Red Hat Christmas Party

   I belong to the Red Hat Society, which is an organization for women over fifty years of age.   A California woman wrote a poem about getting to an age when she could stop worrying about what other people thought.  She mentions wearing colors she liked, even though they may not match.  That was something she would never do when her children were young, as it would totally embarrass them.  The poem talks about wearing her  red hat with her favorite purple dress whether others stared or not.  Years later there are thousands of chapters throughout the world.  We do always wear our red hats and a purple outfit, which means we ususally stick out in a crowd!  Our ages range from thirty ( a princess in waiting) to eighty plus!
   Each group has  it's own rules, and ours are simple.  We try to avoid discussing health, husbands and kids while we are out.  This means we focus on ourselves, current events, and just having fun.  We met at a restaurant in early December for our Christmas lunch.  We laugh and act silly because we don't have to worry about getting dirty looks from anyone.  My husband is grateful that I get to do chick stuff, and he doesn't have to suffer through it.  As always, we tack a little onto the cost of each event in order to support our charities throughout the year.  This year we raffled off a bunch of items, with all proceeds going to help others.  I wound up with a red hat ornament, and we all went home with a poinsettia plant. 
   The best benefit is the frienships that are made.  Many of us get together between events, which keeps the retired gals busy and involved.  If someone is lonely, they pick up the phone.  I think that anything that counteracts isolation is a really good thing.  I plan on staying active, and hope as I age,  I'm described as a "spunky old lady!!"   According to my folks, sixty is the new forty, and I'll let you know when I get there!!!   May we all be blessed with good friends... as always take what you like and leave the rest.....and the beat goes on....the beat goes on.....
  
   

Deck the Halls

 Our tree is up and the house is decorated.  I love the way it looks this year, but it always seems a little overwhelming before I get started.  All the cartons of snow globes, and totes of ornaments get dragged up from the basement, and stacked in the living room.  We are not hosting this year, so I've decided to only put out my favorite things.  I put on some Christmas music, and dig into the first box.   Before long, I find my special ornament that I've had for 50 years.  It's a Hummel, and I  received it as a gift when I was seven years old.  I get a little emotional because it occurs to me my tree tells the story of my life.  I hang the ornament that we got the year we were married.  Many have the years engraved, or photos, or places where we vacationed.  I have paper ornaments that Matt made for us in elementary school, as well as delicate crystal and porcelain ones.  I look for an angel or a figure that fills in a space perfectly.  My eyes tear up several times when I see ornaments that remind me of my mom, and others who have passed.  I work on my gratitude list, as I reflect on the good memories that my ornaments represent.  I sing along with the caroles that I know,  dance with the music, and finish in a couple of hours.  My heart is full of mixed emotions. 
  Over the next few days, I rearrange ornaments until I'm satisfied. It always about this time, that I start to wonder if next year's tree could possibly be as beautiful.  I smile and decide to just enjoy this year, and not worry about next year.  I also refuse to think about putting it all away in a few short weeks, because I know that my routine will be the same.  I'll put on some Christmas music for the last time this season,  and carefully pack things away.  Most likely, I'll sing,  shed a few tears, thank God for my blessings, and began to set my goals for the new year.  And the beat goes on...the beat goes on....have a good week everyone.....

