Three Days Til Christmas

The Gayla Pink Apple

 

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Three Days Til Christmas

I decided to share a Christmas memory each day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas day. There's no order - just a random Christmas thought or memory --- today it is 3 days til...

Flowers delivered yesterday - pure preciousness! 

So much fun to receive such a wonderful surprise at your door! 
A memory just made!

A few random Christmas thoughts...

On the Road

Several years ago, I asked my daughter what was one of her favorite memories of Christmas and she said the drive, as a young girl, on Christmas Eve, to my parents house about 40 miles north of LR.  She loved the three of us in the vehicle, singing Christmas songs while driving - and the drive back home after the celebration was over - listening to Christmas music again and reminiscing and talking about Christmas. 

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Special Foods

The food - eating a lot of foods we do not normally eat!  Cornbread dressing, rolls, and pies to be specific!  I have discovered that it doesn't really matter if you're a chef quality cook or a open a can type of cook - your family loves your cooking anyway!  So it really is about gathering for the Christmas meal together! 

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Enough Shopping

By this time - three days before Christmas - I am definitely finished with all the hustle and bustle of getting ready for  Christmas.  No more last minute shopping.  If I haven't bought it by now, chances are, I won't be buying it at all.  It is now down to serious cooking and reminiscing!  It really is NOT about the gifts at my house - it is about being in the kitchen together, relaxing throughout the day, and then sitting down together to enjoy dinner. 

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Remembering

 

Just a few days til Christmas day now and often I find myself thinking about family members and loved ones who have passed.  Reminisce about times with them and things they would say - experiences I had with them - allowing my heart to ache a little while, missing their presence in my life.  My grandparents no longer with us - I talked about them in earlier blog posts.  Our little schnauzer loved Christmas.  We miss him.  He was such a joy on Christmas morning - he would sit patiently waiting for you to give him 'his' gift to open.  He didn't bother all the gifts - but he could open his!   

It is a natural thing to do - Christmas time is the perfect time to allow those thoughts and feelings to flow through your being.

 

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Savor the Memories

Collage of Christmas snapshots
 

Soaking in the moments with my daughter to reminisce in my mind about her youth. Regardless of our age we still make memories and savor moments. Regardless of whether she is 3 or 23 every moment I spend with her is treasured! For me, seeing a photo keeps those memories and imagines in my mind - reminiscing through photographs makes for a happy heart. Hope you are able to spend treasured time with your family and loved ones this year during Christmas.  Life is made up of moments and I wish you many wonderful life moments to carry in your heart.

 

 



Hope you are having a wonderful Christmas season.  Have you been naughty or nice?  

It's almost too late - either he is coming to see you or he isn't!  Which is it?

Santa Claus is coming to town,
Gayla

Four Days Til Christmas

The Gayla Pink Apple

 

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Four Days Til Christmas

 I decided to share a Christmas memory each day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas day. There's no order - just a random Christmas thought or memory -- today it is 4 days til...

Gayla's Childhood Memories
 

  My Baby Doll - Thumbelina

My thumbelina doll!!   As a young child, I received a thumbelina doll for Christmas.  She was so soft, cuddly, and I absolutely love love loved her.  Thumbelina felt just like a real baby to me!  I sort of wish I still had her today! :)
 

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 Hundred Dollar Bill

 

$100 dollar bill...One year I received a $100 bill which was placed on a tree branch in our Christmas tree.  That was (and still is) a lot of money to me.  I loved the fact that it was sitting on a tree branch.  Just a fun memory of a Christmas morning.

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Cedar Trees

 

 

As most of you know, I grew up in the country, as you can imagine, we cut our Christmas tree from the pasture/field/land and it was always a cedar tree.  It smelled wonderful - I love the smell of a fresh cedar tree.  However, they are prickly and not fun to touch.  It is a big deal to water it daily and, of course, we didn't put it up very early.  Our tree was usually decorated with gold Christmas ornaments and silver icicles - do you remember the silver tinsel icicles?  We thought they were cool!  We also used multi-color lights.  Our tree stood proudly in front of the big window of our living room.  It was a big deal to make sure you could see the tree in the window from the road! 

Since both sets of grandparents were living during my youth, our Christmas Eve was with my mother's side of the family and Christmas Day with my father's side of the family. I do not recall a lot of time with just my parents and my sister - just hanging around at home because we had so many places to go. 

