December in Facebook Posts

I have been thinking that the little snippets of life I post to Facebook are a diary of sorts, and compiling these bits together should give you an idea of my recent activities.

December 1st

I got a Christmas decorating injury. I must have sliced my finger on a cardboard box and -- sorry if this is disturbing to some of you -- actually sliced into my fingernail at the root end. Who knew that Christmas decorating was dangerous?

December 3rd

Some news. I got my new proofs this morning and approved them. "Action Men with Silly Putty" should be available in print in the next three or five days. I'll make a big announcement when it is.

December 5th

Last week, I wrote up a draft for the first chapter in the Paloma book (a biography.) I still need to fill in some blanks for chapter one and got some new information from Paloma's mom. I helped Mom decorate the house and prepare a special Christmas luncheon for her Bible study ladies on Friday. I arranged the fruit salad plates and helped serve. Mom made a terrific seafood medley with crab, shrimp and scallops in an alfredo sauce over rice. Dad put his origami skills to work with some fantastic napkin folding. (He folded trees with green napkins and pinwheels with red ones.) I finished off the week going to see Handel's "Messiah" by the Cathedral Choir at Hawthorne Gospel Church with friends Jeannie and Iris. Friend Stan was part of the choir, and his son was the tenor soloist. It's been a wonderful Christmas season so far.

Soprano soloist Winnie Nieh

December 5th

I just got my copy of Maria Lynn Hurty's "Christmas Crazy to Jesus Joy" Advent devotional. I read her reference to the "greasy grimy gopher guts" song and thought, "That's my Maria." She does make a spiritual point of it, I promise. I'm pretty sure she serenaded me with that song once upon a time. I know she taught me the "My Reindeer Flies Sideways" song to the tune of "Pomp and Circumstance." Really, it looks like a lovely book with some nice thoughts, beautiful photography and some Maria humor.

December 5th

Well, here it is. "Action Men with Silly Putty" is now available in print. $:) 8.99 It would make a good Christmas present for someone or maybe just a gift to yourself.

December 7th

I did some transcription today from one of my interviews with Miss Paloma. Earlier, I helped to rearrange the furniture to make room for the Christmas tree in the front room, and Dad assembled it. Decoration for the tree will happen tomorrow. Already, two packages arrived at the house with gifts I've ordered. I did all my shopping online. Tonight, I plan to watch the live "Hairspray" on NBC.

December 10th

Mom and Dad got a new high-def TV on a Cyber Monday deal. When it was first set up, we didn't have the new cable box, so I enjoyed connecting it to my Youtube account to play my Youtube lists and recommendations on the big high-def screen. Some of the musicians I follow make very visually pleasing videos, often taken in nature scenes, so it was very enjoyable to see them in high-def. We watched Piano Guys, a cellist named Tina Guo and The Harp Twins, Camille and Kennerly, among others.

December 10th

I'm putting more ornaments on the tree today. We have a number of bird ornaments, airplane ornaments, star and angel ornaments. For some reason, I tend to arrange these on levels towards the top of the tree, birds then planes, then stars, then angels. This is what I try to do anyway. Right now, unless I move him, I've got a little boy flying a kite that is somewhere in the airplane level and practically in the realm of the angels. (This thought was not in the original post, but I thought I would add it here. That kite has a lot of lift!) 

December 11th

My family seems to know I like to cuddle up in blankets in cold weather. One year, for Christmas, I received a Snuggie. Another year, I received another brand's version, what my brother dubbed the "blue burrito." The blue blanket zips and snaps around you and transforms you into a kind of burrito. Well, it's blue burrito weather. In fact, I have that and an additional blanket.

December 12th

I have to report for jury duty tomorrow. Do you think that if I tell them I'm a mystery fiction writer, I won't get assigned to a case?

So, the day went by fine. I was in the jury pool for a criminal/murder case. I suppose it could have worked as a research opportunity as a couple of you pointed out. On the questionnaire, I did mention my mystery novel and named "Forensic Files" as a TV show I watch. Anyway, I wasn't selected, and I don't need to return tomorrow. I was able to do a lot of nice reading on my Kindle and finished the book I had started.

December 15th

I made up a new word for the state of today's weather ... bbrriness.

December 18th

I'm watching a movie starring two of my favorite classic actors, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart, "The Philadelphia Story."

December 18th

We had a lovely Christmas cantata yesterday. The worship team proceeded down the aisle with electric candles. One of the little girls in church dressed as an angel and sat by the manger scene with a little lamb puppet. We sang with a a combination of CD accompaniment and live piano. We even had a small brass section, two trumpets and one saxophone, playing for the processional, recessional, Christmas carol singalong section of the program and in the foyer before and after the concert. Hot chocolate and cookies were served. It was all lovely. One friend commented (slightly paraphrased), "You know how you are watching a Christmas movie and everything is so cozy, and you wish you were there? I felt like I was in a Christmas movie. I was there."

December 19th

I've been enjoying reading friends' posts about their Christmas baking. Yesterday, I baked peanut butter blossom cookies with Hershey kisses. Today, I hope to make gingerbread men with a new Kitchen Aid mixer.

December 20th

I just made some gingersnaps for Christmas. I tried out a recipe from a food blogger and adapted it slightly with some seasoning ideas from an Alton Brown recipe. These have a combination of fresh grated ginger and minced crystallized ginger instead of ground ginger. Mom, Dad and I all taste tested them and decided they are pretty good. I added a half cup flour to one half of the dough for making gingerbread boys tomorrow.

