Walmart Gift Card

Sis gave me a $20 Walmart gift card.  With it, I bought these two items:

• Marathon by Timex watch in purple
• Neutrogena Moisture Smooth color stick in rich raisin

This is Christmas

The first thing I did was to finish my blog post.  Then I listened to Christmas carols on the radio.  Afterwards, I woke my twin up at 2 a. m. (she was mad about that!). 

Sis liked her presents, and so did my parents.  Dad joked that he knew now why we were broke.  However, one gift I gave early.  Mom wanted to order from L. L. Bean 2 days before Christmas.  So, I let her use the gift card at that time.  Needless to say, she was very happy.  Dad said, “That’s so nice!”

Another present I got for everybody was a service gift (washing dishes, etc.).  I did that because Sis gave me four packages.  My sister and brother liked the present, but I don’t know what my parents thought about it.  This was probably because we’re not used to those kinds of gifts.  Oh well, only time will tell how that will go.

Meanwhile, I loved all my presents.  Here was what I received:

• “Mother Wore Tights”
• “Coney Island”
• “Wabash Avenue”
• “The Pact”
• “Buffy The Vampire Slayer:  The Complete Fourth Season”
• Conair 1875 watt compact styler hair dryer
• Walmart gift card
• Target gift card
• Kohl’s gift card
• Animal print brown fur scarf
• Cloud fleece vest in leopard
• Scandia fleece vest in amethyst
• Fleece hat in rich violet
• Fleece gloves in rich violet
• Money

Much later, we went to early mass.  The decorations were fantastic!  A big white star and little white stars shone beneath an Advent wreath suspended from the center of the ceiling.  Two stain glass angels hung on either side of the stars.  In addition, a gold star glittered under each light fixture dangling in a circle.  Sprinkled around the altar and church area were baskets of evergreens and poinsettias.  Finally, lit trees glowed near the confession booths.

The one thing I remembered besides the decorations was that Mom and I shared a hymn book as we sang carols.

After church, Sis and I saw “Mrs. Santa Claus”, while eating leftovers from Christmas Eve dinner.  We had roast, mashed potatoes, stuffing, roasted sweet potatoes, olives, cranberry sauce, and pistachio pudding dessert.

Then, Bro opened his gifts.  He was pleased with all of them.

After some sleep, I spent an hour listening to Christmas songs.  Eventually, I got tired of that, and played a computer game instead.  At 12 midnight, I checked the radio, but the holiday music was off.   It seemed strange, considering that I listened to carols for 7 weeks, but I experienced a twinge that the Xmas music was no more.

At any rate, this Christmas was a good one.  How was yours?

Christmas Bird

I bought this Christmas bird decoration at Meijer.  It looked so interesting; I just had to have it!

Merry Christmas!

A Christmas Memory: Movie Review

A boy and a slow woman spend one last Christmas together in “A Christmas Memory”.

At first, I was confused, because the movie doesn’t start with earlier events like the DVD says.  Fortunately, the film soon added details about what occurred before.  Patty Duke as Sook was a character, all right.  I also loved the way they made fruitcake!

This picture was a discovery I won’t easily forget.

Christmas Crazy: Book Review

During preparations for Christmas, Zoe investigates the murder of a substitute Santa in “Christmas Crazy:  A Zoe Donovan Mystery (Volume 3)” by Kathi Daley.

I loved this book!  Most of it was filled with Christmas doings.  I especially liked the periodic mention of food.  Besides that, I cared about solving the mystery, since the fate of the animals rested on it.

In conclusion, this novel was the perfect holiday story.

The Christmas Ornament: Movie Review

In “The Christmas Ornament”, a widow finds hope after receiving an ornament from a tree lot owner.

This Christmas movie was different from the ones I usually see.  It definitely had a bittersweet flavor.  I also couldn’t get used to Kellie Martin making droll jokes.  However, this actress was the best when her character remembered her late husband.  On a lighter note, those cookies sure look good!

That ending was so satisfying; it made me glad I watched the film.