Holiday Prep

I've really been slacking in the blog post production.

I blame the holidays-

Thanksgiving and now prepping for Christmas.

We're anxiously waiting for Santa's arrival.

(no, I don't have a fireplace in the house, this is my mom's office where

my grandson was checking for signs of the Jolly Old Elf)

We had a good Thanksgiving holiday

though it was a hectic one.  

I had hoped to host Thanksgiving at the house this year, 

but it just didn't work out that way.

I'd prefer a decent bathroom

and a dining room without a view of the upstairs bathroom plumbing

(not to mention the sound of the rushing water after the flush, though

it does signal when it's your turn to take a seat on the throne).

I have hopes for maybe Easter dinner.

There hasn't been too much going on as far as renovations go.

We did put up some curtains in the living room

(still have a few to get)

and I've got some ideas and plans spinning around in my head.

I just need to sweet talk Big E into getting on board

because getting him to agree grudgingly
is better than starting the project and yelling
"Surprise!"
when he comes home.
I can't share my ideas since he actually reads this blog
(probably to see what I'm up to or what I have planned for him)
and I don't want to give him a heads up before I have it all worked out in my head.
One idea might possibly involve friends of mine and demolition.

We did manage to get our Christmas tree.

It's up and the lights are on it

and the train is out.

The grandson loves the train, 

though there's only so much "All Aboard!"

and train chugging noises one can take.  

Unless you're 3, 

then apparently there is no limit for such things.

Hoping to get the rest of the house decorated in the coming days.

The Night the Angels Sang

In July of 1914,The Great War began in Europe.  On December 7, 1914, Pope Benedict XV pleaded with the various powers to hold a Christmas truce, asking "that the guns may fall silent at least upon the night the angels sang."  The hope was that during this truce, negotiations could happen that would end the conflict and bring peace to Europe.  But the Pope's plea was dismissed by those in charge for fear the troops might mutiny and refuse to fight.  Despite this, something miraculous happened.

Front Page, The Daily Mirror January 1915

On Christmas Eve, a night that was moonlit and frosty according to accounts, singing started coming from the German trenches: "Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht, Alles schläft, einsam wacht..." The tune was familiar and the Americans joined in singing "Silent Night, Holy Night".  Graham Williams of the Fifth London Rifle Brigade documented the experience:

"First the Germans would sing one of their carols and then we would sing one of ours, until when we started up ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’ the Germans immediately joined in singing the same hymn to the Latin words Adeste Fideles. And I thought, well, this is really a most extraordinary thing ­– two nations both singing the same carol in the middle of a war."

 

Thus began the unofficial Christmas Truce.

Areas along the Western and Eastern Fronts experienced this Christmas miracle where troops on either side of the conflict laid down their weapons and embraced each other simply as fellow human beings.  They sang carols throughout the night.  They met in the area between the trenches known as "No Man's Land" and shared drink, food and smokes and carried out the solemn task of burying the dead.  There were even thrown together pick up games of soccer played.  In some areas the truce only lasted through Christmas Day and in others it extended into the New Year.  The Great War raged on for 4 more years with small moments of peace happening between the trenches, but nothing ever again to the scale of the Christmas Truce of 1914.

So what made me bring all this up?  So far, we think we have dated our house to 1914.  And I, being the sentimental person that I am, I began to think of all the things our house has seen.  And yes, I am personifying a house, but I believe houses have souls.  With all that living going on inside you for so many years, how can you not? But I digress.  Our house was built or was being built when WWI broke out in Europe.  It was there when this truce happened.  It was a witness to a miracle where men allowed their innermost desire for peace shine through during a time of great conflict.

So I ask you, please, to share this story this year.  Drown out the media and the politicians.  Teach your kids that peace is possible, that getting along even if you don't see eye to eye can happen- has happened.  That it really can be as simple as "Love Thy Neighbor"

Belleau Wood by Garth Brooks
  
Christmas 1915 by Celtic Thunder

History of Silent Night

Many years ago, I was a college student taking a course in German.  At the time, I already had 4 years of German instruction and was almost completely fluent in the language.  So, what happens when you take a course in college where everyone else but you is a beginner? You get special projects from your professor (especially when your College German professor is friends with your high school German teacher who knew exactly how well you could read, translate and speak the language).  So around Christmas, I was given the task of translating the history of the Christmas Carol "Silent Night".  The history behind the song has made it a favorite of mine during the holiday season.

 In 1816 in Mariapfarr, Austria, Joseph Mohr, a young priest assigned to a pilgrimage church, penned a six stanza poem that later became the Christmas carol.  No one knows what his exact inspiration of the poem was, but many speculate that his walks through the countryside to visit his grandfather served as his muse.  When he was transferred to Oberndorf in 1817, he took the poem with him.


