I saw these mugs on Soulemama's blog, and thought they would be nifty gifts for my children to make for their friends and grandparents. We went to the dollar store to buy our mugs; they had a very nice selection. I decided to skip the step with the graphite paper. Instead, we free-handed our friends' names by copying one of my favorite fonts, Stripes and Bubbles. We filled each mug with an envelope of Starbuck's Hot Cocoa, mini marshmallows, Hershey Kisses, and a candycane for stirring. They were a quick, easy, inexpensive gift, and fun to make--a good last minute gift idea.
Today, we went to the woods and decorated a tree with edible ornaments for the critters: pinecones spread with peanut butter and rolled in birdseed, apple and orange slices, and nuts. The air was crisp and invigorating. I brought my camera, but forgot my memory card, so I don't have pictures to share. You'll have to believe me when I say that the sky was clear and blue and filled with the chatter of migrating birds, and that there was a skin of ice already forming on the pond. We saw geese, ducks and swans, and admired the architecture of the deciduous trees. The few people we encountered in the woods with their dogs seemed happy. We were too.
I brought my last Christmas box to the post office today, and there was a line. In front of me was a woman who was maybe ten or fifteen years older than I. I saw her get out of her car, a very snazzy red Chrylser 200. So I said to her, "I love your car--everything about it, but especially the color. My husband needs a new car, and I'm going to tell him about yours." Just that little bit of friendliness opened such a lovely window into this woman's life. In the next seven minutes I learned that she doesn't have any children of her own, but is an enthusiastic and involved aunt. Every year she gives each of her nieces and nephew a special Christmas ornament. This year she dug out some old photos of herself and made ornaments that coincided with what's currently going on in her nieces' and nephew's lives. For example, one of her nieces is getting ready to receive First Communion, so she made an ornament with a photo of her own First Communion. Another niece just attended her first winter ball at school, so the lady gave her an ornament of herself dressed for her first winter ball. Her nephew loves airplanes, so she gave him an ornament with a photo of herself flying her plane.
I am a very shy person, but this year I have forced myself to be more friendly and "make contact" with people. I had such a pleasant exchange with this lady at the post office, that I found myself happy to be waiting in line :- )