Christmas Eve with the Bishop, Bailey and the Band

December 24th,

Christmas Eve was spent doing a bunch of little last minute preparations. We did not make it to our church Christmas Eve service. It was an early five o'clock service. I had to work and, as I was having some car trouble, Dad picked me up. We stopped to do some shopping for a few things for Christmas dinner and my stocking stuffer chocolates. All of this put us behind schedule.

I did sing a solo in church on Sunday, December 20th, Amy Grant's "Breath of Heaven". The music director saw that I was having some stage nerves during rehearsals, and, at first, she was suggesting I should sing from behind the piano. I might not have minded being the mysterious voice from off-stage, but my mother would have minded. In the end, I was situated on the platform near the piano. With sheet music in front of me, I felt like I had an excuse not to look at the audience. I guess it went all right, because the music director's husband said it was "mellow and sweet" and our greeter said I sounded like "a songbird from the south", whatever that means, but I think it's a good thing. I tried to keep in mind that the lyrics are a prayer asking the "breath of heaven", (Holy Spirit) to "help me be strong." It seemed fitting.

Mom wanted to make oyster stew, a Christmas Eve tradition, but we were busy and tired this year. We did the next best thing and got some store-made lobster bisque from Kings Supermarket

 with some other specialties ...

and ... 

and ...

Dad bought some red and white roses for our Christmas table -- his idea! -- and I put them in water and trimmed their stems. Mom crimped two Pillsbury pie crusts, and I made two pumpkin pies. We just use the recipe on the Libby's canned pumpkin label, but we alter the spice measurements, one tablespoon of cinnamon instead of two teaspoons and one half teaspoon of ginger instead of one teaspoon. (I realize now that this is the first time I have written down Mom's spice adjustments, which shall now be preserved for next time.) While I was doing this, I caught bits and pieces of the West Point Holiday Special featuring the West Point Band, West Point Hellcats (buglers and drummers) and West Point Glee Club.

I also had some last minute wrapping to do, but not a lot, since my family draws names for our gift giving. I drew my nephew Justin's name. He is a twenty-four year old autistic man -- although I still think of him as a kid -- and a bit tricky to shop for. He does love music, so I got him some Disney music CDs:

and ...

The first has Disney movie songs sung by current artists like Gwen Stefani and Fall Out Boy, and the other has original movie soundtrack songs including "Bare Necessities" from Jungle Book, a favorite of mine, and "You've Got a Friend in Me" from Toy Story, another favorite. This gift was easy to wrap since I could just tuck it into a gift bag.

My gift to Mom and Dad was a Time Life collection of Bob Hope comedy.

One late night, while channel surfing, I came across this Time Life infomercial, and we were all laughing at it. I began to think it would be a good gift for them.

I closed the folding doors between the family room and dining room, so I could wrap in privacy. Mom and Dad heard strange noises coming from the dining room. I shrieked twice, once when I nearly hit my head on the chandelier and once when I actually hit it. (We had moved the dining room table, and I kept forgetting to duck.) I also referenced an earlier conversation I had with a professor friend, a college classmate's father, on Facebook. He had posted that he wanted to start a support group for those unskilled in wrapping. I told him that I would join his support group. The Bob Hope DVDs, the way they came packaged, were shrink wrapped to cardboard in two side by side stacks. I thought they were well disguised that way, and when I brought the wrapped package to Mom, she felt it, remarked about it being soft and was mystified.

I put my chocolates in the stockings, including two cute Lindt chocolate bears for nephews Justin and Matthew.

When my work was done, I again watched the original "The Bishop's Wife" on TCM. As I was watching it, I was thinking the movie has a bit of a humanistic message for a story involving a bishop and an angel. Still, there are aspects of it that I find charming even if it is not so completely theologically correct.

The bishop says in his final sermon:

All the stockings are filled -- all that is, except one. And we have even forgotten to hang it up. The stocking for the child born in a manger. It's his birthday we are celebrating. Don't ever let us forget that. Let us ask ourselves what he would wish for most, and then let each put in his share. Loving kindness, warm hearts and the stretched out hand of tolerance. All the shining gifts that make peace on earth.

It's true that Christ would desire these things from us, but it is not true, as the movie suggests elsewhere, that man is naturally good. It's not faith in humanity that we need to restore. He is, however; able to make us good. I was reminded of this quote.

I caught the last half of "It's a Wonderful Life", another favorite Christmas classic. I love this scene with George Bailey and Mary at the phone. You see George's resolve to follow a certain plan for his life melt away while in close proximity to Mary.

Earlier this season, I watched two different movie versions of "A Christmas Carol", both the 1984 and 1999 editions. I found myself drawing a parallel between "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Carol." In both stories, a supernatural being shows the main character an alternate reality of his life. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge how his life will unfold if he does not repent.

The Spirit stood among the graves, and pointed down to One. He advanced towards it trembling. The Phantom was exactly as it had been, but he dreaded that he saw new meaning in its solemn shape.
"Before I draw nearer to that stone to which you point," said Scrooge, "answer me one question. Are these the shadows of things that Will be or the shadows of things that May be, only?"
Still the Ghost pointed downward to the grave by which it stood.
"Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead. But if the courses be departed from, then the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me?"

Of course, Scrooge gets to evade this fate pointed out to him by the final spirit. Clarence, the angel who has not yet earned his wings -- another strange theological concept -- shows George Bailey what the world would be like if he had never been born, how circumstances would change in the world and for people he loves if his life had not impacted them.

Scrooge gets a chance at a new reformed life to do good, and George gets a second chance to continue to do good with hope.

As I watched, I wondered what the world would be like if there had never been a me. A strange thought. Would it make as dramatic a difference as it seems to be in the case of George Bailey? I don't know, but I am sure I am here for a reason and to fulfill a purpose.