In five more days the tree stands a
and the aroma of the trees will once again be memory
December 2023 went right on schedule. I start off with a dozen lists and right after Thanksgiving I'm checking items off, quick, quick, quick. Cards are ordered, stamps are bought and I've bought almost everything I need to get. The first week goes great. I've mailed half a dozen packages and sent off a dozen cards. This year is going to be different. I'm ahead of schedule.
And then somehow real life gets in the way of the lists. I realize that some of the presents that were bought in the beginning of November -- and really perfectly chosen -- are nowhere to be found and I've ransacked the apartment. This event leads to figuring out the shopping websites of Europe and after some slips and slides I've now ordered in two countries and two languages and figured out free shipping in both. No more standing in the post office line waving the duty declaration slips and getting glares all around.
There will be cards, but in some cases not before Christmas. Since the remaining cards are for New Years, some friends may be receiving Baby Yoda and Pep cards which are pretty cute. I've still got the previously mentioned New Years cards to write, wrapping to do and in a New York custom preparing the envelopes for my building staff.
I ask the question I ask every year, where did December go?
December flew by with long walks on city sidewalks and time spent with friends. It flew by seeing the windows of Fifth Avenue and Macy's and a visit to Rockefeller Center. There was a neighborhood party, a college party and an early Christmas dinner and there were lots of homemade cookies. The gifts will be wrapped, the cards will be written and the last minute errands will be done, some more completely than others. But the errands will matter so much less than the time shared.
And while we've mentioned Macy's, the windows were extraordinary this year and perhaps my favorites of this New York season.
Three cheers for walks on city sidewalks or country roads, time spent with those we love, the aroma of pine trees and Christmas cookies.
As ever, thanks for visiting and wishes for a bright and blessed week.
Great pictures as always! I am glad I am not the only one who can't find what should be where I put it so I would now where it was when I needed it! I am doing the same here looking for a couple of things - - - and I actually lost a winter jacket last year. I really liked it. I think I left it on a chair in a restaurant or doctor's office. Oh well. Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteIt's beginning to look like Christmas here. We have snow on the ground but is allow melting away. Last night we went done to around 20 degrees, but today is sunny and bright. It will soon be a thing of the 40'a. They say we will have rain for Christmas here. What unusually warm weather we are having.I hope you have a very Merry Christmas !
ReplyDeleteIt's so good to see these live trees! That's something that's largely disappeared in these parts, probably for lack of sales.
ReplyDeleteYour photographs are, as always, exquisite. I didn't realize there was a new reindeer in town, but who couldn't resist that face. Not me!
Like yourself, Carol, I also wondered where this month of December went, as there seems not to have been enough days. Thanks for showing the decorations in the Macy's windows, there are some window displays in nashua, but nothing to compare and on a very small scale by comparison (sigh).
ReplyDeleteThanks for another year of blog friendship and I hope that the coming New Year is wonderful for everyone and as happy as possible too.