Our Christmas Card

Doing a bit of experimenting with the newly-discovered video feature on Owen's new digital camera, and put this together to share just before the holiday season draws to a close:


Not bad for a first effort, I suppose. This means you might see the occasional garden tour video this summer!! Woo hoo...always so much promise and hope for a new year, huh?

I wish a Happy and Safe 2007 to each one of you!!

Greg : )

Electric Berries?

Our pond this morning, with a thin coat of ice.

Today, I was able to solve the mystery of these "guaranteed for life" LED Christmas lights, which suddenly failed to work this week. They had once previously gone out, and were good as new with a fused replaced. But too soon after, they failed again.

The lights are brilliant and long-lived. Unfortunately, the guarantee likely does not cover squirrels who mistake the bright bulbs for berries and chew them off the cord. I found these scattered around the base of the bush where they'd been hanging. What a disappointment for those squirrels...and, I suggest, maybe even a little shocking!

On Christmas Day in the Morning

As always, we awoke to many surprises on Christmas Day.


And also, as always, Em was eager to jump into the fray!





A Massachusetts rabbit munches on a treat sent by a Connecticut cat.


Badum's a little more careful about the wrapping paper, especially when he can already smell the catnip nestled within!


Before long, the presents were all opened (and some of them eaten!), and it was time for a nice long nap!

Christmas Eve

Overcast skies over Cape Cod Bay, from Rock Harbor beach, Orleans, MA as we make our final preparations for the holiday.

Old Toy Trains and Christmas Gardens

Last evening, as I headed home from work, I made a stop at Snow's Home and Garden in Orleans.


I always enjoy stopping in there to look over the latest Christmas decorations, lights and most especially, the train displays they have going this time of year. And last night, I was also on a mission, as I had heard that they had reduced prices 50%. I was looking for trees: trees of all sizes for my village under the Christmas tree at home.

I was also not above a few minutes of drooling over the Lionel Polar Express.

But I've been "jonesing" for more trees for the village for years, and try to add a couple each Christmas(there's often slim pickins by sale time)...but since getting the ranger tower (lower right above) a few years back, I've wanted more of a forest. And then we found this dusty old burl in the basement, which Owen recently brought up as a possible focus for cat scratching. However, Agent LaChat was having none of that, and after looking at it for a day or two, I realized I could transform it into a mountain in the back of the village. But I was going to need a forest of trees to help in the transformation.


As you can see, my search at Snow's was a fruitful one, as I came home with two bags full of assorted sized-trees for a grand total of about $12. And "Burl Mountain" came out pretty well, too, I think. Not only is a nice backdrop to give the village some scale, but it's big enough to completely conceal the large train that circles round.


As long as I can remember, there's been a village the Christmas tree. Usually, there was a circle of HO trains, and in my early years, just an assortment of glittered and flocked cardboard buildings.


Of course these days, the Christmas Village is big business... and I've collected an assortment of larger ceramic buildings, as well as the smaller, cardboard ones. These days, the village has suburbs...and there's talk of zoning ordinances for next year, tho this tree-planting campaign should be an improvement. It's an all evening project, laying on my belly beneath the tree, figuring out how the town will look this year.


Only recently did a friend pass on this article about the tradition of Baltimore's Christmas Gardens. Mine fits into this mold a bit, since the scale is wildly varied and by now, I've collected all sorts of little bits and pieces.

So...that was this evening's project, bringing us one day closer to the Big Day.

After Dark

Owen took us out for a ride in his new truck (a Ford Ranger) tonight to look at some of the holiday lights. Our neighbors down the road have added more lights and inflatables to their display. We are especially fond of the penguins and the inflatable Scooby Doo!

Tonight we welcomed Tann (short for Tannenbaum, couldn't you guess?), our Christmas tree for 2006. His trunk is a little crooked...but with lights already quite beautiful!!

