Day
And does anyone remember Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer & Mele Kalikimaka
Now the movies that make Christmas special for me.
A Christmas Carol is my all time must see movie every year. I first watch the one with George C. Scott and then the one with Alistair Sims, the ultimate Scrooge. His dance at the end of the movie makes me want to cry with joy. He found Christmas. We're watching the new animated one on Sunday with my nieces.
It's a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart. I got the colorized version last year and also found out that my brother has to watch it every year.
Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase. I know many of you despise it, but I still find it funny when the cat gets electrocuted or the tree crashes into the neighbours house. It speaks about us wanting to have a perfect Christmas with family but we know it can never be. But it is funny.
Miracle on 34th Street. Both the old version with Natalie Wood and the new version which came out a few years ago.
This weekend, I will have to catch up on the movies. Love my big 92" screen. It is amazing. Guess the DH was right (but just this once)!
Our family doesn't have a lot of Traditions that must happen every Christmas like a lot of people I know. Some traditions faded as life changed over the years. Other than food and treats and chocolate I had to think long and hard about what I repeatedly do each year.
Advent Calendar: When my kids were little I was an Avon Lady (yup me selling makeup and bath gels!). One year I bought the Avon Countdown Calendars. We only have 1 left since my daughter moved out but on December 1st, I make sure the one for my son is full of Hershey Kisses. This year I picked up the candy on November 30th and filled the calendar pockets at 9:00 at night. But I knew my 25 year old son would like that. He gets two Kisses everyday. I also fill one for my DH but he only got 1 Kiss in each pocket this year (you might remember me eating half a bag of kisses a few weeks ago—otherwise he would have had 2).
Candles: I adore candles and light as many as I can throughout the year but especially at Christmas as it gets dark so early—by 4:30 pm. The room glows and along with the fire burning, it is so cozy. Candles are a symbol of light in darkness and universal in spreading hope.
Christmas Cactus: Every December my Christmas Cactus begins to flower for about 6 weeks. Since it blooms during Christmas it became a symbol of the birth of Christ. I have two which die down by the end of January and sit dormant only to flower again around Easter. Not all plants do but Easter symbolizes the resurrection and rebirth. When I first notice the blooms, I begin to think that Christmas will soon be here and it gives me a good feeling.
Hoping you enjoy your holiday traditions in the coming weeks.
I didn't really lose Christmas. After my post about Christmas no longer revolving around food, I began looking around and realized there really is much more. So today I start a series of posts on Finding Christmas to help me realize just how wonderful this holiday time can be. I need to understand my feelings and writing them out seems to be the best way to make them real. So my first Finding Christmas is remembering the past.
A few years ago my sister gave me this plate because she thought it looked like my dad. I thought so too. He died in 2000 and so each Christmas when I pull it out I think of him. I add the reindeer because he was a big hunter (deer and moose). The ornament in the upper right corner is falling apart but it is one I remember hanging on the Christmas tree when I was little.
My mom died in 2007 and that year at Christmas I saw this teardrop ornament with a star and knew she would have loved it. I now hang it on my fireplace to let her be part of my Christmas. No one else knows about this particular ornament.
(well I guess my daughter will now because she reads my blog)
This makes my first post on finding Christmas. I hope to post a few more.
Last week someone posted one of the songs they enjoy at Christmas. I've been listening to Christmas carols since November 12th and there are a bunch I like: War is Over, O Holy Night but this year it seems different. I couldn't figure it out until I saw a bit of the Grinch last night and lo and behold there was the song "Where Are You Christmas" by Faith Hill.
And it seemed to express my feelings this year. Something seemed lost and I was wondering why I wasn't feeling the excitement that I love. Well, guess what my chickadees. It's food. I was missing those feelings of excitement that come with all the gatherings centered on food.