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Church

My childhood is filled to the brim with church memories.  Seems we were in church every time the doors were open.  I joke that I attended church enough before I graduated high school to last me a lifetime.  As much of a teasing comment as it is - there is an element of truth in that comment - it illustrates that our lives were centered around Sunday School and church.  My mother played the church organ (and still does) and my grandmother the church piano.  As young girls, my sister and I sat on the front church pew.  Christmas music - I can still hear the music now.  Christian Christmas songs - Silent Night, Away in a Manger, Oh Holy Night, pop in my mind right now.  Joking aside, this is definitely where my deep Christian roots and unending faith in God comes from.  

Hope you are enjoying this holiday season!  Have you been naughty or nice? 

Santa Claus is coming to town,
Gayla

 

 

 



Five Days Til Christmas

The Gayla Pink Apple

 

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Five Days Til Christmas

 I decided to share a Christmas memory each day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas day. There's no order - just a random Christmas thought or memory --- today it's 5 days til...

 

Several Little Traditions &
A Couple Extra Thoughts

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 Christmas Movies

We always watch the movie Miracle on 34th Street and no matter how many times we watch this movie, we still love watching it year after year. 

Sometimes we watch it more than once during the Christmas season.  Santa is real - In God We Trust! 

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Teddy Bears

A teddy bear was always under the Christmas tree for my daughter from Santa.  This happened accidentally - just one year we realized that every year Santa left her a teddy bear.  True!  She didn't ask for a Teddy Bear, but there was always one under the tree on Christmas morning.  Personally, I THINK he must have just added it to her sack of toys as a last minute thing!  I'd bet on it!

 

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The Polar Express

 

Polar Express Book and tape with the bell!  A yearly read - sweet and wonderful story.  Do you know this story?  It is another must have book for every child.

  

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The Christmas Tree
Hot Chocolate & Cookies &
Christmas Music

Sitting in front of the Christmas tree with the thousands of tiny lights shining brightly and listening to Christmas music.  As the countdown til Christmas continues this often is a regular routine. 

In past years, drinking hot chocolate and eating homemade butter cookies I baked -- all different shapes - Christmas trees, snowmen, jingle bells, and even reindeer shaped cookies.  But, today not too much hot chocolate - even though I still love it.  Maybe cup of coffee or some other Holiday drink to enjoy the season.

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Precious Moments Sugarland Express

Santa brought my daughter a really nice and super cute pink Precious Moments train set with track.  Not just any train and track, mind ya!  It's PINK - and she spent a lot of time watching the train run around on its' track!  A few times we put it around the perimeter of the tree.  It's a really neat train for little girls!  Who said only boys can have trains, anyway!

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Thanks for sharing in my thoughts of a few traditions and a couple little memories fondly dancing in my head today!  Drinking coffee and looking at my Christmas tree now! 

Hope you are enjoying this Christmas season.  Have you been naughty or nice?

Santa Claus is coming to town,

Gayla

 

 

 



Six Days til Christmas

The Gayla Pink Apple

 

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Six Days Til Christmas

I decided to share a Christmas memory each day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas day. There's no order - just a random Christmas thought or memory --- today it is 6 days til...

 

 

The Nutcracker Ballet

 

Ballet Arkansas with the

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

 

My daughter started taking Ballet lessons in kindergarten.  She originally signed up because one of her little friends was going to take lessons.  Students at Ballet Arkansas were a part of the yearly production of the Nutcracker held at the Robinson Center in downtown.   Rehearsals, costumes, makeup, hair, etc became a big thing.  Children rehearsed over and over for weeks and weeks getting ready for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday performances. 

 

 

My daughter was in the cast as an angel her first year; an angel and a rat the next year; then a little rat and a gingerbread baker with Mother Ginger the following several years; a toy soldier one year; and honestly that's all I can remember without looking at old pictures, etc.  :)  But, by this time, she was getting tired of ballet - she had no desire to be a professional ballerina - although she did dance on pointe for several years.  With that being said, the Nutcracker Ballet performances became a big event in our lives during the Christmas season.

During my daughter's young years, she would go to bed almost every night listening to the Nutcracker music. She knew every note, twist and turn of Clara and relished in every move by most all of the characters of this ballet.

We still love to listen to the Nutcracker music and love every memory and no regrets with the hours and hours of practice and rehearsals which were required. It's a great memory! 

 

Hope you're having a great Christmas week.  Have you been naughty or nice?

Santa Claus is coming to town,
Gayla   

Seven Days Til Christmas...

The Gayla Pink Apple

 

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Seven Days Til Christmas

I decided to share a Christmas memory each day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas day. There's no order - just a random Christmas thought or memory --- today it is 7 days til...

