Monthly Archives: December 2021

25 Days of Christmas Ornaments day #6

Yesterday’s ornament was all about good friends. Today’s is about family.

In the past four years my mother-in-law and my father-in-law have both died. Not, thankfully from this ridiculous virus, but from causes of old age, a life of good living, and what the professionals call natural causes.

I miss them. It’s as simple as that. I know my husband’s family mourn the loss of both their parents terribly and I feel for them. But I miss them, too. They were both such influential people in my life. While my father-in-law and I had – at times – a tortured relationship, he was only a handful of people who I have truly admired in my life. He influenced me in so many ways I would need a book to list them all.

My mother-in-law was – without a doubt – the nicest person I have ever had the pleasure to meet, know, and love. She perpetually smiled, was always welcoming to everyone, and never had an unkind word to say. How many people in our lives can we truly say were genuinely kind like that?

So, with their father’s passing this year, my sister-in-law Kathleene gifted her siblings with a lovely remembrance that simply speaks to how wonderful their parents were.

What a wonderful ornament, no? I adore it and it sits in a place of honor on our tree and will for the rest of our lives.

Hug your parents, kids. YOu never know how long you’ll be blessed to have them with you.

~Peg

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25 Days of Christmas Ornaments day #5

Family and friends are two of the most important factors that keep me sane. Admittedly, I don’t have very many close friends and all my family comes to me from my husband, but the people I do hold close I cherish, dearly.

A few years ago one of my good girlfriends gave each of us a special ornament that sits in the very front, top of my tree every year.

You may not know all of us individually, but this ornament is a pretty good depiction of what we look like ( only my hair was longer!)

If the past 20 months have taught us anything it should be that we must cherish those people nearest and dearest to us. You have no idea what tomorrow may bring – loss of life from a ridiculous virus being the most unpredictable. My heart simply aches for all those who have died from this pandemic and those who never go to hold them and say goodbye or tell them how much they meant before they did.

Tell the people who mean the most to you that you love them – EVERY SINGLE DAY and then show it in as many ways as you can.

And if you can, buy them an ornament like this one, hee hee

~ Peg

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25 days of Christmas Ornaments day #4

Sticking with favorite book themes (See yesterday’s post) today’s ornament was one I bought for my daughter when she was three years old and based on one of her favorite books.

If you’ve been around for a while you know the iconic opening to this book, “In an old house in Paris covered with vines, lived twelve little girls in two straight lines.”

MADELINE has been a worldwide favorite of little girls everywhere for decades. At one point we had all nine books of the series in our house. This ornament is loved by every woman and girl who sees my tree. I can assure you, almost 100% of them quote that first line when they see the perfect blue coat and bright yellow hat. The fact Madeline was a redhead like my daughter is sweet, too!

Books with specialty ornaments are an abso favorite of mine. I have twenty book-themed ornaments I’ve been collecting since 1988 and include Dr. Suess, and classics such as Goodnight, Moon.

I know… Hoarder tendencies run in my DNA, hee hee.

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The 25 days of Christmas Ornaments, day 3

Books are, without a doubt, a big factor in my life. Before I ever wrote them, I read them.

A lot of them.

I started reading on my own younger than most kids. My mother tells the story that by the time I went to kindergarten at the age of 5 I was already reading on a second-grade level and the teachers were impressed. My daughter was the same way.

One of the first books I ever remember reading and LOVING is today’s ornament.

This is a replica of Watty Piper’s famous and wonderful book THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD. I think it was originally published about 90 years ago but its simple self motivating message still resounds to this day.

I remember being a kid and reading it and then an adult and reading it to my daughter and I felt the same sense of empowerment both times – this book is one every single child should read. It teaches an extremely valuable lesson on being true to yourself and, in my opinion, reaching for the unattainable, reaching for the stars.

I bought this ornament for myself several years ago and it always claims a visible space on my tree.

Happy Holidays, peeps

Peg

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The 25 Ornaments of Christmas, day 2

So, here’s a fact: I’m a girl.

I know: surprising, right?

Hee hee

I tell you this because of today’s favorite ornament, given to me by Hubby in 1999

If you are a toy connoisseur you recognize this as Rock’Em Sock’Em Robots, a very popular toy in the 1960s. I wanted this toy. Bad! I put it on my list to Santa 3 years running from 1965-68. When the third Christmas morning without finding it under the tree occurred, my mother said, with a cigarette in one hand a cup of black coffee in the other and her hair in pink rollers, “That toy is for boys. Santa doesn’t bring boy toys to girls or vice versa.”

That was a hard lesson for an 8-year-old to learn.

Fast forward 33 years. I am sitting around the dinner table at my inlaw’s house three days before Christmas when my father-in-law asks everyone around the table to tell about their favorite or least favorite present they received as a child. I told the above story and how devastated I was never to get Rock’em sock’em robots.

Christmas morning comes and we are all opening presents when I find a big box with my name on it under the tree. There’s a note on it that says, “To Peg, from Santa. Sorry this is so late.” I open the box and yup, there it is, the toy of my dreams, Rock’Em Sock’Em robots.

My very own Santa, aka Hubby, sent my brother-in-law to ToysRUs after he heard that story to get me the toy. Best Christmas evah!

~Peg

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The 25 Ornaments of Christmas – day # 1

It’s no secret I love me a good Christmas tree ornament. At last count ( a week ago!) I have almost 500.

I know… can you spell H-O-A-R-D-E-R?? Lol

Anyhoo…

I’m done decorating this year and I only put up two trees instead of my usual 4-5 because I just don’t have tit time to go all out. I decorated the main tree with my favorite, all-around family and friend ornaments and decided to show you all some of the best of the best, so for the next 25 days I’ll be posting a picture a day with an explanation of the ornament.

Today’s is from 1987.

My hubby-to-be moved to Superior, WI for work six months before we got married. We were getting hitched on 12/26 and I was moving back with him the next day. He knew how much I loved the holidays and decorating and wanted to have a tree set up for me when I arrived back to what was now going to be our first home together. He happened to pass a GOODWILL box every day on his way to work and right before he left to come back to NYC to get married, he noticed that someone had “donated” a Christmas tree into the box. So he did what every self-respecting frugal young man would do and “gifted” the tree to me. By that I mean he brought the tree home, bought a stand and some tinsel for it, and then had it all ready for when I arrived on 12.27.

When his work friends heard about what he’d done they were hysterical. One of them made this ornament for him to put on the tree and it’s stood in a place of honor every holiday season since then.

Is it any wonder I’ve loved this man for almost 40 years??!!

Join me each day for the next 25 days to see some more of my favorite ornaments.

~ Peg

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It’s a #SECRETSANTA party!

Hey, peeps. Come join me and 150+ authors this Friday, December 3rd, over on DangerouslyDarkDarlings on Facebook for a Secret Santa party. We’ll be there all day chatting about the upcoming holidays, giving away prizes, and generally having a fun time.

Here’s the link: SSP

See you there!

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