Julehjerte - Yule Hearts made of fabric

Julehjerte - Yule Hearts made of fabric
Originally uploaded by sunspotting.

It's the last day of November.

That means two things to me right now: NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month; you blog every day during the month of November. The incentive? People who have succeeded are chosen at random for kick-ankle prizes.) is over at midnight. And I did it. Woo Hoo!!!! I joined mid-week the first week, and I managed to do it! Despite surgery and a holiday and dozens of miniscule distractions. OK: I guess I can do anything. Cool!

The other thing: Tomorrow's December, and I really need to kick things into high gear to get this house into Christmas decoration condition. This house hasn't been decorated for Christmas since the first year Rick lived here.

That was 3? 4? years ago.

My mom died of lung cancer in 2004. I haven't been able to pull out our decorations since.

When I was a kid there was a Christmas movie based on a book (they were quite faithful, too) called The House Without A Christmas Tree. The household consisted of a widower and his school-aged daughter, and she really wanted to decorate for Christmas. He refused. She won a Christmas tree in a raffle. There was a heart-melting moment, a reconciling of spirits, a realization that in addition to mourning one must celebrate life. I was probably a little young to see it but I definitely 'got it', though it has troubled me all this time.

That is, until I found myself in the shoes of both of those characters.

This year it seems I am the one with the melting of the heart and the reconciling and so forth. So I am making ornaments and trying to muster inspiration to clean (ugh... any thoughts?) and getting up the gumption (LOVE that word! It's not just for grumpy old men!) to climb around the boxes in the attic for our Christmas stash.

The best part about Christmas stuff being out? THE BOOKS!! And the music, too!

So here is the beginning of what I am making to give. There will be more! More colors, more designs. But for now, I need to get to work on the living room. It's going to be Christmas, and this year, I want to decorate for it!