Hubby watches/listens/ sleeps....to the financial news network often.  Today I heard a new term used..........  "bubblicious effects."  I don't even know how to spell it, let alone know what it means (or care.)  Bubble-icious?  It's a crazy world we're living in.

These are wreaths the kids made before Christmas. They're made of paper plates, which you can probably tell by looking. They're very easy to make.

Hubby with his new shirt from oldest daughter, and his new scarf......crocheted by youngest daughter. Youngest son is sitting on the couch.

My mother ordered 2 of these million dollar blankets. Hubby got the other one.

People were practically waiting in line for their turn to hold Baby. She was good. I don't think she cried once.  Every baby should have a big family to hold and love them.  I expect her mama wishes we loved her enough to go and hold her in the middle of the night.  Smile.

I have other manger scenes, but this is my favorite one. Probably because we had one like it when I was little. I don't think my parents could afford a better one. It's made of cardboard. I ordered it on-line a couple of years ago, and paid too much for it. Nostalgia, you know.
I love the lights and colors of Christmas. Youngest son made the reindeer when he was in elementary school. It held candy at one time. Our living room has lots of windows so lights are reflected everywhere. It's really pretty. I'll leave most of the decorations up for a week or so. We plan to have our January family birthday party Jan.11th, so I'll probably put the tree and decorations away before then, and see if I can find or buy some birthday decorations. 5 of us have Jan. birthdays. One of the middle daughters was born on my birthday..Jan. 7th. So was a great-grand-daughter. Oldest and youngest sons both have Jan. birthdays too.

Before and After

Oldest and Youngest

Most Active and Most Inactive

Miscellaneous
These two girls woke up their mama at 3 am, 5, and 6:30. All 3 of them conked out on the couch for awhile. The only way the little ornery one will stay still for a picture is if she's making a face.

A Five-Generation Picture.

Youngest Son Holding his Newest Niece

Have you ever noticed how often the word joy is mentioned in the Bible?  Also there is rejoice, be of good cheer, hope, praise.  All positive words.  I don't think the word happy is used at all, or merry.  Blessed and blessings are throughout the Bible.  Happiness is dependent on the circumstances.  Joy is in spite of circumstances.  All this to say that I wish you all a BLESSED AND JOYFUL  (Joy-filled)  CHRISTMAS!

And now, I'd better go get ready for the day (after I have a cup of coffee.)

Merry Christmas to all my Xanga friends!

I was thinking today of Christmas as a time of unity.  First, unity among Christians.  Then unity with others.  Hannakuh and Kwanzaa are celebrated during that time, and everybody seems to celebrate the New Year, even atheists.  I usually tell people Merry Christmas, as we live in an area where most people say they are Christians.  If you don't know what else to say, you can always say "Happy Holidays."

I said that most people in our area say they are Christians.  There shouldn't be, but there often is a difference between so-called Christians, and those who really are followers of Jesus.  Even those of us who do follow Jesus, often stray off His path, so don't expect Christians to be perfect.  We aren't.  We would like to be, we have good intentions, but we often fail.  The good thing is that when we ask him to forgive us, He does, and gets us back on track again.

I remember when we were in Africa.  Once we had unexpected guests on Christmas Day.  It was a couple who were staying with the Catholic priest to fix his well.  They were from Bulgaria.  The husband was the head of the Communist party in his county back home.  (This was in 1969,)  When he was out of the room the wife told us that her husband didn't believe in God, but she did.  They brought presents for our children, and chocolates for us.  They spoke French but no Sango, and no English, and of course, we didn't understand their language.  Our French was very poor, and their's wasn't much better, so we tried to converse, but mostly we just sat and smiled at each other.  Christian missionaries, and Bulgarian Communists on Christmas Day in the middle of Africa celebrating and enjoying each other's company.  It felt a little weird, but it also felt good.

Hubby is continuing to get better.  He's on several new meds or increased doses of old ones, and that takes time to get used to.

