Merry Christmas!

I had wanted to put this up earlier, but I had to head outside to take in certain decorations before they got rained on. Lawn inflatables can be a bear to dry out. At least two of mine fall into this category.

We’ve had this one for several years and it still gets people to slow down and look.

I was talking with Mrs. Freeholder about how much effort we put into decorating for Christmas. What once took a short day now takes two. We’re not doing more, we’re actually doing less. Age and a declining ability to put out long periods of sustained effort have driven this. I mentioned it might be time to dial it back a bit more.

When we were a younger family and lived in Little Bitty Burg, there was a family who decorated a 30′ tall cedar tree as a Christmas Tree. Our kids called it “Big Tree”. No trip during the season was made without a drive by Big Tree, even if we were going nowhere near it. A few years ago, we made a special trip just to see Big Tree again. Big Tree was dark and undecorated. Perhaps the family has moved, or perhaps it got to be too much.

Mrs. Freeholder pointed out that the blow-ups, the lights, the bows, etcetera may be some kid’s Big Tree.

I guess I’ll be putting this stuff up for a while longer.

Christmas Day here has been quiet. Daughter and Son-In-Law had plans with his parents. Christmas, and then a quick un-decorating necessitated by the same-day celebration of another son’s birthday and the birthday party itself is a handful, and her mother-in-law isn’t as young as she used to be either. Add in taking care of the kids during this and her Christmas Day is full.

Son is off on his own pursuits, some of which no doubt involve a new video game that found its way into his Christmas gifts. He has friends that he spends time with as well. At 28, he should have. We could also wish for a wife and some more grandkids, but…

Mrs. Freeholder and I slept in, exchanged gifts and then she settled in for a long day of football and texting with Old Friend’s Wife, her best friend. They’re back at their place at the coast, also for a quiet Christmas. I, as noted earlier, pursued some outdoor efforts.

It’s getting dark now, and the outdoor lights are lit. I’ll leave them up for a few days longer. I’m looking at Friday to take them down. Saturday Son-In-Law and I are going to venture up to Hickory for the Hickory Gun Show. I’m not looking for anything in particular; the trip is more just to get out and see what’s going on. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been to a gun show. I may take a gun to see if I can part company with it. I have a Franchi shotgun that I no longer have any use for.

I hope you’ve had a Merry Christmas, or if you’re one of those partial to a late Christmas Day celebration, I hope you have a good one.