Saturday, December 25, 2021

Well, We're Done With That For Another Year


This is what my Christmas morning looked like. Or at least part of it. I picked the greens I was going to cook to take to Lily's and grabbed a few peppers while I was at it. Mr. Moon wrapped all of the presents and for that, he is the King of My Christmas.  

So I cooked the greens and baked a ham and at mid-afternoon we drove to Lily's. Hank and Rachel did come but stayed masked, outside, to protect us all from their cold. We'd all taken the rapid covid test and all of us had registered as negative so that was good. 

The children were happy to see a second wave of presents arrive with aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. The presents were low-key this year. The children all have so many toys. I would love to show you the tiny, miniature cashmere sweater that May made for me with a close-up shot but dammit! I left our bag of gifts at Lily's. I got them as far as the kitchen and then did something else and then walked out without them. 
But here's a picture Rachel took of me holding it. 


Can you see the lovely grandmother mermaid and her pearls? 

Here are some more Rachel pictures. 





Maggie got her much-desired microphone which magically connects with an app on her mom's phone to accompany her with karaoke background arrangements. There was a performance. 
"I'm a good singer," she reassured us. And she is. 

I took these.



The food was delicious- beans that Lily had grown, dried, and cooked, our greens, macaroni and cheese, absolutely wonderful sweet potatoes that Lauren made, salad from Jessie's garden, the ham, rolls. I feel like I'm forgetting something. Lily made a Christmas pudding because Maggie saw one in a Peppa Pig book and wanted her mama to make one. So she did. 


It was excellent! 

And so that was our Christmas. I am now the proud new owner of an air-fryer/toaster oven and I'm pretty proud of that. I have been feeling like the only person on earth not to have an air-fryer and now I am not. Nor am I the only person on earth not to have taken at least one covid test. 
Big day for me, right?

A tiny bit of the old Christmas blues descended on me this afternoon but it wasn't bad. I wouldn't mind going to bed early though, to let it all go and wake up to a new world tomorrow. Or at least a world where Christmas is over. One of the things I dream about frequently and which continues to mystify me is a Christmas tree, left in my house long, long, long after Christmas. And taking it down just seems like the most onerous task possible. I am always angry that no one has taken it down already, but just left it there. 
I guess the message isn't that darn mysterious. 
How many trees did I take down in my lifetime? Wound up the lights and carefully replaced all of the ornaments in their boxes and stored them all away again? Everyone is always so excited to put the tree up and decorate it but when it comes to taking it down...
And this year I do not have to do anything but unwind the two miniature strings of lights from the tree and put them away, move the little pine out back out to the porch to grow another year in its pot. 
Things are different now. 

Maggie said she loved her nightgown. She hugged me hard when she unwrapped it and I hope she gets a lot of use out of it. Even though I measured her, I could hardly believe that it wouldn't be too long for her but when I held it up it appeared to be almost perfect in length. 

So here we are, Christmas over, leftover ham in the refrigerator in the hallway. Next it will be a new year which of course is another fabrication of human culture and yet, the keeping track of time seems to be as old and ubiquitous as time itself. 

Oh! Look what Lily just sent.


That makes me so very happy. 
It also made me happy and proud when it turned out that Hank and Rachel and I had gotten Maggie the same present- an insect collecting kit- and she tried to give one of them to August. 

I hope that all of you have had a decent day whether you've celebrated or marked the day in any way at all. That there has been some light, some sweetness, some love, perhaps even some joy for you and for yours. 

Blessings upon us all. Or as dear Keith would say, "Gold rings on ya'."

Love...Ms. Moon

33 comments:

  1. Lovely day! It looks like a lot of nice things happened. Maggie's nightgown is just a perfect fit.

    Even so, you're a bit tired and ready for some quiet. I hear you!

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    1. Oh yes. I was ready for some quiet. I got some today.

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  2. A good day, Mary. Ours was too, although just the 2 of us, it didn't seem that way with lots of family group chatting on whatsapp from coast to coast in the US and us down here in Belize. I hope you like your air fryer as much as I like mine.

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    1. Are you still blogging, Wilma? I miss reading about your life. And I hope that I like my new air fryer too. Seems like I will.

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    2. Okay. I just checked. You are. I've added your site to my feed.

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  3. Your day sounds as if it was easy and lovely. I'm glad Hank and Rachel were able to join. Over her it was just the two of us and I felt no pressure or moodiness whatsoever, none of the usual angst that I'm not doing Christmas quite right. This was a revelation. I suppose it's good that I have such comfort with the man I married 35 years ago. If felt like a gift, a quiet day away from the world, dare I say, peaceful. And now it is done for another year. And we have no plans to do a anything social in the coming week or maybe weeks. I'm glad we went to Belize and made memories. Maybe it helped me feel more settled in myself this year, also more appreciative of home, having so recently been away from it. Who knows. Internal chemistry is a mystery.