I've been busy getting ready for Christmas.  Went to the grocery store Sat.  Boy, was it crowded!  I knew it would be, but that was the best time for me to go.  Tomorrow I will babysit a couple of grand-daughters.  I'm having 3 of the older grand-kids come over to help amuse them.  I have some paper plates and stuff for them to make Christmas wreaths.  Also, I want us to practice some songs to sing for and with the adults.  Other years we've done Christmas plays, but that is too much work for me this year.  Not sure what I will fix them for lunch.  2 of them won't eat sandwiches.  They love mac n cheese, but eat so much of it, I'm surprised it's not coming out their ears.  I wonder who first said that?

We don't have any snow yet, and it looks like we won't except for possibly a few flurries Christmas day.  That's good for those who are driving, but also kind of sad.  Not that I grew up with snow.  I didn't.  One time when I was little we woke up to white stuff on the ground (but not at Christmas-time,)  We called it snow, but it was more like heavy frost.   We lived in the same rented house for 16 years.  It had a large front window with smaller panes of glass in it.  Every Christmas my mother would spray something white that looked like snow in the corner of each pane.

I think I posted on the old Xanga about tinsel.  "Tinsel back then was made of tin, not plastic.  It didn't reach out and grab you and stick to your clothes like modern tinsel does.  We put the strands on one at a time, (except my brother tried to take handfuls and throw them on. Little brothers can be so annoying.)   When Christmas was over we took the tinsel off one at a time, and wrapped it around a piece of cardboard.  We lived in the city, so after Christmas everyone threw their trees away and the city came and picked them up.  One lady in our neighborhood threw her tree out with the tinsel still on it.  We were shocked!  We thought it was very wasteful.   When she wasn't looking we went out and took the tinsel off her tree too and kept it.

I really don't remember much about individual Christmases, except the year I got a child-size roll-top desk.  I wish I still had it.  I think my mother sold it before we moved.  We always went to my grandma and grandpa's house in the late afternoon.  I don't remember if we ate there, but we sat in the living room with the big oriental rug.  Grandma took the plastic off the chairs before we came.  They didn't usually use the living room, but kept it as kind of a showroom for their store.  She sometimes would sell a rug or a piece of furniture from the living room.  The rug store was attached at the front of the house.  Our aunt would be there, and our cousin, Carol Ann.  We always felt sorry for her because she had to wait until we got there to open our presents.  We opened ours at our house in the morning, as soon as we could get the grown-ups out of bed.  One time I woke my mother up at 7:15.  She sent me back to bed because she thought it was 3:35.  We were allowed to get our stockings before they got up.

Well, that's enough rambling.  What are some of your Christmas memories.  What do you have left to do to get ready?

Sorry, no pictures this time.  I am having a problem with pictures.  I'd better go wrap a few more presents now before I go to bed.

Oh, I do remember that I usually got a Raggedy Ann book and a Storybook doll.  I still have the books and most of the dolls.  I also have an original "Rudolph" book........the ones they gave out at Montgomery Wards.  I don't know what year that was.  I'll have to google it.

Tom came home this afternoon.  He is doing well, we think.  Right now he's watching the Grinch on TV.

Tomorrow we have to go to the pharmacy and get some prescriptions filled.  Also to the coumadin clinic.

Maybe sometime tomorrow I will have time to do a real post.  Tonight I'm going to go to bed early.

For those of you not on F.B.  Tom will probably be able to come home tomorrow.  He was better today.  Thank you all so much for your prayers, and your concern.  I really appreciate all of you!

Hubby is still in the hospital.  Now he has fluid in his lungs.  I don't know if it is related to the blood clots in the lungs, or (as the nurse put it) an underlying cause.  I am looking up mesothelioma on google, because when he was young he used to blow the asbestos out of brake linings.  I do hope it's not that.  They are giving him diuretics to try and get rid of the fluid.  He doesn't have any pain, so I'm thankful for that.  I am tired, of course, but otherwise OK.  Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Hubby has been well since his open-heart surgery in March.  Saturday evening he started having trouble breathing.  Monday I took him to the Dr. who sent us to emergency.  They found clots in his lungs, so they are keeping him until at least Thurs.  They're giving him blood thinners, and blood pressure meds.  They are guessing that the clots formed in his legs during our trip to TX.   (Like a lot of men,  he doesn't like to stop once he starts driving.)  I will try to read and catch up when I am not so tired.  Thanks in advance for all your prayers.