A Flash of Pre-Christmas

Never, Reader Dear, have I had a Week-before-Christmas remotely similar to the one that just transpired!
There were hospital visits to Philadelphia, to the University of PA Hospital  (where Wife of Only Son, aka Only Daughter-in-Law now resides [for what we hope and pray is a successful and shorter-than-average temporary housing stay in ICU]!)

 

Small Actor enjoying his Fruit Robot

(specialty of mine)

The week was stuffed full, with trips to the hospital, as well as good times with the Small Actor (who misses his mom),



plus other events, the  celebratory sort!
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The Yard Man and I had not attended a formal anniversary party together, ever.  During this pre-Christmas week, we were invited to attend not one, but two on the very same day (fortunately, one a luncheon, the other a dinner).  These two celebrations had some things in common, of course.  

CAKE! 

DECORATIVE TABLE SETTINGS!     

GOOD FOOD!

Both parties offered us a delicious meal.

 But, for interest's sake, I'm going to tell you about a unique feature of each party.

The luncheon party was given by a couple celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary.  And who, Reader Dear,  do you suppose was in attendance?  The very same minister who married these two!  (It may not be that unusual; the fact of it, however, both fascinated and pleased me.)

The anniversary dinner, then, was an event planned (by their children) as a surprise for friends who are celebrating their fortieth wedding anniversary.  The guests were huddled in a small cloakroom adjacent to the dining room where the table was set.  When these two came through the door, we popped out to shout "Surprise!" They appeared to be slightly flummoxed, and, yes, surprised!  (This, too,  tickled and pleased me!)

Wishing both sets of long-since bride and long-since-groom many more years of marital bliss (er, well, at least marital contentment with loads of downright happiness!)

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And one more episode, which didn't quite sneak into the final pre-Christmas week, but was ten days prior, and definitely deserves a mention:  The Yard Man and I took friends and went to a concert in York, PA**
Darlingside! 
 
**About a thirty-five-mile drive and jeopardized by the fact that we got snow, falling so beautifully all day long, but leaving us to ponder the odds of getting to hear
Darlingside!

As you can no doubt determine, we made it to the concert and it was terrific!  It was so difficult to stop recording snippets of the performance.  If you like what you hear, Listener Dear, be sure that you make a point of taking yourself to a concert by

Darlingside!

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Christmas Eve, coming right up!

Turns out

I fell off the Christmas train.  And then, when I stood up and brushed myself off, it was very nearly Christmas Eve!

I told you, Reader Dear, I hoped to show you the decorated tree when I could manage to get it home and into the tree stand and into its fancy dressed-up state.






A week after choosing the tree, The Yard Man brought it home and into the house.  He secured it in an upright position in the stand.  I untangled the strings of lights and ensured that they all lit up (having learned from experience the importance of taking this step prior to laboriously wrapping the strands of lights around the tree.)

I lugged the boxes of ornaments from the attic.



And then, I happily completed the fun part:
Hanging the ornaments!











The starfish from the Outer Banks of North Carolina.
The cardboard angels which hung on the very first
Christmas tree finagled into a tree stand for me by the Yard Man.

 The angel that has blown his trumpet from the uppermost branch for years and years.

So now, here the tree stands briefly,  and sparkles with Christmas cheer, Viewer Dear!

I've found that time starts

acting like a runaway freight train this time of year.  I make every attempt to prepare for it, but before I know,  Thanksgiving has come and gone, and suddenly the train is careening out of control. I have barely managed to get myself aboard; the Christmas paraphernalia is bumping along behind on the tracks.

Complicating the whole Holidays-are-A'comin' interval is the fact that ordinary maintenance must go on.  Ordinary crises continue.  Ordinary leaves are still falling from the trees, and ordinary pipes go on leaking*.  Tenants keep on stepping into sticky situations.   A plain old cell phone continues its frustrating tendency toward poor reception, and an ordinary car is way past its inspection due date.

*It was an underground pipe, Reader Dear, the one with the leak.  The Water Department at the township office proclaimed that it must have been leaking for months; they'd been looking for it!  Discovery was delayed, but a neighbor who lives nearby finally gave me a call.
"I thought you'd want to know, there's water coming out of the ground at your apartments.  There's practically a  river running down the hill!"

And, "Sorry," said the township Water Department, "but this is your responsibility to repair."
SIGH.
It was a big bloody (er, muddy) mess!

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But, here's the thing,  Dear Reader:  Once aboard this train that's en route to Christmas, there are jolly times as well.
For instance, there was the search for THE TREE.
Now maybe jolly isn't the right word, but I did have a perfectly pleasant time strolling the sprawling fields of evergreens in search of the one that called my name**.  The weather was glorious last Saturday, and The Yard Man was driving his trotting mares at the tree farm again. 

**Naturally, there were hundreds holding their limbs out to me and calling my name.  I inspected them all, Reader Dear!

It's going to be fun bringing the tree home, too, and decorating.
I'll try to show it to you later through the open train window (as we speed along)
future-Viewer Dear.
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