Letters to Santa and our Yankee Swap

    Letters to Santa were always a big deal in our house.  We got the sales papers from the toy stores, and the sporting goods stores, and the electronic stores and looked for the best gift ideas.  Since we exchanged gifts with all the immediate relatives, we needed to provide a long list of hints.  I was always nervous about last minute additions to Matt's list which was kept on the refrigerator.  A friend of mine who had older kids,  told me to calm down and just try to enjoy it all.   She reminded me that Santa would bring what Santa would bring, and kids should be allowed to add to their lists until they went upstairs to bed on Christmas Eve.  It didn't matter that things like computers, and printers and cell phones were added at the last minute.  As a mom,  I loved to see my kid's eyes pop out of his head  when he got the gift he had wanted the most.  As he got older,  the quantity of gifts were smaller, because the gifts were bigger and more expensive.  I grew up one of four kids, and we could barely get into the living room on Christmas day.  I always liked having lots of stuff under the tree, so that was a big adjustment for me.
   My siblings and our families celebrate Christmas Eve together, and we total fifteen people before we add friends and cousins.  When the kids were younger, the room was filled with gifts, and that would make me happy!  Today, all kids in college or younger get gifts from everyone.   The rest of us participate in a Yankee Swap.  It makes life easy for the twenty somethings who don't know until the last minute if they can stay for dinner and gifts.  Everyone who brings a gift, goes home with a gift.  We determine a reasonable amount, and then all stick within that price range.   We each buy an item that we would like for ourselves, which means  there are the correct number of gifts for guys and gals.  We draw numbers, and then go in order.  Our game allows us to open a gift and swap with someone else who must take your item.  The higher your number, the more options are available.  Number one gets to go back and swap from all the gifts.  Side deals tend to happen after the game,  while we are having dessert.  After all, you may not be able to get on a plane with a shop vac! 
  Consider a Yankee Swap this year.  It cuts down on shopping, and you can even decide to swap yard sale items that cost nothing.  Be prepared, because it doe take some time, but it's a lot of fun when the right person winds up with the wrong gift....and the beat goes on....the beat goes on......

Tis the Season

    This Holiday season,  shopping days have names like "Black Friday",  "Small Business Saturday", and "Cyber Monday".   We were talking recently about the impact that the slower economy might have on the small businesses in our town.  I heard some suggestions about how to support local businesses as we exchange gifts with family and friends this year.  If we try to shop on Main Street, we can help our local economy. It may take more time and planning than the gift card display at the grocery store, but we may be able to help save the business of one of our neighbors.  I'm all for simple solutions, and  I'll share a few of my favorites.  I know that there are many occupations that wish they were busier.  Give a gift certificate for some house cleaning.  Hire a handyman to do some work for an elderly relative.  Purchase a certificate for a manicure or pedicure from a local beauty salon.  Go to the craft fairs, and find one-of-a-kind type gifts that have definitely been made in America.  Buy yarn and knitting supplies from a smaller downtown shop.  Buy a gift certificate from a local restaurant.  Give a movie night with a couple of tickets and snacks.  Buy two tickets to a play from the local theater group, give one away as a gift, and make it a fun night out together.  Build a gift basket from a specialty store.  A cooking lesson or a craft class may be a great gift for someone you would like to see get out more.
   I could never think of any good gift ideas for myself.  A few years ago, I began asking for something that I would be able to use up.  I love nice smelling candles, and bath and body products.  I get the chance to think about  the person who gave me the gift, as I use the item throughout the year.  Another time I asked for two tickets to anything.  It's great to look forward to a night out when everyone is getting cabin fever after the Holidays have passed.
   Hopefully these hints will help you to think of great ideas for your circle of family and friends.  As always, take what you like, and leave the rest...and the beat goes on.....the beat goes on....

Happy Thanksgiving

   Happy Thankgiving!  This week let's work on an "attitude of gratitude."  Let's try to focus less on the negatives and more on the positives.   While in line at the grocery store or the drive through, make a gratitude list.  It will make waiting easier, and may help ease the tension.  Try to come up with five things each day that make you grateful.  Good health, family, friends are three pretty easy ones.  Don't love your job?  Spin it that at least you have a job you can complain about.  Hopefully,  by the time Thursday arrives you will be in a good place, and really get to enjoy the Holiday.  Ask everyone at the dinner table to state something they are grateful for.  Try to enjoy yourself!
    Life isn't perfect.  If your problems consume your thoughts, then try to offset  every problem on your list with one good thing in your life.  Try to make a conscious effort to focus on a positive viewpoint.  Here are a  couple of my favorite ways to spin my situation to a more positive light.  "I'm grateful I got in this line, because now I get to work on my list."  "If I get stuck at this red light, I can finish my list."  I know it sounds crazy, but it helps me.  I think it's a lot better than beating myself up for choosing the wrong line.
    Think about those who have health and financial issues, and keep them in your thoughts.  Say a quick prayer for our servicemen and women who will not get home this year. 
     Have a good week everyone.....gobble.....gobble....and the beat goes on....the beat goes on.....
   

