I just wrote a variation of this email message to a few old friends. I thought it would do as a Christmas message to the blogosphere. You can see how my mind wanders in my dotage. I imagine that will only get worse, and even more self-indulgent as time goes on. Sigh.
Dear {Friends},
Are you all making Christmas cookies? I'm having a hard time doing so, although my German and French ancestry will not let me ignore the responsibility. Actually, it turns out (DNA test) I'm as much Scotch Irish and English as I am German, with a smattering of Welsh and Norwegian (for crying out loud). The French is Lorraine, so it's more Frankish than French.
Anyway, yesterday I made the dough for Linzer cookies. I'm so hoping when the time comes to roll them out and bake them, I can talk Tom into doing it instead. He was the cookie baker at {Bakery} in its glory days. He could make them much better than me, heh heh. Were you guys in {City} in the early 80's? Tom was there, living in a rural commune, as early as 1969. My first time there was 1971. We arrived for the long haul in 1975. So long ago.
Today we make cut out cookies and the kids arrive at 1:00 to decorate them. I suppose I will clean the house. I wonder if I actually will? I'm beyond lazy these days.
According to their local paper, there are currently 2,589 active COVID cases in {County}, NY. Wow!
You are all in my thoughts. And if I could figure out who to pray to, you'd be in my prayers as well. But maybe heartfelt thoughts ARE prayers? I don't know that for sure, either.
This is really such a hard time of the year. I never know whether to laugh or cry.
Cheers,
Colette
P.S. Here are pictures of some crazy Florida flowers in bloom right now. Aren't they amazing?
I often think the same thing about cleaning, especially when the grandkids are coming over. It is usually better to clean AFTER they come as they often make a sweet mess! :)
ReplyDeleteHope you have a Happy Christmas, Colette!
Thank you, Ellen. You are so kind. I hope you have a Happy Christmas as well.
DeleteBeyond lazy describes how we feel here too. No Christmas gatherings or decorations here and yet still pretty lazy.
ReplyDeleteI wish you and your beautiful family a very Merry Christmas, Colette.
P.S. I love those crazy Florida flowers.
I'm glad you love these crazy Florida flowers. They make me laugh.
DeleteI don't know whether to laugh or cry either. It's good to know I'm not alone.
ReplyDeleteI guess we could do both?
DeleteI often do:)
DeleteThe Florida flowers bring back memories! Hope you have a good holiday!
ReplyDeleteYou, too.
DeleteI love your letter! Yep. This is a hard time of year. And we have similar DNA. I have a lot of German on my mother's side and one German ancestor among generations and generations of Norwegians as far back as anyone can know on my father's mother's side. There's German/French, English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh on my mother's side. I'm eternally grateful that my Norwegian ancestors left Norway. I'm grateful that I have daylight in December and that it rains rather than snows where I live!
ReplyDeleteMaybe heartfelt thoughts are prayers (-:
I think they might be. They might also be the basis for magical acts.
DeleteI have successfully avoided making xmas cookies for as many years as I can remember while my sister reports annual quotas both ordinary and gluten free, 20+ varieties etc. I think it must have been when the Irish xmas cake, mince pie challenge became part of my life that made me plan my escape. I grew up in Franconia, the homeland of Lebkuchen and luckily there are too many expert bakeries so nobody would ever attempt making them at home.
ReplyDeleteI admire your preparations and your dedication, I sent off all our xmas decorations to the daughter across the planet and now they seem to be lost in transit.
Have a great xmas with the grandkids!
I was hoping my daughter would eventually take over the cookie making, and she does make at least 4 different yummy kinds; however, I can't seem to stop making a couple batches from my mother's recipes. I did make the Linzer cookies and Tom did roll them out and baked them. They seem okay. I've never had Lebkuchen. Now I'm intrigued. Your sister makes 20+ different varieties of cookies at Christmas! Wow. I sure hope the decorations arrive at your daughter's house soon. Frohe Weihnachten or Nollaig shona dhuit, my friend.
DeleteWe are not bakers around here so kudos to you however much got done.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteJust out of horsepittal having left eight centimetres of plumbing behind for them to contemplate. You're a great one for expatiating (Yes that IS the way it's spelt) on your defects, drawing attention to your mental and physical decay, your supposedly diminishing intellectuality, etc. Yet you do this with wit and precision thus undermining your attempts to prove what a spiritual wreck you are. Perverse, really. Yet if you hopped north to Princeton and did three years there you'd graduate summa cumbersome laude. So, what's it to be? Tons of affection my little chickadee. R
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea how happy I am to get your comment. I've been quite worried about you. Thanks. P.S., in the U.S. spelt is "Spelt is a type of grain that is related to wheat, barley, and rye." I'm quite charmed by your Britishisms. Also, thanks for sharing the word expatiate. If you say it out loud it almost sounds like someone is spitting up. I guess that is fitting.
DeleteJust a minute, we got there first. Those Britishisms you refer to are English. It's you Johnnie-come-latelies who came up with Americanisms. Where you beat us is with alligators. They should be your national beastie.
ReplyDeleteOur national beasties are conservative Republicans.
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