Open Your Eyes And Dream

 “It was the golden time of year. Every day the leaves grew brighter, the air sharper, the grass more brilliant. The sunsets seemed to expand and melt and stretch for hours, and the brick facades glowed pink, and everything got bluer. How many perfect autumns did a person get?” 

 
― Elif Batuman,

  Either/Or

 

Yesterday, Thanksgiving, was perfect! Hubby and I shared the delicious chore of preparing dinner. A feast actually, of turkey, cranberry sauce, peas and carrots, yams, and of course, pumpkin pie for dessert! Swoon! Later, we watched two of our favorite holiday movies, The Lemon Drop Kid, with Bob Hope, and Miracle on 34th Street, with Sebastian Cabot. It's my favorite version of the story. I know, I know, I am mostly a purest when it comes to movies. Rarely does a remake of a masterpiece turn out as good as the original, but this version did! It was a 1973 TV movie, and I loved it! Every single minute of it. It didn't really stray from the original, but the actors in the movie were folks I had seen in other projects, so it made the whole thing more relatable. David Hartman, Roddy McDowell, and Jane Alexander were brought it all together perfectly. Plus the incidental music, Miracles and Open Your Eyes And Dream, are 1970s background gems. Thanksgiving can be a hectic holiday, so go put your feet up, grab something soothing, like hot chocolate, and watch Miracle On 34th Street. It doesn't really matter which version, but if you have never seen the one this post is about, just press play, and ENJOY! And Happy Day After Thanksgiving! Can you believe has fast this year has gone?

And Christmas Eve is exactly one month away!

 

 

 

All Is Calm, All Is Bright

"It came without ribbons, it came without tags, it came without packages, boxes or bags. Christmas can't be bought from a store... Maybe Christmas means a little bit more."

-Dr. Seuss



We have had a magical day today. It started out with a wonderful good morning kiss from Hendrix. I had been feeling a bit sad last night, because I knew I wouldn't be getting my Christmas Eve morning paw pads and kisses. In the 11 years that Elvis was my boy, he always woke me that way on Christmas Eve. But this morning, as if by magic, Hendrix filled in for Elvis and kept the tradition going, by purring softly in my ears, and giving me a gentle little kiss. It was a perfect way to start my Christmas Eve. Happiness. :)


Around noon, I picked up a box at the Post Office, it was from my friend Martha. Inside was a wonderful garden stone, in the shape of a paw pad, and when I turned it over, it had Elvis's name on the bottom. He loved my garden, so of course, it was such a sweet surprise that it moved me to tears. Thank you Martha! I immediately placed it next to a new rose that bloomed this week, and opened fully this morning. A Green Ice rose, one of his favorite in the garden. It has a sweet/spicy scent, and he loved to sit next to them. He just loved flowers. Elvis is definitely here in spirit. I feel him with me even as I type this. :) Martha, you were a part of the magic today, I will always remember you for that! :)

Later in the day, after delivering some Christmas good wishes, we came home and Alan and I gave each other a special ornament. We have been doing that each year on Christmas Eve, since we discovered the Christmas Fantasy in Tilden. They have some really gorgeous ornaments, and it becomes our official first gift to each other every year. One new ornament. Later in the day, we played some serious reindeer games with the kittens, which is always fun. The boys are all tucked in now, and Alan have the rest of the evening to just enjoy ourselves. They are going to be so much fun tomorrow, when they open their presents and socks! I am sure I will have more pictures, so keep checking back!

A Christmas Story is playing on TBS for the next 24 hours, and we will probably watch at least one showing of it. It's our favorite holiday movie, but I have Miracle on 34th Street, the Sebastian Cabot version, saved in the DVR, and I enjoy that one too, and yet, It's A Wonderful Life is also on tonight, so I am not really sure which one will get our attention. LOL. Too many good choices. No matter what we end up watching, I am already so happy this Christmas that I suppose it really doesn't matter much. :)

Well, Alan is almost done making the Latkes, so I am off to dinner. Yep, he is making dinner! Life is good.

From Our House To Yours...

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HANUKKAH