Fast forward to Christmas 1818 at St Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, Austria.  The church's organ was damaged- some say mice damaged it, others claim is was rust- either way, the organ was not going to be operational in time for Christmas.  So on Christmas Eve, Joseph Mohr went to the church's organist, local musician and schoolteacher Franz Gruber to ask him to write a melody and guitar accompaniment to his poem in order to play it that night during the midnight mass.  That night, with the church lit by candles, the two men stood in front of the church and sang the hymn with guitar accompaniment. Some time later, the local man who repaired organs, familiar with the song, took a copy of the music and lyrics to his Alpine village where two well known families of singers heard it and were so impressed they included it in their holiday selections.  Today the song has been translated into 300 languages and dialects all over the world.

Personally, my favorite is the German version with acoustic guitar accompaniment as it was played nearly 200 years ago in a candlelit church in the Austrian Alps.

Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Between ripping and scraping floors

and spackling drywall,

we have managed to try and prepare for the coming holiday season.

We have a tree.

Apparently our eyes were bigger than our living room

because we got a 10'5" tree 

for 8'9" ceilings.

But with some trimming and finagling, 

we've managed to get it inside.

It currently has half the lights on it

(we used 600 I had to buy more) but no ornaments yet.

Though I think the galvanized tub as tree skirt looks fabulous

even with no other decorations.

(I was pleased to find a use for the tub we purchased and used as a cooler for beer at our wedding).

We're steadily getting things prepared for painting this coming weekend

and slowly getting ready for Christmas.

 Though once Christmas comes and goes, 

I might sleep for a week straight.

Photo Challenge Fail

So, I failed my photo challenge. 

 Miserably.  

There was just no way I could keep up with the frantic rush of the Christmas season, 

the multiple illnesses the Brat Child had, 

my own health issues, 

the dog's ongoing mystery illness, 

the cat's UTI, 

normal life and all its demands,

 taking specific photos 

and blogging. 

So, here are the photos I did take:

 Ok, so I didn't take this, my sister did 

(that's her front and center with me to the left, 

my mom to the right and my daughter in the back), 

and it was taken on Thanksgiving, 

 but it was going to be my photo for "Family".

 This is Bailey getting one of her regular baths with medicated shampoo.

Since August, Bailey has had a mysterious skin issue where she looses her hair

and scratches until she has open sores which then develop into skin infections.

We are on possible diagnosis #3: food allergy. 

I now get her meds at the Pharmacy-

the name reads "Bailey J. dog of Jamie"

 This is Gibbs the cat.

Here he is shown playing dead 

waiting for an unsuspecting Vet Tech to enter the room

so he can attack them.

Seriously.

He went from love bug to rabid jaguar in 6 seconds.

After attacking the tech and me, 

he prowled the room continuously

hissing and growling and swiping at whatever got in his way.

He had a UTI, easy enough to fix with pills.

Ever try to give a rabid jaguar pills?

 This is Gibbs hiding from getting his pills.

He learned to keep the pills in the side of his mouth

so I thought they had been swallowed,

then he's spit them out in the hallway.

Now I crush them up and mix them with canned food.

So far he doesn't suspect.

 A photo from Valley View Farms in Baltimore.

It has every ornament imaginable

even some you can't imagine.

 Christmas Day and the Brat Child with one of his favorite gifts.

 A shot of one of my favorite gifts- the game Quelf.

If you want a night full of hysterical laughing,

play this game.

So those are the photos I managed to snap this month.

Will I manage to do the January Challenge?

Who knows.

I'll make an effort, but I'm not going to make it seem like a chore

or worry about getting it done.

Photo Challenge

#6 Shopping- 

not that I got much accomplished 

since I had both Big E and the Brat child with me.

Neither one is keen on shopping.

#7 Bright. 

No explanation needed

#8 Ornament-

This is my flying pig ornament.

The pig is actually an example of Scherenschnitte

which in German literally translates to "scissors cut".

It's the art of cutting paper into decorative designs.

#9 Something You're Reading-

Picked this up at REI (my new favorite store)

in order to learn some things for the big hike in October.

#10 Wrapping Paper

#11 Green

#12 A Beautiful Sight

Our church Christmas tree-

not only is it beautiful, but so are the handstitched Chrismons

and the fact that the Brat Child was so thrilled to help in the decorating.

Photo Phriday (on Monday)

I'm a slacker, I know, but things get hectic and time disappears and suddenly 

it's Sunday night and you're laying in bed and you realize 

that you never blogged the photos on Friday like you intended.  

You also realize you forgot to do something with the Elf on the Shelf- 

who is really the Elf on the Top of the Refrigerator 

because that's where you toss him after each day's shenanigans.  

But despite this, you stay in bed and channel Scarlett O'Hara 

and decide to worry about it tomorrow.

So, here are the first 5 photos, 

and I promise I'll get back on my designated schedule

(like there's anyone out there reading this and disappointed I didn't blog on Friday)

Day 1: My View

(outside my office)

Day 2: Favorite Holiday Movie

(Miracle on 34th Street- actually Big E's favorite)

Day 3: Red

(Our family ornament at church)

Day 4: Joyous

(The first married couple Christmas tree)

Day 5: Today's Temperature

(It's really just rain and extreme fog but looks as cold as it was)