Thursday, December 22 , 2016

Almost Christmas.  

We always have Christmas breakfast.    It's a tradition.  

Sparkling cider
Belgian waffles with berries and whip cream or your choice of syrup
Fruit
Bacon

The table is set with a blue tablecloth with snowflakes on it,    There are mirrors down the center with gkass trees ( a collection from years bought from k mart , one tree at a time ) and tiny battery operated lights.   A winter wonderland,  

A few things, even from the dime store ( now the dollar store) or collected from the goodwill make the difference between a meal being special or just another day,  

My Mother  always made it special.   I remember hunting for alphabet macaroni and painting it with fingernail polish to glue names for place favors one year.    Trees from construction paper attached to a round of toilet paper tubes work.   Kids can paint or color paper from the junk mail.   It doesn't have to cost a lot, just use your imagination.   My daughter took plastic ornaments from thendollar store, had children color paper, cut it on strips and curled it and stuffed  it in the ornament.   Melted wax works too for older kids.    Set them on a toilet paper ring.   Pinterest always has ideas.  


The best part of Christmas for me was trying to find that perfect gift for someone that they either really wanted or really needed.  That has  been ruined for me in years of late.    The best Christmas in recent years was the one where my daughter happened on to a family that had been homeless for a year,  they just got housing, but living in your car for a year with three children doesn't leave you much room for household belongings.    My friends and I set to work and made Christmas for the family and found extras around our houses to at least make them have enough to get buy.    It just made my Christmas!    

Making Christmas special is all about creating memories.  I have some sad and some not so sad.    My life has not been a bed of roses.    But, there are always people that have it worse.   You just have to be thankful for what you have and make the best of it.    

Merry Christmas!