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Blogmas Day 6. Hope you like the Blogmas Days! It’s kinda fun on my end too!

Written, December 31, 1994 into the Christmas Memories book, given to me by my grandmother. Katy was 2.

“I cannot begin to describe our Christmases in this book. My words could not do justice to how special Christmas really is. Neither can I begin to list/remember and try to capture every gift, card, and moment without going insane!! I will say that in both my family and George’s family, Christmas has been both BIG and SPECIAL! We have truly been blessed. We all do too much gift giving and spend way beyond our means. But there’s something special about seeing a person open gifts especially picked for them and hearing them “ooh and Ah” with smiles on their faces. Our parents provided us with grand Christmases all of our lives. It is our goal to give Katy and any other child we have (if we do and I hope we will) —-(((we didn’t)))) a lot of wonderful Christmas memories. Anyone reading this book must know, it can barely pick up on the highlights; it just can’t all be written. A lot of Christmas is in feelings, of love, warmth, family, friends, food, giving and reflection!”

Here’s my entry of our Christmas in 1994:

Went to Columbia December 9th to visit with Aunt Martha and Uncle Ken who were up from Florida. We had dinner at Mom’s and swapped gifts.

Went to Nanny’s (Mom’s Mom) December 23 and had Nanny and Katy’s Birthday Dinner (both of their birthdays were on Dec 25th). Had Christmas in Columbia on Dec 24th and Mom’s had her “famous” ham breakfast (famous in our family at least – her country ham breakfast was a tradition).

Santa came to see Katy on Christmas Eve after she slept, but not before I made homemade cookies and streudel cake. A great day in Columba on Christmas Eve and we left mid afternoon for home in Gallatin, TN. Mom gave me some Christmas dishes and a cow doll. And some stirrup pants. Kerrie (my sister) gave me a cow mailbox. George got a wet/dry vac and shirt, etc. Katy got tons! Nanny gave us money and lots of other stuff too. She gave me a sweater and two pretty earrings.

On Christmas Day, Katy woke up later than she had all year long, at 8:00 a.m. Mr and Mrs. Cox (George’s parents) came over at 6:00 a.m. George and I opened our stockings and we all opened our gifts. George gave me my emerald ring. It is beautiful! He gave me a computer grogram game, pajamas, and a mobile phone. I gave him jeans, a shirt, Chicago cutlery block set, Wing Commander, and the famous food box. (We always have given each other food for Christmas.) He also bought me a suit from Granny Leona’s store. We gave each other more, it’s just hard to remember it all as I write this. Katy finally woke up and saw Granny and Granda and ran toward her kitchen (Little Tykes kinda thing.) After opening all of her toys, we went to Granny Leona’s (George’s grandmother). After Granny Leona’s we went to Robert and Felicia’s (George’s Aunt and Uncle) for Christmas Brunch. Then home and Katy and I napped. I woke up with an hour to cook and straighten and prepare for Katy’s birthday dinner. We had Katy’s birthday and Christmas with the Carnes (George’s sister and her family). Then off to bed for a retail day on December 26th (I worked for Dillards in Personnel Management/Operations at the time). It was a wonderful and busy Christmas dinner.

Christmas Dinner was Katy’s birthday with BBQ, Baked Beans, Slaw, Potato salad, vegetable casserole, creamed spinach, Barney Birthday Cake and vanilla ice cream.

It was special seeing Mam-ma (Dad’s Mom) open her gifts. She was crazy over her writing materials. (I get my writing urges from her.) She couldn’t quit looking at her gifts.

Nanny (Mom’s Mom) was in wonderful spirits and seemed very healthy and happy. It is a blessing she is doing so well. I miss Grandaddy and felt he was there with us somehow. (We’d lost him 2.5 years earlier.). If there is such a thing as a guardian angel, I hope that he is mine! I hope he is watching over Katy! Grandaddy loved Christmas and all of us being together. I thought about him a lot! Also Katy enjoyed her advent calendar from Nana and her Christmas Barney dishes.