The Oldest and the Youngest Celebrate November Birthdays

   My Dad turned 84yrs young 11-11-11!!  Of course, I phoned him at 11:11am to wish him a Happy Birthday.  I was lucky to catch them home.  He said they were headed out for the day, but would end up going out to dinner.  It was after 10pm when I caught up to them next.  He said twenty-one friends had met at a local restaurant.  It's hard to believe that my folks have been retired and living in Florida for twenty years.  Though we all miss them, we know that they have been able to stay active because of the beautiful weather.   I cannot wait for their twelve day Thanksgiving visit, which will take them to children in three New England states.  It will be fun to get together again and celebrate with four generations.  It's a day to enjoy traditions and favorite family recipes. 
  Yesterday, I went to a birthday party for one of my youngest relatives.  My cousin's son turned one year old November 12th.  He got a nice collection of trucks that all light up and make noises, and had his first piece of birthday cake.  It was  beautiful and messy and fun all at the same time!  Anyone with a 12-12-12 birthday should start planning now for next year.  It's once in a lifetime!!
   My take away is to enjoy each day, and not take things for granted.  I am fortunate to have both old and young relatives who are healthy enough to celebrate their birthdays.  I plan to make a couple of "top eleven" lists for my Dad.  There are four children, five grandchildren and two great grandchildren for a total of eleven. I'll list the best eleven silly songs and lame jokes that we heard often around our dinner table.  I'm going to try and get the one who originated each joke to tell it again.  Hopefully it will help us remember and laugh about the good old days. I know that we are all thankful to have another holiday together. 
 Here are some other suggestions.   Go around the table and ask everyone to say something that each one is thankful for.  Ask everyone to tell their favorite Thanksgiving memory, or their favorite food.  Most of our memories are about disaster dishes or burnt food.  It seems that we remember some of the misses much  more than the perfect dinners.  It gets a lot of laughs, as long as we don't pick on the extra sensitive cooks.  As always, take what you like and leave the rest. 
Have a good week everyone...and the beat goes on...the beat goes on
 
  

Daylight Savings Time

 Spring ahead and Fall back. That's the way we remember how to change the clocks.   Last night we turned the clocks back one hour.  Daylight Savings Time was implemented years ago in order to help the farmers get one extra hour of  daylight.  Many of us use it today, as a reminder to change the batteries in our smoke detectors twice a year. 
  I remember using it with Matt to clean out his toy box.  We called it "getting ready for Santa".  I told him that we needed to make room for new toys.  It was a good way to take inventory, throw away broken toys, and give away those in good condition.  It also gave us an opportunity to talk about the wish list for the upcoming holidays.  I got a pretty good idea of what he still played with, as well as what he might need to add to his collections.  There is nothing worse than getting a toy you already have.  It's also a waste to buy toys that will be too young for them now.  Once we did the toys, we moved on to stuff like books, clothes, snow boarding equipment, boots and ice skates.  It was great to have a list when aunts and uncles asked for a practical gift idea. 
  In the spring, we did the same routine, and called it getting ready for his birthday.  Spring cleaning always seems like a lot of work.  I decided to spin it, and make it fun. Somehow, making room for new stuff always got more cooperation.  It was a win-win.  I felt like I had a handle on each year's favorite items, and we passed things on while they were still popular.  I believe that favorite things get to stay around longer, and we have boxes of treasures that will stay packed for now. 
  This fall, I will go through closets, and storage shelves in the basement.  I don't know how things collect, but I do know I feel better when things are organized.  My system is easy, and puts things in three catagories.  I will either give it away, throw it away, or put it away.  It's always good to have some ideas for things to do on rainy weekends.   The beat goes on.... and the beat goes on.....