HOME AGAIN HOME AGAIN!

Uncle Gabe & Cade

"THE LONGHORN CHRISTMAS SKULL

NOTE THE HEIGHT OF ALL THE DECORATIONS

CALEB LOVES HIS COMPUTER GAMES

CADE & POPPA BOB- "SOCK FIGHT"

NAP FOLLOWING TURKEY TRANQUILIZER


They say a picture is worth a thousand words! The favorite game this year at Thanksgiving was "sock fight". This involved throwing rolled up socks at each other. Quite entertaining and impossible to get hurt. The best of all worlds!

In honor of the official "kickoff" of the Christmas season. I thought I would share one of my memories from my childhood Christmases.

Uncle Bryant & Aunt Mattie Maude (this is correct spelling which occurred to me in the middle of the night last night) lived in a beautiful wood, brick & stone house at the top of a hill surrounded by beautiful woods and gardens. Aunt Mattie Maude was quite the gardener and the evidence of her talents even impressed a young girl! They had a wishing well! How cool is that. I loved to walk to the well and throw in a penny and make a wish. It was surrounded by beautiful gardens, but the well was the center piece. How wonderful!

The road to there house went up the hill and then wound to the right. The road lead all the way to the house and actually went through a covered portico where you let the "ladies" get out of the car. The road then wound back around the back of the top of their hill and came back out just before you went back down the hill.

I have such a distinct memory of riding up the hill to be greeted by Christmas elves! They were all through out the woods with lights on them. The elves were all working on Christmas projects and one was even swinging from a swing high in a tree. IT WAS MAGICAL! This was during the 50's and enormous Christmas displays were not common place. I felt as if this was next to being at the North Pole ourselves!

When you stepped into Aunt Mattie Maude's house, it was another magical entrance into the "World of Christmas". Every nook & cranny was decorated and very tastefully. No homemade decorations or commonness to this house-more like "Southern Living". I remember they had the first flocked tree I had ever seen. WOW-How Did They Get That Snow On There?

It was all pure fantasy, but the thing that has always stuck so prominently in my memory were the elves. How I would love to be able to copy that idea and have elves all around our home in Vienna. Some things are left better, though, as memories!

Unfortunately Uncle Bryant's & Aunt Mattie Maude's house burned to the ground a few years ago. It will totally fade away when we that have the memories are gone. That strikes me as very sad!

A long day of driving with rain every inch of the way and lots of traffic. I would hate to see the traffic tomorrow if it is worse. Wonderful trip and many "good times" as Camille would so aptly put it.