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    1. Yes. I just told my own husband that I am so glad that we still love each other. I know how rare and priceless that is. We are, as I always say, the lucky ones.
      Your Christmas sounds rather perfect to me, actually.
      And you are so right about internal chemistry- who knows?

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  4. PS Maggie's nightgown is perfect and that Christmas pudding looks yummy.

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    1. I think she likes the nightgown and that is what counts, of course.
      That pudding was (and I do not use this word frequently) scrumptious.

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  5. your day sounds perfect all around with almost no anxiety, the pics make me smile! Maggie's nightgown is perfect! Quiet here with cornish hens, nice fire in the woodstove on a rainy cold day, and watched *No time to Die* on our Apple TV. Perfect day, other than......who on earth could ever follow in Daniel Craigs *Bond* footsteps? LOL. Sweet dreams to all
    Susan M

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    1. PS. pic of you with the mini Cashmere sweater is wonderful! You rock it!
      Susan M

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    2. You know, I doubt I've seen four James Bond movies in my entire life. Isn't that odd? And as such, I have no real opinion on who plays Bond so I will take your word for it.
      How lovely to have a quiet day at home with good food and a cozy fire. I think you did it right!

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  6. The pud looks amazing-And Mer looks amazing!

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  7. That nightgown looks great on Maggie! Well done! Glad you had such a nice day. We did too (altho, I am glad it is OVER!) So tired I am ready for bed at 9 pm! Merry Christmas, Ms. Moon!

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    1. I hear you. Nine o'clock is a perfectly acceptable bedtime on Christmas day.

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  8. Another amazing day with Moon clan and kin. Sweet dreams.

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    1. There seems to be a lot of us, doesn't there?

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  9. Looks like a wonderful and memorable time was had by all. Those stickers on the Legs is adorable!

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    1. No! Those are tattoos! Just kidding. Our darling Levon is a sports model.

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  10. I could be wrong about this Mary Richards, but I suspect that the cashmere sweater will be slightly too small for you or at best an extremely tight fit. Thanks for sharing your Christmas pictures. Good to see Maggie modelling her perfect new nightgown.

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    1. Do I look like Mary Richards? I wish. Yes, I do think that Maggie's nightie fits her better than my new sweater.

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  11. Well, everyone is looking great and it seems you had a fabulous holiday. I love the little sweater and Maggie's nightgown! Also, "Rick and Morty" definitely seems to be the popular show with Owen and Gibson! Why is May holding a fish?!

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    1. She is holding a fish because Hank and Rachel got their sibling gifts from Wish.com and that fish is actually a little purse. Maggie liked it so much that they have ordered her one.
      I have no idea who Rick and Morty are. I probably should.

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  12. Yes, thank all the gods, it's over for another year. I can really see you in May in that picture. And for someone who keeps telling us you can't sew you certainly do a good job of it. Glad to hear another successful Moon gathering full of love.

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    1. If you saw that nightgown up close, you might not say that about my sewing! The trimming is all sort of janky but whatever. It is soft, as I always say.
      Yes, we did have a very loving gathering. After it was over and everyone was home we still kept texting each other. I am constantly amazed to be in a family that loves each other so genuinely.

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  13. My mother almost always made a new flannel nightgown for me to be opened Christmas Eve and worn to bed - I still remember that smell - heavenly!

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  14. What a beautiful, fine family you have, Ms. Moon. And a fine day after all, and now behind you. Please do post a closeup of your new sweater - it looks charming, though as Mr. Pudding says, perhaps a bit snug! And why IS May holding a fish?

    Chris from Boise

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    1. See my reply to Steve's comment above about the fish.
      I think I may put that sweater in a frame.

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  15. It all looks wonderful, Mary, and the children look so happy! I love your family from afar.

    It's been a fantastic Christmas for us this year, so much so that I haven't taken the time to sit down and write a blog post. I'm too busy savoring every minute of it! My dear sister in law is coming tomorrow morning to stay a couple of days and that's going to be a nice way to cap off Christmas.

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    1. I LOVE that you love our family. I think you and I would make great neighbor friends if we lived closer together. I adore you and yours, too. Even Marco, that naughty little bird-man.
      I'm so glad you had a wonderful Christmas. Sort of makes up for Thanksgiving, doesn't it?

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  16. So glad you had a lovely Christmas and that the nightgown for Maggie turned out so well. It looks perfect for her. We had our family Christmas gathering the day after due to the younger generations other commitments and we had a really good day as well, cold and rainy but with a big fire in the fireplace keeping us warm. Sending love to you One & All and best wishes for 2022. x0x0 N2

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.