Another Christmas and another New Year to add to the memory chest.
The decorations all packed away for eleven months. I am not one of those who need a different colour scheme every year, I am far too sentimental and traditional for that. I love the memories evoked by our decorations, some inherited from my parents, some from JW’s family, some made by Jennie and her children and the newest ones collected on our recent travels.
The cards are put away so that I remember who to send them to next year. The letters re-read and kept for answering. I send letters in about half the cards. Recently I had read that some people hate getting Christmas letters and was wondering whether I should send so many, so it was reassuring to hear from several of my correspondents that they looked forward to hearing all my news. I love hearing their news (even the occasional one who boasts about the family achievements!) When they are from distant friends it reminds me that they too have grown up children and grandchildren and some even have great grandchildren. I still tend to think of them as I knew them, so my nursing friends are still only in their early twenties and my school friends even younger!
An encouraging fact to come from my letters was that nearly everyone knew someone who had had prostate cancer and, with treatment, had recovered. I had not realised that it was so prevalent. Has it always been so I wonder? Maybe they are more able to detect it early now.
The Christmas cake, mince pies and other goodies have all been consumed so no excuse now not to adjust the diet.:)
The year has started well with Jennie’s latest scan. I had been having difficulty not telling anyone before, but Jennie was, understandably, nervous about spreading the news, so I couldn’t tell anyone the joyous news that we are expecting another grandchild in May.
We have the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee to look forward too and if it is anything like the Coronation and the Silver and Gold Jubilees that should lift the spirits of the nation after all the doom and gloom from the politicians and financial “experts”.
For the sports fans there are the Olympics and World Cup too, so something for everyone to look forward too.
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January 12, 2012 at 1:07 am
shoreacres
I’m like you – the Christmas decorations aren’t purchased but brought from storage. A new ornament or two may be added in a year, but I still have a few from my childhood, and all of them have memories.
As a matter of fact, still hang some little aluminum bells – red, blue and green – that are from the 40s, and I still have the “real” tinsel that hung on our trees! It was real metal, of course, not the flimsy stuff they sell today. Every year before we took the tree down, we carefully lifted each strand off, put it all in its cardboard and stored it until the next year. Fifty year old tinsel! How good is that?
It will be a good year. I’m especially interested in the Diamond Jubilee. I prefer the winter olympics, so these won’t take much time for me. I do hope they go well and bring much pleasure!
January 12, 2012 at 8:17 pm
Granny Anne
When I was very small (wartime) we had an artificial tree which, with most of the ornaments, were from my mother’s childhood,(it even had holders for real candles!) but sadly my father wasn’t sentimental and wanted all new stuff when it came back into the shops, so most things were scrapped. I do have a few baubles from those days so I suppose they must be 50 years old.