New York City Subway

(art by Michael Storrings)

Surprising Melanie

Tonight Lauryn and I went out Christmasing, that is, I picked her up, put on Lemon Drops & Hoofprints, gave her a tin of my homemade cookies, an Elf card, and we drove around, chatting, and looking at the holiday lights. I needed to deliver two puzzles (Wintry Cats and New York City Subway) to Melanie, so we cahooted to sneak up to the house and surprise Mel with guest star Lauryn. We three gabbed for a bit, I got to see Lacey again (who remembered my name!!) and even Evelyn came out of her room to hang out. Bonnie was obsessed with Lauryn's knee high boots and wouldn't leave her (or her knees) alone. Adorable! Selfies and photos were snapped and then Lauryn and I headed home, taking the scenic route so as to see more homes. Hopefully we three gals will continue to hang out more and more in 2025!

Lacey's super cool Panda Matryoshka!!

Nutcracker Magic

(Artwork by Tània Garcia)

Vegan Treats - Merry Catmas 2024!

I am so in love with the tins and treats for this year, especially the cannoli one, but gee-zoo-wee, they are insanely expensive. I mean ninety bucks for a tin with a few cannols?? Yeesh. Talk about steep. So instead of getting them and then having to file for bankruptcy, I choose to post them here - for free!

And Merry Batmas, too!

(But if you have unlimited funds and love yummy goodies, definitely order these from Vegan Treats while supplies last!!)

White Christmas with Bella

Isabella had never seen this holiday classic and so I got to see this on the big screen all over again with a newbie. Danny Kaye was her fave character (of course!!) and like every other gal that sees this film, she was blown away by the stunning costumes by Edith Head and Vera-Ellen's tiny waist and gorgeous gams. It was a packed house and we didn't discover until 15 minutes before the curtain rose that it was a sing-a-long version. Uh-oh. This might not be the ideal way to see this for the first time. How wrong I was! It was a fabulous experience and the entire audience emanated pure joy. Loads of applause and laughter at all the right spots. After the show we went to El Burrito for grub and three hours of chit-chat. Naturally, selfies were taken. I have to mark every occasion with a photo!

(You can't even tell the audience was chiming in - they sound like background performers! Oh, and sorry for the wonky cinematography - I was recording with one hand and covering the phone's face with my other so it wouldn't disturb the people behind us.)

POST SCRIPT!

Lemon Drops and Hoofprints

Johnny Mathis - It's Christmas Time Again

Robbie Williams - Darkest Night

Jeff Goldblum - The Christmas Waltz

Matthew Ifield - It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas 

Taylor Swift - Christmases When You Were Mine

Diane Keaton - First Christmas 

Leslie Odom, Jr. - Last Christmas

Tony Bennett - I Love the Winter Weather

Johnny Tillotson - It's Christmas 

Jensen Ackles - Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 

The Carpenters - Sleigh Ride

Mel Tormé - The Christmas Song 

Elvis - It Won't Seem Like Christmas Without You

Dolly Parton - Comin' Home for Christmas 

The Philly Specials - All I Want for Christmas is You

Robbie Williams - Coco's Christmas Lullaby

Joni Mitchell - River

Taylor Swift - Christmas Tree Farm

Randy Travis - Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

John Denver - Aspenglow

Letters to Cleo - Father Christmas 

Debbie Gibson - Christmas Dreams

Johnny Mathis - Christmas Time Is Here

The Philly Specials - Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)

Jeff Goldblum - Winter Wonderland

Steve & Eydie - Let It Snow

Vince Guaraldi Trio - Skating

The Real Thing - Christmas Time

Il Volo - Stille Nacht

Leslie Odom, Jr. - Winter Song

Rosemary Clooney - White Christmas

Heartless Bastards - Blue Christmas 

Rick Springfield - Christmas With You

Steve Perry - Maybe This Year

Billy Idol - Silver Bells

 - December 2024

Christmas 1977

Here I am at Belgrade Street with Granny Roseanna in the background, then in other photos with Mum and Da. I loved that plaid dress!!

And here is Christmas morning in the old place in Bensalem, PA. Dave is sporting a very Dad expression. Everyone always said he looks like my Dad's side, but I never saw any resemblance until this photo!

Wintry Cats

I've been so busy this whole month that I've had no time to really sit and do a holiday puzzle. Since I've been feeling sick since Tuesday, I decided to play it smart, cancel all upcoming plans through til Sunday in the hopes of getting loads of rest and be 100% real soon. This gave me the opportunity to blow through a cute puzzle from Galison. It was fun, but I want to hang on to only my most fave puzzles, so this one I'll be dropping off to Melanie once I'm better. 

(Artwork by Angela Rozelaar)

Christmas Cards 2024

Christmas Card from Barbara!

Christmasing at Emily's

Last week I went to Emily's to drop off some cookies and chit chat. We hadn't seen one another since March. My texts started to go unanswered back in May. I figured she was busy or needed space so I occasionally messaged her with no pressure to reply. By November I was a little worried, then thought that maybe she got a new phone and didn't have my number anymore. I sent her a Thanksgiving card and in it I included my cell. Boom! She messaged me right away and we set up a time to see eachother. It's always so easy to be with Emily and the bonus was seeing her place all decked out for the holidays!