So just like CindyLew Who, I've come to realize that Christmas is more than food. Its the warmth of the lights on the tree which I finally put up last Sunday. It was getting together with my sisters and their kids for our family baking day. Yup, we made some good things although much less than other years. For dinner we had one of the 7 tourtières (meat pies) we had made that day and yum! My only disappointment was that I could only eat half a slice. A bunch of cookies and other sweets and treats but not many made it in my mouth. They sit in my freezer but I don't have the same compulsion to eat it all.
Last night I finished putting up a few decorations and tonight, finally, I pulled out my Christmas Plates. Last year I bought "A Christmas Story" series of plates and tonight I ate on the plate with the writing "Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house". It's cool. I have a set of dinner plates, salad plates, bowls, serving dishes, platters and mugs. It will always bring a little Christmas when I pull them out.
It's time to make Christmas more than the food. The sugar highs (and lows) will be a thing of the past. It has been such a big part of my traditions for most of my life. But this year with the band it will be different. My tree is in my basement media room (not the family room). We will probably not have turkey for Christmas dinner as it will only be DH and me and I'm thinking Shrimp in Garlic and Cream sauce will be much more band friendly. We will still host our boxing day family celebration with 25 people but this year it will be potluck. I'm not doing all the work. And I know no one will go home hungry. So this year is about some new traditions. Because it's different this year. The one line in the song that started me thinking was: My world is changing, I'm rearranging, does that mean Christmas changes too. Here are the lyrics to the song:
Where are you Christmas
Why can't I find you
Why have you gone away
Where is the laughter
You used to bring me
Why can't I hear music play
My world is changing
I'm rearranging
Does that mean Christmas changes too
Where are you Christmas
Do you remember
The one you used to know
I'm not the same one
See what the time's done
Is that why you have let me go
Christmas is here
Everywhere, oh
Christmas is here
If you care, oh
If there is love in your heart and your mind
You will feel like Christmas all the time
I feel you Christmas
I know I've found you
You never fade away
The joy of Christmas
Stays here inside us
Fills each and every heart with love
Where are you Christmas
Fill your heart with love
May you all find your own special traditions this year.
It's been a long time coming but I can now say I have lost 40 pounds. Plateau is over. It took 3 months to lose 1 pound but it's gone. My word for the year was Believe. I sometimes forget when the pounds drop so slowly. But here it is...
Christmas tree going up today. Baking Day on Saturday. Panic under control (beer helps!). Peace is settling in and I am 40 pounds lighter than this time next year.
Last night I had a panic attack. It was a culmination of work and some upsetting news from my sister. It's been awhile since that has happened but it can be very exhausting. I almost called in sick this morning but braved the day and fumbled through work. Funny but the band didn't let me eat much last night. Except for the half bag of Hershey Kisses.
Now you will ask why I even had them in my house. Well... I had to fill the countdown calendars for the 25 days til Christmas. Not sure how I feel about Christmas this year. I've been putting off the decorating but am determined to put up the tree tomorrow night. I've decided it will go up in our basement, the basement that we have spent the last two months fixing up as a media room.
We have this big honkin' 92" projection screen. Can you say size envy. I love it. I gave DH a hassle about getting a big screen but Wow, oh Wow. I love it. Which has kept me on the couch for the last few nights watching all my favourite shows. And munching on Kisses. They're gone now and my DH and son each have their own countdown calendar full of kisses.
Saturday the 4th is baking day. It started a few years ago when my sister, nieces and my daughter and I got together to bake. Lots of stuff. A couple of years, my other two sisters and my sister-in-law came along. Exhausting. And so much sugar and butter.
So this year we decided to cut back on the sweets and teach our kids how to make pastry. We'll make some tourtiere (meat pies), tarts, peanut butter balls, ginger cookies, walnut cookies and a few other things. I made some fruit cookies last weekend and could only eat 2 before I was "full". Strange how the band is working. The weight loss may be turtle slow but at least I'm not gaining. After this weekend, I might avoid the scale.
Here is about half of the baking we did last year.
We all had our own handmade aprons made by my Martha Stewart sister.
