We have put away our ghosts and goblins and all things orange at our casa and turned our attention this weekend to the reds and greens of the ghosts of Christmas Past which Teresa has carefully preserved in boxes, drawers and various nooks and crannies in the garage and bodega. I am always impressed she can recover the same decorations year after year in the midst of chaos and confusion, but then she functions at her highest level under pressure.
The tabletop silver tree appears intact with the tiny ornaments still in place from last year – which was my brilliant idea since I am responsible for all tree trimming to include the dozen or so miniature ornaments that are the only decorations other than the lights for the small tree. I decided last year that taking the ornaments off at the end of one season and then hanging them again at the beginning of the next holiday was a waste of my time and energy – much like my philosophy of dusting furniture – so I left them on the tree last year and here they are safe and sound with minimal casualties. Key word: minimal.
I made the 21st. century switch to LED lights for the little tree last year and decided to leave them on the tree in the storage box, too. Hm. Not so brilliant. They seem a bit worse for the wear and not too interested in glowing red and white, but I told T they would be fine once I got new batteries. She looked skeptical and frowned, but I reminded her of the gazillion sets of lights we replaced every Christmas when we used the other lights that weren’t guaranteed to last a lifetime. These LED lights would last forever, according to the boxes. Okay. Sounds good. Did the fine print say anything about surviving being crushed…just wondering,
The transition from Halloween to Christmas will be in full swing for us this week with a detour Thursday for Thanksgiving which happens to be my favorite holiday of the year. Yep, my personal best. I love Thanksgiving because the focus is on my favorite f-words: family, friends, food and football with a passing nod to decorations and gifts until the day after. T and I will make our traditional trip to the Upstate to be with her late mother’s Alverson family in the fellowship hall of the First Baptist Church of Fingerville, South Carolina late Thursday afternoon as the sun sets behind the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains. There’s not a prettier drive in the state or a more beautiful time of the year.
This Thanksgiving I am particularly grateful for my best buddy and faithful companion , Red, who has celebrated not only fifteen of these with me but has also been with me for the entire 21st century of my life – a century I never dreamed I’d live to see but one I wouldn’t trade for anything… except maybe the 1950s. Red may not be here for the next Thanksgiving, and I’m trying to figure out how I’m ever going to take a shower without his lying on the bath mat next to me waiting for me to finish. Red Man, I am thankful for you.
For Chelsea who also will probably not be with us next Thanksgiving and Spike who probably will, I am equally grateful. For Teresa who functions at her highest level under stress, I am so very thankful. I love and adore her beyond any degree of reason, and I know I would be lost without her. I do not function well under stress unless I am prepared for it. Even then, it’s iffy.
Finally, I am grateful for all of my friends and family in my virtual reality as well as those who surround me up close and personal in living color. My blogging friends in other countries and other states have become another kind of family for me, and I treasure our shared experiences via words and images. I’ve grown accustomed to our posts.
Ready – set – ho! The holidays are upon us. Celebrate the ones you choose to celebrate in whatever fashion you choose to celebrate them in, but take time to be thankful this Thanksgiving.
Teresa and I send our warmest wishes to all of you for a Happy Thanksgiving and wondrous holiday season. We are thankful for you.
I'll Call It Like I See It 
Same to you and T and enjoy. Love, Els
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We wish you were here with us, Els. We hope you and Carl have a wonderful holiday season, too!!
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OK, I’m always curious: what makes you (or Teresa?) choose a silver tree? My grandmother had one trimmed with all pink balls and a few ornaments, but at some point before I was born or cognizant she must have switched to that tree from a green tree with a collection of German glass ornaments that she had given to my parents. I always wondered as a kid why she chose that tree. And when I see a silver tree in an antique mall I always have to take a picture and ruminate over Grandma’s tree. It seems so nostalgic to me now. And like 1955 or 60 with its new emphasis on “space age” everything. Then I noticed a friend of mine had a silver tree. Then another. Now you. So why choose that over a green one, real one, blue one, or rainbow one? Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!!!
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As I’ve told you several times, your grandmother and mine must have been soul sisters!!
I grew up in a family that used to cut our trees off our place every year – we spent a lot of time picking a tree (usually cedar) that would satisfy my mother who was quite picky.
My grandmother, on the other hand, was happy with any tree as long as it wasn’t too big. I used to decorate it with her every year for the first thirteen years of my life. Suddenly, one year when I was in high school, I came to her home for Christmas and she had this silver aluminum tree with a small object that looked like a fan but was a light that moved and changed the colors of the silver tree to red, green, blue and orange as it turned. I was horrified. Whatever has come over you I asked when I saw it. Where is the regular green tree?
She answered that my grandfather was getting too old to cut the trees and she was tired of decorating them by herself. The last remark was intended to make me feel guilty for being unavailable. 🙂
From then on I have learned to love the silver tree because it reminds me of her and her growing older, and T got this tree for us for the memories it conjures up in my mind. Whew – you had to ask!!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and hubby and the rest of your family!
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I’m glad I asked! What a great story! And you reminded me that, yes of COURSE, my grandmother’s tree came with the “fan” looking thing to turn it different colors, too. And that is what is missing in the antique malls–the trees are left without the color fan!
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Donna and I are so very thankful to have both you & Teresa in our lives.
P.S. I think that’s a great idea to leave the ornaments on the tree! 😉
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We are thankful for you and Donna, too, Jenn! Your friendship means a great deal to both Teresa and me!
P.S. I learned that decorations trick from my mom who had an enormous tree that she kept in a closet fully decorated and took out before Thanksgiving every year! 🙂
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Pingback: Ready – Set – Ho! Here Come the Holidays! | Red's Rants and Raves
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
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Thanks so very much, our dear Canadian friend!!
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Good column, Sheila. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Our Dro died last Friday. We are crushed. To see my son Carson’s tribute to Dro, go to http://www.likethedew.com. It’s Carson’s first published piece.
Sent from my iPhone
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Dearest Bob,
I just read Carson’s tribute to Dro and loved it. I posted it to my fb and twitter accounts.
Carson has your ability to write, and that makes me very happy.
The loss of Dro makes me beyond sad. I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am for this loss.
I will be thinking of you, Margaret and Carson through the days ahead. Bless you all.
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Have a wonderful Thanksgiving . Enjoy the game . Eat, drink and be happy . I smiled as I saw gratitude all throughout your post . Hugs to all
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Thanks so much, Terry! We wish you the same Happy Thanksgiving with your children and grandchildren!
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Happy Thanksgiving!
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Thanks so much, Rachel! Back at ya!!
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Have a wonderful thanksgiving! We do take our lights off the tree but we didn’t manage to put all packages in their proper places in the barn and will now have to do some serious dusting 😉
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I love your sense of gratitude, Sheila. It so enhances one’s life. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving together and also that Chelsea will especially enjoy it.
LED Lights – the way to go. 🙂
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