'Oy, to the World'= December Re-Do

 

 

I am redoing Christmas.

 

(not the gift part. More like an advent do over. Really emphasizing the Savior's birth. The month of December is what I want to re-do. )

why? 

the Flu

 the month of December literally felt robbed! Nothing but enduring the illness with a compromised immune system could take place. I was seriously worried about being able to do something for my J. for Christmas.

And to get the gifts and letters out to those that are on my 'list.' Which I made small this year- and still!

But since we were sick, that list has grown because of all the nice things people did for us.
I am in some serious debt to others.,

You won't believe what happened in the days leading up to the big day. I will spare you, except for a few things since it is kinda funny now, that some time has passed between the moments of listlessness due to coughing up lungs from The Flu. (Get your flu shot!)

(this was just plain funny. That elf is creepy... Way to save us Buzz! Reminder of when my

J. loved Buzz .)



I still can't get over the fact that this was a record year for us receiving goodies, treats, and gifts. Along with visits from friends and neighbors.

The door bell would ring and someone's homemade fudge saved me (or J. ) in the knick of time.

For some reason I thought everyone in the world was also suffering with the flu and was not able to bake.

 

Boy, was I wrong.

So many of you thought of us and I thank you for that.

Since I did get a head start on decorating downstairs, it wasn't a complete fail. I put some dummy gifts under the tree to throw off the scent of Jaden's Christmas gifts.

Like using this lovely creation: The Bowdabra. * for half off with a coupon to Joann fabric.



When he asked to open a gift early he opened one that had socks in it. I told him to choose wisely!



I enjoyed the bowdabra *a special device for people who can't make bows. before I was sick and went to town making, well, lots of bows.

They were huge. Professional looking bows. On gifts for a boy. Just to match the tree:

(over the top bow just to see how big I could make it and overwhelm a package......)

And then I decided that boys like to open things that require the pocket knife. So I used duct tape.

 I even created a duct tape bow.

except his was gray. and less Martha Stewart

See:

One gift was a crate. He had to open it with a crow bar. It wasn't that big, but it was a mancrate full of survival gear. I was in an infusion and worried sick about what to get him so googled: gifts for young men and this site: Mancrates comes up. Mainly things for drinking aged, jerky eating folk.

He has braces and loves jerky. That would hurt his feelers, am I right?
 

And he needs it.

Heck, I may need it and actually grabbed his protein bar. So if he is out hiking he will have to forage for himself.

 

Another sad fail was a letter sign I had started last year. I even bought the white paint some time after Christmas to spray paint the letter, 'J.' To complete the saying "Joy" for this year's mantle.

This was Ugly Sweater Wreath:

 

 

Well, the tip of the spray paint got ruined somehow and on the beautiful day that I went out to spray it, I found out it was defective. Great. So the whole month I just left the yarn covered, 'O' and the white spray painted, 'Y.'

So it has sat on the mantel and said "OY"   to everyone, including myself every time I went in there. So maybe this month, I will casually replace the spray paint or grab some white paint and finish the J. I hope the J is in the place I put it.....

Oy, to the world, Readers!

A trip to Wal-Mart, actually a trip anywhere except the bathroom, was out of the question with this flu pf 2015.  It was a flu that hung on for three weeks. For some it might be a mere sniffling of the nose but for other it could be one emblazoned in the backs of their minds for years to come.

 Another fun thing to do for the month of January to re-peat December is decorating the small, pathetic pine tree I have used as a seasonal tree. Before the dreaded flu hit I slowly hung each ornament as I added ribbon to coincide with the teal, black, and seafoam color scheme.



Without my knowledge, my Christmas Carol tree took on a "steam punk" look and it was quite cute.
Due to the last minute wrapping of J's gifts- which would have been done in baker's wrap and twine anyway, somehow duct tape or twine was intertwined with the lights.

When J. went to grab his first gift- he pulled it toward him and the tree just fell. Yes, Reader, the glass decorations tinked against each other and it fell down on the ground.

 Sitting in my chair, I was kind of stunned. I was recording it. and so I was mildly engaged when I had that process. But when I told J. to just stand it back up and unwind the gift from the lights- it looked about the same.

So that was funny after I had time to blink a few moments, check my ornaments, and then figure I should just do plastic from here on out!




Here is an example of something cute you might put on a gift to a neighbor or decorate your gifts under the tree. You'd have to live in a very cold place in order to have time to do this sort of thing.

Duct tape is a way faster gift tag. Pull, rip, place, write: To: and From: Real simple.

I skipped tags completely and went directly to using a sharpie to write whose it belonged to.

 

Actually, Idaho has been quite cold and wINDY lately. I tell ya. That wind can really make a person's disposition change.

 

So what is the first thing I did to Re-do?

I read a book. The book from last year called: A Christmas Wish.

 

I plan to read A Christmas Carol and make Jaden read along.

 

And I sat by the Christmas tree upstairs and really tried to feel the magic that comes with the anticipation of Christmas.

 

Years ago I recall feeling very excited and full of hope and anticipation. I can't recall which year it was but it was before the dawn of shingles and the road to being on prednisone a very,, very long time.

This year, with the flu,  (and Crohns and Cushings, )it made it a bit tougher and I had to really use all my energy to drag out some décor to help J. feel the Christmas spirit. the sign that reads:

 

BELIEVE

to the front porch.

 

The bottom "E fell off in one of our Idaho storms. So I had to nail it on there in a Dr. Suess style and move it under the eave.

 

I decorated the window but of course we didn't  have the light up, so it wasn't obvious if you were riding a horse by it.

However, mom pulled off decorating the tree after J. set it up, dad put the lights on, and she put the ornaments on while Fred Astiare movies played in the background.

 

The nice thing about January being December is that everything is 75% off. So I can replace the lights that died toward the end of December. Also a cute roll of paper. I got an advent calendar to help us keep centered on why I am doing this.