I love the lights and the colors and the friendly greetings during the Christmas season. I love it when people have ornaments and lights that they’ve had in the family for decades, some since they were little children. I love the joy people feel, whether they still have boxes of those old Christmas decorations or not. I go to the store and people wave me ahead of them, or wait an extra bit before they back out of their parking spot just to let someone else go by, and I do the same. I was in the vegetable aisle the other day when another woman and I approached the same bin of red and green peppers at the exact same moment. We both said, oh no you first, no you first, oh no you go. But after just a couple of those gracious offers by each of us, she said ok and jumped in and grabbed a huge bag of a mix of small peppers … I grinned and said “hey shopping never ends!” … and she smiled a big smile too and said, “ha! especially when you just bought two hamsters and all they want are these peppers!” I laughed with her, and then I continued on buying my own vegetables with a smile on my face. Around another corner in the produce section, a fellow turned towards me after choosing some sweet potatoes, took one look at me, and he grinned and said “thank you for the smile!” So, yes maybe these sorts of things can happen any time of year, but seems to me they happen more often during this season of Christmas, Hanukkah, Bodhi Day, Kwanzaa, Zarathosht Diso, etc.
I love Christmas. 🙂
The back side of my home (below) faces across a grass/lawn area towards five or six back sides of other homes in the community where I live. There are no roads or sidewalks back there, just trees and lawn in between our homes. Most people decorate just the front of their homes, but a few of us do some decorating in the back too, for each other to see from our back windows or patios. Every year I put a Santa in one of my back windows and string colored lights around the window so it shows up at night.
Santa is made from a half sheet of plywood. Maybe one evening this year, I’ll go outside after dark and see if I can get a photo that shows off the lights. A number of my neighbors say they love having this Santa watching and smiling at them. 🙂
In my front living room window, I hang this lighted Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer as he flies up to the roof.
When the afternoon sun is just right, here’s Rudolf’s shadow on the wall inside my house.
And at night, here’s a photo taken from outside my house of that window with Rudolf making his way to the roof so Santa can come down the chimney. Yes, that’s the big white truck on the right, enjoying the Christmas lights too. 🙂
I was house-sitting for part of this 2023 Christmas season while the owners, friends of mine, were away. I wanted just a touch of Christmas while I was in their house, so I purchased these four Poinsettias in small red ceramic pots to decorate the counter that’s between the living/dining area and the kitchen. It was perfect.
And of course, Christmas isn’t Christmas without the small model of my big white truck and the trailer that sort of looks like Towhee the Trailer. Vroom, vroom.
And then of course there’s music! One fun Christmas tune is “We Need a Little Christmas”. Turn your sound on, then click on this link, to listen to the song. Feel free to sing along or just dance in your chair. 🙂
And, for just a little bit more Christmas cheer, check out this link to some Christmas music by a few members of the US Navy Band … just vocal, no instrumental. Be prepared to smile, although I had several good chuckles during the video. 🙂
All of you have internet, I know that. Go online and find those Christmas songs you love from your childhood and/or from your religious beliefs. I often use YouTube to find music, although there are many other resources as well. Here’s a link to 5 well-loved, softly played, Christmas melodies from my childhood. The five melodies repeat in this video, but I’ve been playing this video every evening this past week while I’m doing other things and I don’t notice that it repeats … it’s such nice, comfortable, relaxing music.
Whatever brings you joy and peace, may you have that in abundance. And may we all have smiles on our faces, and kindness in our hearts, for everyone we meet, everyone on the road, everyone at a business meeting, everyone on the phone, or when we’re shopping, or walking, and especially for everyone in the vegetable aisle at the grocery store. 🙂 Smile.
Ooops, oh no! I hear clomping on my roof!! Gosh, it might be Rudolf and Santa … I better get to sleep fast! 🙂
I LOVE your Santa in the back window. I’m going to show that to my sister who has a house on a lake very near the deep channel where most of the boats go by. I think this Santa would be cool in one of her windows facing the lake. 🙂 And of course I love the truck and trailer ornaments too. 🙂 🙂 🙂
With you all the way, Ann. I’ve had more conversations in the grocery store lately, each one began and ended with smiles as we either waited in line at the deli department or for the shortest open line to the cashier. I prefer that to the impersonal self check-out stations –those darned computers never smile back!!
