Lesson 623: It's Worth It

Eloise's personal videos post at the top of these blogs for some mysterious reason.  That is my great niece and nephew, Camryn and Baby Ben.  Enjoy some sights from this year's Holly Trail, set to a great version of O Holy Night by Brett Young--with a nice touch of a country twang, it has a homey feel to it.  -Enjoy!

Merry Christmas from the Lamp Post!
The house is a bustle this year
with the older kids home for the holiday break.
Friends have been around,
catching up,
and checking out the trees

laughing at old ornament gifts
from elementary school.

My trio has been getting along fine.

The only spats they've had are over the bathroom.

Who is hogging it?
Who made the bigger mess?

Who used the last of the shampoo 

and left the bottle there?

Ellen's friends suggested this for Sam,

who has been known to use any sort of squirty shower liquid

as a means to clean his body.

After strange looking hair,

we determined he used just conditioner

for almost a full week.

 Even Hazel was appalled.

But, she gave him a break

as Sammy was down with a virus for most of the week.

She snuggled with him on the couch instead.

Sick kids,
even when they are older sick kids,
seem to take up considerable time
that you would ordinarily spend on other things.

I spent many an evening in Spot #4 at Walmart.
What a saving grace.

We did get some outdoor lights up,

and had time to make our holiday party favors.

The Canada Dry and 7 Up cans this year

have really cute sayings.

Two ten packs of mini cans

and the bucket of Fireball shots

make for a really fun little gift.

If you sent me a card, 

I hung it in the Lamp Post kitchen.

Every year my hubby tells me 

not to tape things to the cupboards.

and every year 

I stand back and admire your thoughtfulness.

The vintage red truck decorating theme

is at the height of its popularity this season.

I went to my parents' house next door

and asked my mom to find me the photo of my dad

sitting on the hood of his vintage red truck.

Grandma knew exactly where it was,

and produced it within seconds.

I want to make some prints

and look for the perfect frames

for my mom and sister.

Let me know if you spot a good one.

This is my dad on his 1950 Ford,

with their first dog Barney.

Locals will recognize Firman Road.

He's sitting right where the Firman Road

Community Park entrance is.

I'm amazed at how much he resembles

my sister and her sons!

All of the holiday prep is so tiring.

I'm up early each day,

and go to bed much later than usual to get it all done.

It makes a person wonder if it's all worth it.

Eloise is telling you that it is!

Extra time put in to make this holiday special--

It's Worth It!

Each morning as I arise,

I thank the Good Lord for another day,

and make a plan to make the best of it.

After morning prayers,

reflection,

and a quiet cup of coffee,

I grab my Diary.

My sister is drooling--

thinking of what juicy tidbits she can get her hands on,

just like she did when she was younger 

when she'd search my room for my hidden journals.

This diary isn't so much exciting

as it is useful.

It's a three year diary 

for recording little things--

weather,

events,

and little moments that are nice to

reflect on.

This is an excerpt from the first pages of the book.

Looking back,

I realized my holiday fatigue is a natural part

of my life cycle right now.

Here's December 21, 2017

December 21, 2018

And this year--

and I'm still tired,

but It's Worth It!

Here's the order information if you'd like to start one in 2020.

You can choose 

1 year,

3 year,

or 5 year.

I have a 3 year diary and it's just the right size.

Another suggestion if you are looking

for a fun activity for the family 

is picking up an Adults vs Kids trivia game.
I've found them all over the place

reasonably priced.
All you need is a deck of cards

and some paper to keep track of the score with.

If you have a particularly dumb family member,

just stick them on the Kids Team

and make them the Captain.

We loaded up the kids yesterday afternoon

to embark on our annual Holly Trail.
My in-laws started the tradition years ago.

It's a great thing to do if you have a large group of family or friends.

Pick a starting spot and an ending spot,

and make a path of stops along the route.

See all of the trees.

Have a drink and a snack.

Then move along to the next house.

It's so fun.

Even if you have a small house

you can pack everyone inside for a half an hour.

It took about 5 hours to get from West Millcreek

to Harborcreek

to North East.

Sam has been learning to play the piano

and entertained us with some nice background music.

You are never too old to play with a train table.

One of the most fun games we played 

was shared by my niece Cora.

This Saran Wrap Ball Game was an absolute blast!

The Saran Wrap Ball Game Rules: 
The first person with the ball starts unwrapping the ball
 while the person on their right rolls a pair of dice,
 trying to roll doubles.
 Once doubles are rolled,
 the ball is passed to the next player 
and the sequence begins again





You pass the ball around,
trying your hardest to unwrap it while wearing a pair of oven mitts.

If you unwrap something before

the person next to you rolls a set of doubles,

you get to keep it.

Lottery tickets,

money,

and candy are fun.

Gag gifts are fun, too!

Natalie unwrapped a can of tuna fish.

Have fun holidaying up the next few days.
It's Worth it!

Merry Christmas!
Eloise