Holiday Lights

I didn't put up lights or anything other than the door wreath this year. I just didn't feel any sort of holiday spirit. I think I know the reason, but I decided, rather than feel a sense of obligation, I would just roll with it. Christmas is about happiness and I knew I couldn't be happy if I felt an obligation to hauling a tree or even a part of a tree, up from the basement and decorating it when I really didn't want to. It's not the first year I've not decorated for Christmas. The first Christmas I was alone I didn't put up anything and just piled the gifts on the floor. You know, I'm okay with that. The season isn't about how tall the pile is, but the meaning expressed in this song from "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street".

When Christmas time is over and presents put away, 

Don't be sad. 

There'll be so much to treasure about this Christmas Day

And the fun we've had. 

So many happy feelings to celebrate with you. 

And, oh, the good times hurry by so fast. 

But even when it's over

There's something you can do to make Christmas last. 

Keep Christmas with you 

All through the year. 

When Christmas is over,

You can keep it near. 

Think of this Christmas Day

When Christmas is far away.

Keep Christmas with you
All through the year,
When Christmas is over,
Save some Christmas cheer.
These precious moments,
Hold them very dear
And keep Christmas with you
All through the year.

Christmas means the spirit of giving
Peace and joy to you. 

The goodness of loving,
The gladness of living, 
These are Christmas, too. 

So, keep Christmas with you
All through the year,
When Christmas is over,
Save some Christmas cheer.
These precious moments,
Hold them very dear
And keep Christmas with you
All through the year.

You can watch a short video of the song here.  

Beverage:  Water

Deb 

"Rubber duckie, you're the one"

If you're a certain age or have kids who watched "Sesame Street", you probably know this song by heart. No, I'm not sorry for giving you an earworm. This is much better than some I could reference.

Why this? Well, I'm not sure where my brain was meandering when rubber ducks popped into my head as Christmas presents. You all know that feeling. You're trying to think of something and your brain would rather meander down some mental road you've not been in years. I needed a cheap, silly present for a friend and my brain said, "Rubber duck". He's got some young children so it's the perfect idea.

Searching for "rubber duck" on the Internet yields thousands of hits. Some places had a minimum quantity. I don't need a dozen rubber ducks. I need one for my friend, maybe two, if a very small quantity is allowed. Almost defeated, I scanned the page of places that sell rubber ducks and there was one company, off to the side, whose name seemed to say it all; SqueakyDucks.com. I wound up spending 90 minutes poking about in all the offerings. Man, if they don't have the duck you want, it hasn't been created yet.

My order came really fast. That's a construction duck in the middle. I hated to buy just one duck, although I could have. They had a package of 4 Christmas ducks and I have four great nieces and nephews. Sold. I don't know who will get which duck. These don't squeak but they do float. Extremely inexpensive, too. I'm impressed with the construction of the duck and the deep colors. It's not paint. It's colored plastic. I'm fairly confident these will hold up for awhile.

So now I'm thinking more people on my Christmas list need rubber ducks. Even if you never take a bath, preferring to shower, Ernie is right. "You make bath time lots of fun."

Beverage:  Berry flavored seltzer

Deb

Can't You Hear Ernie Singing?

This is the last Christmas present to find use. My friend and guild mate, Doo, sent this to me. I knew, when I looked at it, that it would merit a blog post so I've been waiting for a good time to use it. With the weather going cold this weekend, it was the perfect time to have copious amounts of tea. So, let's see how this works.

First, one has to liberate the duck from the packaging.

Awwww, isn't that cute? The strainer part, where the loose tea goes, pops off the bottom of the duck. The blue thing, to the right, is where the whole thing sits when it's not steeping your tea. I chose loose Darjeeling for the tea.

It doesn't take much to fill the container. Tea leaves expand so the strainer can't be filled to the brim with leaves.

Then the whole thing goes in your mug of hot water.

(giggle, snirk) Okay, that is just the silliest thing ever and I love it. Until the tea leaves absorbed water, the duck tipped over. Once the leaves were steeping, the duck stayed upright. After the initial mug, the duck stayed upright in every subsequent mug. I probably drank more tea yesterday than I had in awhile simply because having a duck in my mug is hysterical. I can't look at this and not think of Ernie from Sesame Street.

If you want your very own tea duckie, you can find it here. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

Beverage:  Darjeeling tea (from a tea bag)

Deb

This is running through my head today.

Rainy Day

It's a rainy day;
It's a rainy day.
It's raining outside,
And I can't go out and play.
Why do we need the rain anyway?

Rain falls everywhere,
Fills the rivers and streams,
Flows into the reservoirs
Purified and clean.
Water to do the wash,
Water to drink,
Water is flowing
Through the pipes into our sink.

It's a rainy day;
It's a rainy day.
It's raining outside,
And I can't go out and play.
I guess I'll stay at home today.

Every living thing needs water;
Every living thing needs the rain.
Every living thing needs water;
I guess I really can't complain.

It's a rainy day;
It's a rainy day.
It's raining outside,
And I can't go out and play.
Why do we need the rain anyway?

Water to do the dishes,
Water to brush your teeth,
Water to take a shower,
Water to wash the street.

Water for the forest,
Millions of thirsty roots;
Water for the garden,
Flowers, vegetables, and fruits.

It's a rainy day;
It's a rainy day.
It's raining outside,
And I can't go out and play.
Don't you know I love the rain anyway?!

Beverage: Dr. Pepper

Deb