Merry and Blessed Christmas to all from Chateau Right! Xena leads off with a welcome:
I’ve been known to go a bit overboard with the Christmas decorations, but I love them so, especially the decorations on and under the tree, many of whose provenance extends back forty years to the time when Mr. Right’s and my love–as they say–was young. Several are even older than that, dating back to World War II, and many of the “newer” ones were handmade by the kids and our granddaughter over the years, or were gifts from beloved friends and co-workers. As I put them up each year, I never fail to think about the imperfect “barrel-shaped” Christmas tree that was all Mr. Right and I could afford our first Christmas together, or about the times (a family legend this) that we waited until late on Christmas Eve when the tree vendors had abandoned their posts and left the few remaining straggly specimens on the lot. and we’d go steal one, because we couldn’t afford a tree at all. When we became a little more affluent, we’d buy a few nice (read–according to Mr. Right–glass and shiny, and–according to me–wooden and rustic) ornaments each year. Until we got to where I am now. But I still have those cardboard ornaments from the early days, and they’re still among my favorites.
Then there are the ceramic and plaster “houses” under the tree, many of which I painted myself in the early 1980s, surrounded by the old fence that encircled Mr. Right’s childhood model train under the tree. And so it goes, accreting more and more beloved detail each year.
Once I get started, I can’t seem to stop. I think it’s something akin to the flywheel effect:
Jenny and Miss Peachy are spending Christmas on the farm this year and, as usual, it’s a bittersweet time. So many memories. So much love. All our absent friends and loved ones whose numbers have grown this year on both the two-legged and four-footed sides.
But above all, so much light and hope.
For God so loved the world….
I think the enduring memory of Christmas 2021 will be set by Miss Peachy, who has dubbed a recent, almost-completed home improvement project the “Fairy Princess Bathroom.” It’s a nod to my oft-overlooked feminine side, with its double-slipper tub, heated towel rail, dimmable lights, and plenty of room for paste, potions, candles, and whatever else tickles my fancy. I’m currently on the hunt for towels, rugs, and fluffy bathrobes, and I love it too:
Merry Christmas to you all, and a happy and prosperous 2022. May we all spend it surrounded by light and love, and in the company of those with whom we belong.
