The Sassy Steel Magnolia
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  • December22nd

    Later today I’ll be starting the trek back home to West Tennessee for the Holiday. It’ll take 12 hours of driving before I pull into the driveway and start stuffing myself with the classic array of homemade Christmas goodies, rearranging the characters of the nativity scene, and flipping the refrigerator magnets upside down (the last 2 to be done of course only out of love & in jest to pick at my Mother).

    Indeed the Holiday marks a time of great traditions at many a home.  A time filled with great joy and laughter and stress and the occasional family argument. I’ve mentioned in the past few weeks how the Spirit of the Season often escapes me and because of that, I’ve been notoriously proclaimed the Scrooge of my family and now, for the first time ever, I’m going to tell exactly why and how it all started.

    I’m the youngest of four children and I remember Christmas at our house being one of the most exciting times of the whole year. The house would be all decorated, we would all help make the different cookies and I had a lot more people to play with during the day since my brothers and sister were home from school. On Christmas Eve, I would beg my parents to let me stay up to go to Candle Light Mass with my brothers and sister, even though the first couple of years I inevitably fell asleep half way through or spilled candle wax all over my dress. And come Christmas morning, Santa would have visited and we  all had to line up in front of the fireplace for a picture, dressed up in all our glory, before we were allowed to even touch one single present. My parents would sit and watch us light up with every inch of paper we tore and bow we through to the side and the living room would be filled with such great wonder and joy and well, what I thought, magic. Everyone was happy. Everyone was together.

    As the years passed, we all started to grow up. Somewhere along the line I stopped believing in Santa and realized the real Santa (the one who foot the bill) of our family was our Dad and our Mother went and got all the presents for everyone. But that to me wasn’t the saddest part of growing up and watching the Holiday change. For me it was that gradually, over time, people stopped coming home. It was sparingly at first but then the number started to dwindle down more and more. Less people were around on Christmas morning and the magic I had once loved started to dwindle with them. I started trying harder every year – a secret mission known unto myself – to capture that spirit of Holidays past and bring back what I loved so dearly about it all. But year by year I felt like it was all slipping away. I didn’t understand. And then, my junior year of high school, I simply gave up. It was the turning point where I, too, had to grow up and realize things would simply never be the same as they were. Not even for Christmas. And thus was my downward spiral into Scrooge-dom.

    The blame doesn’t fall on any one person. There’s not even real blame to point. It just happens. Families grow up. New families are formed. Santa passes away. Factors such as work, in-law time share schedules, flights, finances and the like come into play, and you find yourself trying to see how many calendars can align with your own and say well – maybe next year to the ones that don’t fit.

    These past few years I’ve made a new commitment to myself each year to chip away at the Scrooge that had taken place of my Christmas Spirit. Slowly yet surely it’s working and each year I feel less Scrooge-like and more, well, magic-like. It’s coming back, just in a new form. A grown-up form I guess.

    Although I can’t even remember the last time we were all home on Christmas morning, I’ll always know …. somewhere in my memory …. those Christmas mornings I hold so dear will always live on.

    Somewhere in My Memory by John Williams

    (If you have trouble viewing this video, please click here.)

    Because that’s what the Holiday is really all about, I think. The precious moments.

    -•-

    The Music Snack comes out every Wednesday to put a little rhythm in your week. Requests are always welcome, so don’t be shy!

  • December21st

    I’m sure you are guess I would chose a Holiday themed book for this month’s Book of the Month. And if indeed you were, you my friend are correct. I did opt to go for a Holiday Book, but probably not one you might have guessed. This book has stayed with me since my childhood and hands down has always been one of my favorite stories surrounding the Season. It’s not really your typical Christmas Story and it definitely wasn’t about your run-of-the-mill Christmas Pageant.

    It’s the story of the Herdmans … and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever … by Barbara Robinson.

    The best summary of the book can be found on it’s back cover. I thought re-writing one, but nothing covers it as well as this:

    The Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, steal, smoke cigars, swear, and hit little kids. So no one is prepared when this outlaw family invades church one Sunday and decides to take over the annual Christmas pageant.

    None of the Herdmans has ever heard the Christmas story before. Their interpretation of the tale – the Wise Men are a bunch of dirty spies and Herod needs a good beating – has a lot of people up in arms. But it will make this year’s pageant the most unusual anyone has seen and, just possibly, the best one ever.

    - Harper Trophy

    Each year I revisit with the Herdmans. I’ve gone through quite a few copies of this book as eventually the pages fall out or I lose one here and there, but I always have one on my shelf. Besides, its good to pick up a children’s book every now and then. Gives you something to believe in.

    I still love the images in my mind of the Herdmans banging their garage door up and down and running underneath it seeing if they can make it. And the crazy wild cat they have as a pet. And Imogene at the end of the pageant. She’s my kind of Mary….and this is my kind of Christmas Story.

    “Hey! Unto you a child is born!” – Gladys Herdman

    -•-

    To pick up a copy of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, visit The Sassy Steel Magnolia eSTORE. *And if you’re a more traditional Holiday story kind of person, you can order a copy of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol there, too!

    photo: wikipedia

  • December20th

    If you’re like me, and I have a feeling most of your are, you’re still at work and not relaxing at home, enjoying your Holiday vacation. This is when I start to get the grumpiest – I think – during the Holidays. I want to be home, for Holiday too! That’s not fair. Blah blah blah. And thus the downward spiral can begin, but yet to help you (and me) get through these next few days at the office, I offer this little tactic to help keep the Christmas Cheer going.

    Adorn your space with the tackiest, cheapest, craziest, sparkliest, gaudiest, over-the-top-iest, smileyiest, prettiest, or glitteriest, ornament[s] you can find.

    It’s amazing how much happier I am having these kids hanging on my computer. I don’t even mind the glitter everywhere. [You know I love the sparkles!] Now yes the tape does look a bit chincy, but come on, I only spent $1.00 a piece on the ornaments so you gotta give me a little bit of credit for being creative. Regardless, Cheers to my [and hopefully your's too!] Holiday being just around the corner!

    -•-

    Good news! I’ve decided to extend the Stocking Stuff Give Away # 2 where you can snag a bag of Anne Taintor goodies, till this Wednesday night at mid-night of this week.

    I had intended on doing a new give away every Monday this month but due to my traveling schedule later in the week, I’m going to extend this give away and do another one next Monday! And we all come out on top. :) So get to entering and I’ll announce the winner in Thursday’s post. Tally-ho!

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    When you need a little more than a smile or a cup of tea to get your week in motion, the Sassy Starter will be here every Monday to get your wheels turnin’ in a classy – sassy – fabulous sort of way.

  • December19th

    :: i couldn’t help but share this lovely photo set i found on flickr. take a break from last minute online shopping & remember the dainty, little things of the holidays. they’re the ones that make it bright.

    Cheers to you all!

    -

    photo credit: flickr
  • December17th

    The best way to spread Christmas Cheer, is singing loud for all to hear.

    - Buddy the Elf

    There’s no real words that can fully describe why Buddy the Elf is today’s Mah-velous Magnolia other than he absolutely makes me smile, makes me laugh, and well, helps get me into the Christmas Spirit when I need an extra little nudge. That and I fall into fits of giddy laughter any chance I can answer the phone at work by saying:

    Buddy the Elf, what’s your favorite color??!

    That alone is badge worthy, indeed.

    Mah-velous Magnolia

    Thanks, Buddy.

    -•-

    The Mah-velous Magnolia badge will be awarded each Friday to a selected lady {or a few..or fellas..we’ll see!} who has had an impact on my week.  Who knows — maybe you’ll be up next!

    photo credit: IMDb