 

 

Little Rock Junior Cotillion
and
Annual Holly Ball

 

Little Rock Junior Cotillion's annual Holly Ball at Christmas time!  Dressing up in formal attire - both children and parents.  Students show off the dancing skills they learned.  Girls dance with their fathers' and the boys dance with their mothers'!  A wonderful memory for parents, at least! 

 

Little Rock Junior Cotillion  (LRJC) - a dance and etiquette program for girls and boys in the 5th through the 9th grades. LRJC began in 1948 under the direction of Mrs. Roger Butts.  The four year program is a tradition for many Little Rock families. The program teaches dance as well as social graces.  Manners and etiquette - line dances and partner dances - and music was live with a four piece band.  Kathleen  Joiner became the director of the LRJC in 1986. 

 

Most of the dances were semi-formal, which required coats and ties or suits for the boys and dressy dresses, dress shoes and white gloves required for the girls.  The dances were held on Saturday nights from September through December with the finale being the December Holly Ball with formal attire. 

 

Holly Ball - 8th grade - 2003

 



As a parent, the LRJC basically was your child's first exposure to being taught formal social skills which would be a life long lesson and afterall, every child should know the proper formal social skills, right?  Regardless of your answer, participation was common at my daughter's school and she wanted to do it.  She loved it - she enjoyed getting dressed up and the weekly dances.   

 

The Holly Ball became a wonderful holiday memory for us - dressing up in formal attire - fine dining before the dance and then proudly taking the floor with your child for a few moves.  The girls carried boutique of flowers (required) and wore white gloves (required) with their formal long gowns.  The mother's wore long formal dresses and fathers stepped out in a formal suit or tuxedo.  My daughter would 'teach' her father before we left home what he was supposed to do that night on the dance floor with her.  Makes me smile!!!

 

 
The Holly Ball -- a wonderful holiday memory for us.

Santa Claus is coming to town,

Gayla

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Eight Days til Christmas

The Gayla Pink Apple

 

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Eight Days Til Christmas

I decided to share a Christmas memory each day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas day. There's no order - just a random Christmas thought or memory --- today it's 8 days til...

 

 

Arkansas Art Center
Children's Theatre

 

Dianne and I took my daughter to the Arkansas Art Center to see a play at the Children's Theatre every month during their season and that included the month of December.  I think my daughter was around 4 years old when we started this tradition with Dianne.  It was an outing we looked forward to every month, and especially at Christmas.  We dressed up in our Christmas attire and would go out to dinner before the play.  Dianne was great fun and my daughter absolutely adored and loved her. 

Dianne and Blair

 

Often, I'd cook dinner for us - I'd set the table with my Christmas dishes and spend most of the day preparing and cooking.  I wanted to make the dinner special - not just throwing something together to fill our stomachs.  It had to say Christmas special guest and special evening.  Once, I was running out of time and felt a bit out of control, trying to figure out what to cook and get everything done.  I decided I'd order take out from one of my favorite Italian restaurants.  I ordered three entrees of the same dish - brought them home - dumped them into a big pot to keep it warm.  Wallah!!!! Dinner's ready.  Table set beautifully.  Christmas in the air.  Decorations gorgeous.  December cold temp outside.  Sounds perfect to me!!

Dinner was yummy!  Dianne compliments the meal several times and I kindly said thank you - playing down the compliment a little bit - since I didn't really prepare it.  My daughter looks at me with her sweet little eyes and gentle smile and says, "Mommy, don't you have something to tell Dianne?"   I ignored the comment and changed the subject - not giving her too much attention negative or positive.  You know, kind of just skimming over what my daughter just said to me.

 

My daughter looks at me again with her sweet little eyes and smile and says, "Mommy, don't you have something to tell Dainne?"  I ignored the comment and changed the subject.

 

FINALLY, third time is the charm!  She looks at me again and say,  "MOMMY, don't you have something to tell Dainne?"  "Oh Yes, thank you Dianne - I picked up our dinner tonight at Macaroni Grill instead of cooking myself and I am so glad you love it.   It is one of my favorites there."    Whew, as a mother, I had to either demonstrate a truth or a lie.  I knew those little eyes and ears were watching and listening to every word I said!!!!!!!!  A Merry Christmas evening it was indeed - it was a great night at the Children's Theatre and a fabulous meal thanks to both Macaroni Grill and me!

Regardless of how and where dinner came from, my daughter and I loved going to the Children's Theatre with Dianne for many years - about ten years or so.  It was always a special evening for the three of us girls!  Dianne doted over my daughter with much attention.  Our Christmas Girls Night Out was always great fun, much loved, and a very fond memory!