Love the photos, Rudolf, Santa, the truck and the trailer of course! All three links to the music were great. Merry Christmas (and those other holidays) to you and everyone. Keep on smiling! 🙂
I like that you think about your back-yard neighbors, and what they might like to see. And I really like your inclusion of other celebrations from other “religions”. If “god” is all things, then “god” is in those religions as well. “god” has no limits. I just wish people would stop defining/limiting “god”. We have not a clue about ALL that god is. Ok, sorry if I’ve rambled on here too much, but you seem to open the door. Thank you for that.
Go to sleep young woman … let Santa get up on the roof and down that chimney. 🙂
I like that first little camper with the tree on top. And the other photos too and the music. And the references to different religions/practices. Merry Christmas, Ann. 🙂
Happy Christmas, Ann.
Great music. Fun photos. That Santa in the window is excellent, probably easy to make and easy to store and is easily seen by appreciative people. Might have to copy that! 🙂 Merry Holidays, Ann.
This was fun. I love that Santa. And the small truck and trailer. and the music. But also just those four small poinsettias are so dramatic and pretty. You don’t need an entire house filled with “stuff” to celebrate joyfully. 🙂
Me too, I like the inclusion of other beliefs. God is larger, bigger, more powerful than anything we can imagine. God is an amoeba … god is the cosmos … and all energy … and all beliefs, all beliefs. If one particular practice/belief satisfies you, that’s cool, but god certainly is more than that.
Merry Christmas to everyone!!!!!
We were both raised Catholic, what can I say?! 🙂 And we’ve learned to let go of limitations. Yet we still celebrate Christmas, and we also know that celebrations with lighted trees and gifts and all that stuff started hundreds of years before Jesus was born, and even more years before Christianity started. But still, the joy and wonder of life, the peace that whatever belief you follow brings you, all of that is so precious. Like you say Ann ……. smile! Go to the grocery store or the bank or your job or the gas station or the library or wherever, and bring joy with you. One of us is starting to study Buddhism … one of us is resisting. 🙂 We’ll see where that goes.
Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!!
Merry Christmas, Ann! Thank you for sharing your journeys and meditations. Immanuel.
Obviously, the big white truck is enjoying the Christmas lights too. Thanks for sharing Christmas with her, too. 🙂
Santa in the window is great. The music is super! And yes smile, no matter who you are and no matter who the other person is … smile and be nice. It won’t hurt you!
Merry Christmas everyone, happy holidays.
Merry Christmas!!! ♥️👑✝️👑♥️ ☃️🎶🎄🎹💜
Oh my word this takes me back. I remember a song by Chuck Berry … Run Run Rudolph. It wasn’t much of a Christmas song, but it was loud and fun. These days, as a senior citizen, I really like those relaxing Christmas melodies you linked to. But maybe even younger folk might like to relax too, eh? I really really liked that Navy band video, that was fun! Thank you! Merry Christmas to you and yours, and to everyone who reads this blog.
Merry Christmas everyone. Thanks for a fun little celebration, Ann. 🙂 I don’t get out much, no close relatives, although today lots of really nice neighbors stopped by at different times to wish me happy holidays. People are so nice. So .. Merry Christmas everyone!! 🙂
Thank you, everyone!! What nice comments, with Christmas/holiday wishes for me and for everyone who reads this blog. You folks are the best readers and commenters of any blog ever! 🙂 I really appreciate every one of you (and everyone who reads but doesn’t comment, or sometimes comments, etc, it’s all good). There are now 188 people who subscribe to this blog and read it regularly. Thank you. Now THAT’s a Christmas present. 🙂
It’s late on Christmas eve at my house right now. I hear jingle bells in the night sky. I’d better get to sleep so Santa (and Rudolf) will come and bring me lots of toys.
Peace, love, adventure, kindness, and smiles to everyone.
Merry Christmas! 🙂
Ann