LEARN MORE

Friday, December 26, 2008

AFTER CHRISTMAS

"The tumult and the shouting dies,"
The families with their gifts depart;
Now comes the yearly sacrifice,
Taking the Christmas tree apart.
Removing the lovely decorations --
Taking down the outside lights;
Finding places to store the new things --
How dull the scene will be tonight!

But lovely memories linger on --
The Holy Family in its Creche;
The dear old Christmas carols sung --
The hope for better years of Grace.
Then once again we'll gather 'round
To celebrate the Christ Child's birth.
And say in heartfelt unison --
"To men of good will -- Peace on Earth!"

I found this poem amongst the memorabilia that has come to me, typed on a small piece of paper. All I know about it is that it came to me through my Aunt Ethel and the first line is a quote from Rudyard Kipling. (Not all questions can be answered through online searches.)

Having adjusted over the years to a quieter celebration, we had a lovely time. Nick and Hallie arrived the evening of the 23rd. On the morning of Christmas Eve, we visited friends in the neighborhood where Nick and Hallie were able to resolve a few pending computer issues. Our friends (who are great-grandparents) related that they had been the beneficiaries of a "random act of kindness." The husband went to Costco to buy a pumpkin pie, and as he headed for the check-out, a shopper behind him called to him -- "Sir, sir! I'm buying that pie for you." She would not take no for an answer and sent him through the checkstand ahead of her so that she could pay for the pie and send him on his way. Leaving our friends, we said to ourselves that we would remember this visit as a highlight of this Christmas.

After turkey sandwiches for lunch, we headed out again -- this time to the Bernina shop where Hallie bought Foot #37 (1/4-inch patchwork foot), which was on my Christmas list. She said she thought we should patronize the local shop. The friendly clerk there told us that she had been busy enough to make it worthwhile to be open that day, which was good to hear. We also walked through the shopping center where I found a decorative topper for our gift to Hallie -- a vanilla jar candle. It's hard to give Hallie anything. She lives in 600 square feet and wants nothing. And when I offer to get her clothes, she tells me how much money remains on the gift certificates from Macy's and Nordstrom's that she has earned at work.

Christmas Day I mentioned to Hallie that one of my goals for 2009 was to get an iPod. When she saw that I was serious, she began downloading our CDs to iTunes, and this morning the four of us went to Wal-Mart where Mike and I selected and purchased our iPod. I hope I learn this new technology -- just like I hope to learn to use the camera, my organ, my sewing machine, and the car -- my New Year's resolutions.

Hallie and Nick left today forenoon to see Nick's mother in Connell, WA. So, it's just the two of us again. It was a good holiday, we have things to look forward to, and I'm ready to get on with it. KW

10 comments:

  1. Aaron and L.J. both have ipods and I have toyed with the idea of buying one too but not sure how much I'd really use it. Our new car has Ford Sync and you can run most mp3 players and cell phones hands free by voice command and we have only tried that once! HA-HA!!

    What I love about itunes though is you can just listen to the music in it while you are on the computer. We have ripped all our CDs to itunes and I have purchased many songs to add to our HUGE collection of music. You can also burn mix CDs to listen to elsewhere.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Which model of iPod did you get? I love my nano.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It is a Nano -- 16 GB. Mike has been doing some serious iPod study, and Yancey has already advised him he should have his own. How true!!! While I'm willing to share, I also have personal favorites I know he doesn't care about, and he also has his personal "tastes," not to mention the issue of listening. If he hasn't taken care of it by his birthday . . .

    At this point the possibilities seem endless and overwhelming. KW

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow - you can fit a lot of music on 16GB. Here is a sewing podcast that might interest you.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have fond memories of Aunt Ethel. She was very fun and engaging to us stepkids. I can imagine the sort of lively sister she must have been to Vance.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yes, our available library was more than 4 GB, so Nick recommended the 16. Perhaps we should have divided the 16 into two 8s. (LOL) My long-range plan is for a docking station that will allow us to listen to old-time radio shows and maybe audio books. Thank you for the link. I'm sure I'll enjoy that.

    I'm glad you remember Aunt Ethel. She and my dad were good friends. She passed on in February 1980 -- Clint was a baby. I know my dad missed her. She took an interest in people and had a good sense of humor. KW

    ReplyDelete
  7. Eric got Ann the iPod Touch last year for her birthday and it fascinates me. I think I'll have to get some kind of iPod when I retire--no time to figure it out now...

    I remember Aunt Ethel, too. She'd often be on her porch as you and I were walking to and from school and we'd say a few words as we passed by.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Chris! Well, I wasn't born to this technology stuff. I always say, "Look what we can do with this. Let's get it!" Then I'm immediately frustrated with the how-tos. I'm trying to push through.

    I probably would never have thought about Aunt Ethel on her porch if you hadn't mentioned it. When I was a little girl and walked to Papa's to watch tv, Mother would watch me from the porch to the front door at Papa's. Uncle Ernest also got onto the routine, and he would watch for me from their living room window. KW

    ReplyDelete
  9. What color is your nano Kathy? I hope you bought the new generation one with the shake to shuffle. They are really neat. I saw a demo while helping a friend Christmas shop.

    ReplyDelete
  10. My (our) Nano is dark gray. (We aren't too much into the pretty color thing.) Mike likes those "invisible shields" and is considering that option. Meanwhile, we tenderly insert the Nano back into its box when we finish playing with it. And yes, it has "shake to shuffle." KW

    ReplyDelete