Busy, Busy, Busy...At Christmastime

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite holiday traditions was curling up on the couch with my family to watch the animated Christmas specials.

I remember burying my head in my father's chest when the Abominable Snow Monster of the North roared at Rudolph's shiny nose.

I remember jumping off that sofa, to dance and sing along with Snow Miser and Heat Miser.


I can recall Charlie Brown's little tree, the Burgermeister's terrible laws and of course, Frosty's magic hat.

And, like many of you, now, decades later, I can still recite every line from these show. 

Verbatim.

However. As an adult, there's always one phrase that seems to wrap up December perfectly. 

While it should be that lovely speech Linus gives on stage to explain the true meaning of Christmas to his classmates, it is not.

It's those three little words that Professor Hinkle utters when Santa tells him to write I'm Sorry, one hundred zillion times.

Busy, Busy, Busy!!

I really thought that when the kids were grown and on their own, the holidays would get less so...but turns out, they're just busy in different ways.

Good ways, for sure, but it's just another part of this new stage of life I'm still adjusting to. However, there are some things about this season that will never change.

I still ADORE decorating and I've done a lot of it this year, after cutting back a bit last season.

I will always make time to craft, although I have grown up company now, which means we can tackle more advanced mommy and me projects.

For example, yesterday, my daughter and I started working on these gorgeous watercolor Christmas cards I found in a darling new shop in my town.

Aren't they sweet?

See The Note Cards Here

I'd bought a watercolor workbook, from the same artist, earlier this year, but never cracked it open. Then I saw the cards and said, it's time.

It's kind of like my favorite paint by number crafts, without the numbers.

See The Books On Amazon

There's a lot more freedom in terms of design and it takes a lot less time to complete a project.

So much fun, especially when it's a family affair.

I've also made time for thrifting. 

The holidays are a great time to get out there, to scoop up some festive treasures. Like the one I recently found last weekend.

We went to a thrift/ antique/ craft warehouse to buy some Dixie Belle paint - since I hate paying shipping - and on the way out I spotted this darling tin snowman.


You may remember the large metal snowman I found several years ago at the curb. He's about 4 feet tall and rocks in the wind.

Well, for years, I've seen my newest acquisition, and a Santa Claus version, in the doorway of my favorite local church thrift store, but they're not for sale.

No matter how many times I've asked...ahem...begged...I've been told sorry, they're our mascots. Not for sale.

I don't blame them, they're really cute.

So you can imagine my shock, surprise and excitement when I spotted this little fellow for a fraction of  the price of the same snowman I found online.

He was $29.00 and 30% off.

Sold. And ready to join his big brother.

Unfortunately, when we dug him out of the basement, we realized that his hat had rusted off.

Bummer.

Once metal rusts, and a piece like this falls off, it's difficult to reattach it. If it were an arm or leg, we could've just screwed it back onto the metal body, but the hat was welded on with a seam at the brim.


And we do not have welding equipment. Big surprise. 😉

But, as usual, it was Mr. Handy Dandy to the rescue. He can literally do anything..

He made 2 L brackets from some leftover aluminum he had in the garage. He screwed them into the brim and screwed the hat into the brackets.


Now, my snowman is ready to swing into the holidays on my front lawn for yet another season.

Of course, the inside of the house needed a little metal sparkle, too. That was provided by another local shop. A brand new store we popped into to get warm on our walk yesterday.

A vintage silver bowl, paired with a glass cloche.


It was so pretty, I just couldn't resist the combination for $15. I was also happy to support a small business.

I'm not thrilled at the prospect of polishing it. Perhaps if any of you have tips on how to make that job easier, you'll share?

I'm all ears.

In the meantime, I'll be painting with watercolors.

Watching my jolly snowmen swing in the winter wind.

And singing along to all those Christmas specials.

🎄

How about you? How are your holidays so far?

Merry Christmas, Friends!