I hope you enjoyed an excerpt from my Christmas Memories book. This was the first entry in the book as it was given to me back in 1994. I kept it faithfully through the years through 2014. Once Katy left the house the book was almost full. She was grown, and gone and I just didn’t feel the need to post in it again. But it’s a precious book of memories and one day I’ll give it to Katy for a keepsake of hers.

If you need something to give a family member – especially a younger one that is leaving to start their own family or having kids – a Christmas Memories book is a great gift to give. I cherish this one. My mind cannot even begin to remember all those Christmases past, but I’m able to revisit each year as it happened with the notes I made and it the memories come alive in my mind.

• George went to the doctor today for his ankle/foot with gout. They did bloodwork and also set up a physical for him later in the month. Thank the Lord. I have been praying over his health and I can see that the issues he has had, has led him to now get the physical. He has avoided this for a long long time.
• My dizziness/vertigo went away. I’m not sure why the Lord wanted me home yesterday but I suppose he knows. I was able to get up with no problems today and go to work and do payroll. The lady that filled in for me yesterday doing time sheets did a great job and everything was ready to go today. I’m so appreciative of her. I felt so bad, but it really would have been bad if I had to miss today. I’m glad I was better so my boss did not have to do payroll as she has so much other stuff going on.
• Dexter has been good. He’s growing up. He’s leaving stuff alone – like the tree and gifts and all. He minds pretty good. He’s all chilled out for the most part. He jumped up in my lap tonight when I was FaceTiming with River and talking to River in my “sweet voice”. That dog was jealous! It was so cute. Made me feel good. ha All fifty pounds of him jumping up in my lap to get between me and the phone! He enjoyed having me home with him yesterday and George was with him a chunk of today. I hope George can work from home tomorrow too since his stuff is here and they may be calling in some meds for him for gout.

I got my hair cut today. Here’s their cute little salon tree. I’m so happy with my hair. The real trial comes when I style it on my own, which will be in the morning. I went much shorter.

Not much make up on – what was left from 4 am and it’s 8:00 pm now. I just went much shorter so I can deal with holidays and Christmas and Year end with a shorter sassier do. I need some sass from somewhere right about now. I think it makes me look a bit younger.

I also quit wearing eye liner – at least temporarily. I’m surprised at the happier, natural look it gives and it shows my eyelashes off. I think I kinda like it better without – at least for now.

And here is the side. I wanted rid of the layered bob and wanted a long pixie. We decided not to take it over the ears and leave the top longer. I’m happy with it. It’ll look different when I style it. I mainly will finger style it more than likely and run out the door. I needed a shorter cut for this season in my life.

So I missed Monday at work but I have decided to keep my off day on Friday so I can finish with Christmas decorations, finish addressing my Christmas cards, do some wrapping, and just try to get some things done before it all passes me by and I have to rush. I want to try and enjoy the season.

No video out this Saturday. No more until I get control of Christmas. I needed a break anyway. God is making that VERY clear as we transition thru the holidays and into the new year.

I will try to film some. Not much need in filming right now as George Hobbles and I Wobble. I should have named this blog post the Hobble Wobble post. lol Hobbles Wobble but they don’t fall down. Remember Weebles Wobble but they don’t fall down? (Toys when we were kids.) lol

Well it’s getting close to bed time, but I wanted to get my Blogmas 6 done!

Do you have a Christmas memories book? What Christmas memories shine in your mind from Christmas Past?

I will probably come back with another entry just from my memory alone from a typical Childhood Christmas where I describe the sights and sounds and smells as if you were right there with me. Might just be tomorrow! We’ll wake up and do Christmas together in my house as a child 🙂 I’ll write as if we were there. The entries I had planned for today and tomorrow I’m not ready to do yet. I’ll wait a few days. So be sure and come back. I’ll update again tomorrow evening.