Amy Currioman

One of my favorite decorations for the house at Christmastime is a pair of handmade Mr and Mrs Santa Claus. I remember buying them the Christmas of 1974 for $25 for the pair. They were being sold by a friend of the lady who made them and brought them to the office to try to sell them. Well, being a sucker for handmade items, and being young and newly out on my own I grabbed them up! They’ve held up very well considering how old they are, and I love them dearly. They grace a space of honor in my house every Christmas

Our Christmas tree this year – most of the ornaments were hand made, mostly by myself or family members or friends.  Isn’t it pretty?  I even crocheted the angel topper and the tree skirt myself!  This year the tree is a small 3 1/2′ artificial tree that had light bulbs already strung on it.  I just didn’t want to bother with stringing lights this year myself!  And we decided on a small tree to put on a table to help keep the dogs from bothering the tree.  The last couple of years one of our dogs decided that chewing the strands of lights was a good idea!

I’ve been interested in warm winter clothing ever since about 1971.  That’s when I first experienced the thrill of alpine skiing.  I can remember my parents buying me a great Columbia jacket to wear on the slopes.  It was stylish and kept me warmer than I thought possible!  I guess before I got that Columbia jacket my parents just bought me stuff that looked warm but really wasn’t warm at all.  I’ve gotten a lot pickier now when picking out my winter wear! 

 When my niece came to live with me a few years ago I was trying to find her a warm jacket to wear and was surprised to find I still had that old jacket – still in great shape – and it fit her just fine! And I was pleased to learn that the Columbia jacket that I work back in the ’70s on the ski slopes was still as warm as ever (although too small for me now!) and that the fashion was still perfectly acceptable.  It’s good to know that some things really DO last a long time!

I woke up at 2:30 am this morning and could not get back to sleep.  Does that ever happen to you?  It happens way too much for me!  I stayed in bed until about 4 and then gave up and got out of bed.  I decided to go to the grocery store about 7am and get my shopping done, but I think that was a mistake because there was only one cash register open.  I really thought there would be more registers open by the time I got to them – it was 8:30am by then.  And it was Wal-Mart for Pete’s sake!  Just doesn’t make much sense that there would only be one register open that time of day!

My youngest son Jon is in his senior year at college.  This is such an exciting time for him; he already has a job offer waiting for him in London, or a fellowship waiting for him in Boston!  He is so excited to be done with the studying and homework that has been such an integral part of his life for the majority of his life. 

I can’t blame him for wanting to experience life to its fullest.  He has yet to have his first serious romance, has yet to need to find a way to pay his own way, has yet to be completely independent.  Oh, sweet independence!  I can remember wanting to be solely in charge of my own life!  And now I find myself on the wrong side of fifty years old, and being melancholy for my own youthful exuberance! 

I think that for Christmas I will buy Jon a casio pathfinder watch for Christmas.  I think that even though watches seem to be obsolete to the younger generation, I think that giving a watch to him at this point of his life would be a loving reminder of how valuable time really is.  A suggestion to cherish each hour, each day, and to live it fully.