And once Tann had been stabilized in his stand, and dressed with some lights, it was time to hit the baking pans one last time for a double batch of bright and tasty snickerdoodles...why is it this simple recipe is the one that gives me so much trouble each year?

Also today, DC Comics released their 2006 Christmas card on their website, and I couldn't resist sharing it here!! Now if only I could find a copy of their Infinite Christmas Special in a store somewhere...

Baking Day

After a morning of gift wrapping, the baking commenced full force with a double batch of Chocolate No Bake Cookies.



Once those were cooled and put away, the business of cut-out cookies got underway, turning the kitchen table into a bakery display rack.


This sort of activity brings out all sorts of interest, particularly among those trying to make a show for Santa of what a Good Girl they are.


The piping bag and my icing didn't work out as I'd hoped, but I'm still pleased with the results. Such a festive looking bunch...

...and by the time all the dishes are done, maybe the frosting will having set up enough to be packed away.

Some Time Passes...

And so, at this point in the holiday season, critical momentum is suddenly reached, as various activities multiply and fill up all that plentiful "free time" we are so often heard to complain of having had too much of...

MONDAY, 12/11: A house is cleaned. Halls are decked. Coolers stocked, wines chilled and cheese displayed.


Good times, great friends, good tunes: overall, it made for a wonderful party and a fun night.




TUESDAY, 12/12: A mild hangover, but a surprisingly clean house. The problem with the nice temperatures we've been having lately are the winter moths. They are flying everywhere lately. They almost look like snowflakes sometimes when they dance around the Christmas lights. But their caterpillars eat the heck out of trees around here come spring.

The Midnight Gardener quietly turns 42.


WEDNESDAY, 12/13: A rainy day. The always-great NRHS Honors Chorus visits the Courthouse for a holiday performance on a double shift.

Meanwhile, cookie recipes are organized, and the first trip to the grocery baking supply aisle occurs. Gift lists are also reviewed...the infinite nature of Santa is pondered.


THURSDAY: 12/14: The warm weather also means the continued presence of our frogs who, in most years, would be hibernating by now. I'm thinking about issueing each of them a little holiday top hat and cane.


By Wednesday, word has gotten around about the recented gifted Monkey Slippers. They are quite comfy, and cute as a button. Thanks, Ersi!!
FRIDAY, 12/15: Schedules are organized for the baking to be squeezed between work shifts. More baking supplies are laid in. The gift shopping is finally well begun. Many bags piled for later review and organization.

I'm starting to boost the volume on the holiday music, as another of our local stations makes the transition from regular programming to all holiday favorites, all the time. So many great songs...still waiting to hear a few of my personal favorites, while others are typically over-rotated (is anyone else hearing Wham's "Last Christmas" entirely too often this year?!?).



Anyway, with another double shift, the tunes keep the spirit alive. And we had the good news of the birth of a new Nicholas to make us smile, too.




Weary though we become from dashing about (or perhaps because of it), there's always time for a little holiday merriment and relaxation at home.

It's just that sometimes that time comes close to midnight. Here's me snuggling with my Best Girl, before rousing myself to make the dough for some refrigerator cookies.
Here the Bendable Cat chills with his other Dad.






SATURDAY, 12/16: After sufficient coffee, Mint Chocolate Pinwheels are seemingly miraculously created. More shopping is done. A penultimate holiday event at work and a few presents sorted and wrapped in the wee hours.

Somehow during the Friday/Saturday overnight, I have also managed to see most of "Prancer" on AMC, and mysterious managed a reasonable amount of sleep.

SUNDAY, 12/17: Lists are revised (how does Santa get away with only checking them twice??), a shopping run to Hyannis is carefully executed. Sorry there wasn't more time to check out the mall Santa. It might've been fun to have my picture taken with him.

The evening brought a impressive gathering of local talent to the Courthouse stage, for the 3rd or 4th Annual Christmas Cavalcade, which raised an equally-impressive sum to benefit the NOAH Shelter in Hyannis.

My holiday spirit is restored in the discovery that such a fun evening could do so much good.