Christmas Blessings

"I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time that I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys,"~ Charles Dickens.

 

A recap of our Christmas Splendor.  Christmas was a delightful time.  I had originally planned to work the swing shift in the afternoon for the Holiday pay as money sometimes doesn't go quite far enough, but after picking up so many hours back in November, my husband requested that I not pick up that shift.  Instead my family and I had a wonderful Christmas brunch after opening our Christmas presents.  My daughter and my mother-in-law were delightful to watch when opening their presents.  In the afternoon we had my family and my husband's family over for Christmas dinner.  The following are a few pictures of our Christmas season, yes both our small and large Christmas trees.  A long established tradition for no reason other than that we love both the large and the small Christmas trees.  And yes, given my love of Science Fiction on the smaller Christmas tree there are little green men spread out over the tree aka glow in the dark angels.  ;) 

    One of the most significant events of the day was when my husband and I gave my daughter a miniature horse for Christmas.  Yes, as a parent I am well aware that the pets my daughter has require parental help and oversight.  Hence, why my daughter will not have any snakes or spiders as pets until she is old enough to have her own house, and no I won't pet sit them.  We all have our limits, and that is one of mine.  The miniature horses' name is Lady.  She is 7 years old and from what I understand has the normal lifespan of a horse, so approximately 30 years.  She had been out to pasture for about three years and has to take off a significant amount of weight to be healthy.  Our plans are to train her to pull a small carriage.  Between the rabbits, chickens and the horse, my raised garden beds this Spring are in good hands.  :) 

    We had left Lady tied up with her lead rope until after Christmas dinner when the construction of her pen would begin (Lady was a last minute purchase at an amazing price).  When the family went out to see Lady before the dinner began there was a lead rope, neatly unclipped to the tree to which it had been tied.  Sweet in temperament, Lady decided she was going home, and no, not her new home.  So my husband, my step-daughter and her husband went across town searching for a miniature horse.  One of my co-workers (whom I had bought Lady from) chose that moment to call me and inquire as to whether I was missing a certain miniature horse and whose house I could find her grazing at.  I simply laughed, in small towns, everything gets around.  My husband then went and retrieved Lady Houdini as she was officially christened.  Later in the afternoon I chuckled as I saw a picture of Lady grazing in a yard with a caption of "Anyone Missing a Horse?" on Facebook and the responses that it was drawing from all of the locals of this small town.  Hoping you and yours' Holiday season was as delightful as ours.

Simply Yoko