If you have a young child or grandchild, season tickets to the Children's Theatre at the Arkansas Art Center is a fantastic way to have a special evening out together.  You can check it out at www.arkarts.com/childrens_theatre .  Sometimes children see the play with their school class - but - it isn't the same as an outing with just you and that special child in your life or family.  Going with a group or going with a parent or grandparent - well, no need for me to say more.  We know which is most special!

Merry Christmas!  Have you been naughty or nice?  He knows if you've been good or bad, so be good for goodness sake!

Santa Claus is coming to town,

Gayla

 



Nine Days Til Christmas

The Gayla Pink Apple

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Nine Days Til Christmas

I decided to share a Christmas memory each day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas day.  There's no order - just a random Christmas thought or memory --- today it's 9 days til...
 A Christmas Memory

Christmas with my husband's family was on Christmas Day.  That meant, after I married, I wasn't always able to go to my father's side of the family (my Pawpaw.)  But, during the early years of my married life, we would drive to his house Christmas evening for leftovers. 

My in-laws were very nice people.  Of course, as you can imagine, this was not 'my' traditions, etc.  In the beginning I felt a little bit like an outsider - perhaps my own fault - but it is how I felt.  However, over the years, I grew to love my mother-in-law's cooking and especially her turkey and cornbread dressing. She was not into cooking like the women I was used to in my family.  She prepared only what she thought was going to be consumed and no extras.  :)

My sister-in-law always - and I mean always - brought her cranberry salad -- that is what my mother-in-law called it anyway.  I, on the other hand, always - and I mean always - thought I had to have jellied cranberry sauce from a can.  I guess I didn't realize that if you had cranberry salad, you didn't need my jellied cranberry sauce. LOL!   I mean, afterall, in my family we would have both!  Looking back, the cranberry salad was much better than can of jellied cranberry, but I liked the can stuff and still do. One year, I brought my own can of jellied cranberry sauce.  Believe me, every year from then on, my mother-in-law always, and I mean always, had a can of jellied cranberry sauce in addition to my sister-in-law's cranberry salad!   :)

My mother-in-law had a kind and loving way about her - but, she never stopped talking.  My father-in-law was kind and gentle, and when he talked you listened, because what he usually had to say was welcomed.  He treated my mother-in-law like a queen and I greatly admired their love and sweetness to each other.   I have to admit, sometimes I tuned out my mother-in-law because she talked so much.  She asked a thousand questions.  She was the queen of the house - the center of attention - the star of the show.  And, you know what? She was entitled to be the queen too.  It was her house and her show!   I say those words with respect and love to her. 

Her son and daughter loved her beyond words - both were very dedicated to her.  Her two granddaughters also loved her to the moon and back.  I was the only in-law, and yes, I loved her, but could not compete with the son, daughter, and two granddaughters!  She was very good to me.  She cooked dinner weekly - packed it in her car - drove it to my house during my chemo days. She was always there for my family and me.

My mother-in-law kept my daughter when she was a baby while I returned to work.  I left my job when my daughter was two and became a stay-at-home Mom for a long time.  My in-laws were fantastic grandparents. My father-in-law passed when my daughter was 2 1/2 years old.  My mother-in-law spent a lot of time playing and doting over Blair. 

My husband took his Mother to lunch every Thursday and they had a very special mother/son bond - which I admired.  I wish all mothers could spend one-on-one time with their adult married sons.  It was indeed a special date for my mother-in-law.  She told my husband she hoped she would live to see Blair graduate.  She did - but, she died a few weeks later at the age of 82.  My daughter graduated high school in May and my mother-in-law passed away four weeks later.  She is greatly missed and especially during the Christmas season.

Blair and Grandma Mart

Semi-homemade ornament on our tree!
 

My daughter's middle name is my mother-in-law's maiden name.  I always thought a little girl needed a connection to the women of her father's side of the family.  She used to say not just every daughter-in-law would name their child after their mother-in-law.  That was the greatest compliment to hear!  I wrote her a thank you note in 1981 - the year I married her son.  When she died in 2008 - I found the thank you note inside a small photo album of our wedding.  She had kept it all those years! 

A bittersweet post today as we no longer have a family get together on my husband's side - but we indeed have nice memories.   Hope you are enjoying this Christmas season.  Thank you for walking down memory lane a little bit the past few days. 

Have you been naughty or nice? He sees you when you're sleeping; he knows when you're awake! 

Santa Claus is coming to town,

Gayla