This is Girl from the East’s third Christmas. She’s been alive for four observances, but in 2005 she was only a few weeks old and living in a land where Christmas is not celebrated.
Sometimes I try to image what she looked like as a newborn. Sometimes I try to imagine what her first December must [...]
… old-fashioned holiday cards, printed on nice stock paper, with breathtaking scenes embedded with glitter?
And inside those old-fashioned cards were heartfelt messages — get this — hand-written in pen. Can you believe it? No. It’s true.
Things like:
“I hope everyone in your household is doing well. Bill had a good year at the firm and [...]
Mother Nature, you’re so funny.
When I submitted a request for holiday weather, I was thinking of gentle white flakes of snow cascading to the earth in time to “The Little Drummer Boy.” And when those gentle flakes reached the earth, they would gather in a neat configuration on the grass and the dirt, politely avoiding [...]
… and a Happy Festivus– for the rest of us!
When Girl from the West was much younger, she questioned the many holiday cards, decorations and symbols around our home.
She asked about the Creche and I explained the Birth of Christ story. She asked about Santa Claus and I told her what I could recall of the history of St. Nicholas and the many variations [...]
I think it’s safe to assume that Martha Stewart won’t be visiting our household on her tour of amazing holiday homes. We here at Zombie central are a case study in procrastination.
Here is our tree, stalled in the decorating process due to a light string malfunction. The second light string fiasco in a 48-hour period. [...]
These are times of great change.
Today I learned another element of daily living soon will cease to exist in its current format. Beginning next Spring, Detroit’s two downtown dailies will reduce home delivery to three days a week. Those who wish to read the newspaper seven days a week will have to log [...]
Sometimes it’s good to know when to say “when.”
I may have reached that point in one of my latest quests. Pushing myself out of the comfort zone — thinking outside the box — is a good thing if it results in finding new interests, new friends or connecting with others toward a greater good.
Sometimes a [...]
I want to love the holidays.
I load the CD player with all the traditional songs and a few oddball holiday mixes. I plug in the lights, hang wreaths, burn pine and cranberry scented candles. I cheer on the snowfall. I spend several days decorating the tree until it’s perfect.
I enjoy shopping and wrapping gifts. I [...]
My brother, who has the pleasure of living in the Rocky Mountains, came home for Thanksgiving. It’s been a while since he lived here full-time. I’ve never lived anywhere but here. I’ve visited a lot of places, most nicer. Some make me miss home.
I guess out West we here in the “flyover zone” are referred [...]
