OK, this page will be about my personal Holiday stuff, to document how my Christmas and New Year's went in 2001. Today is December 22nd, and if things keep up as they have been until today, IF I do not start the story now, it will be way too much to do at one sitting. Hey, and since I really like that cute mama bear and baby that I used on another page, it appears again on this one!
After really getting in the Holiday spirit myself for the first time in 3 years, I almost feel like a kid again! And you might notice from the stuff which follows, it must be contagious!
Although I still have some more stuff to add here, I decided to actually include the pics instead of the link thing (which means the page will load slightly slower), the following will at least start the Christmas balls rolling BEFORE the 25th -- so stay tuned for later updates.
I shall start with goodies from 2 different online friends ...
TOP - Pam from Illinois, a long-time Beanie pal, surprised me with a kewl basket of all kinds of munchables - two different kinds of cheese, summer sausage and some candies
BOTTOM - 6 autographed copies of Ms. Janie's fabulous classical book about Beanies , The Beanie Invasion (1997)
Pat from California, my Attics + Beanies Holiday Surprise Exchange partner wowed me with a monster BLUE thermo mug (which, incidently, matches the color of my ZIP drive and holds soooo much coffee that it will save me loads of trips to the kitchen for refills!), a pound of Starbucks Christmas Blend coffee, some of my favorite drink besides coffee, GREEN tea, a kewl and very warm hat from Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California with a colorfully embroidered Grumpy on the front (one of Snow White's dwarf pals - I just know Pat was not referring to ME!) -- and the red X marks the spot where a really yummy home-made pumpkin cake would have been - IF I had not eaten it already!
Robin and Family from Illinois, other Beanie pals, sent me this unexpected package having some cat treats and toys - a fuzzy mouse that you put catnip inside of, and a wind-up fish that flaps its tail (the kittys have been going wild over them!), a real live Norfolk Island Pine tree - and 2 still-wrapped boxes which I hope to open on the 25th - OK, the last two surprises are [pic on right] some English Toffee made in Robin's hometown in Illinois, and a kewl Hallmark ornie of Queen Amidala, from the Star Wars Episode I -- and I am a big fan of those flicks!
I have the tree in a window where the kittys can not get to it, and hopefully it will get planted in the garden when I get a chance -- I LOVE everygreens! Incidently, the little trees in the first 2 pics are artificial -- I added them to spruce up the Holiday theme a little!
This particular gift is from Marion in Florida, who was my pal in a Holiday Surprise Exchange on an Apple Computer list I read and post on. Due to it's extraordinary nature, I shall begin with the email that I sent Marion when I received her package...
Marion,
Since you emailed me a while back to say that you had mailed your surprise, I had been almost worrying why it hadn't arrived yet - BUT my mail seems sort of extra-snaily slow lately, and I just let it ride thinking it would show up whenever.
That, compounded by the little hand-written sign at the infamous West Trenton post office that says Priority is not guaranteed to arrive in 2-3 days, sort of suggested to me that they were SLOWer than usual!.
OK, so just about every day I have been checking at the candy wholesaler across the street to see if THEY got anything for me -- I am on the 2nd floor, and IF they ring the bell, it takes me a while to carefully get down the stairs, past all the piles of boxes on both sides -- actually I leave just enough space for me and a full trash bag to get through what's left of the walkway -- and MOST OF THE TIME the dumb idiots do NOT wait for me to come down. I have had a colorful little thingy in the door, saying in English, that IF they find me not at home (or whatever) that they can leave stuff across the street -- and they can even SOMETIMES actually read the note! I don't think that READING is one of the things they are tested on in their pre-hire preliminaries! I also get a lot of those slips in the mailbox saying that something arrived and I wasn't home -- WHICH I WAS!
Anyway, I always seem to digress, don't I? Sorry about that.
Well, about a half hour ago, after my usual couple-hour (I really didn't want it to be sooo long!) snooze at the puter (complete with a similar-looking schnoz!), I went to the candy wholesaler across the street -- and had FOUR thingys sitting there waiting for me! So, arms full, I hobbled back home across the street, traversed once again the highly avalanche-prone stairwell, and rushed to my study. And it must be my lucky day or something, but ALL four were holiday gifts!
The 1st, six autographed copies of a classical Beanie book by a really kewl gal who has the most fantastic online site and DAILY toy newsletters -- she knows I always like dups of stuff.
In the 2nd, a load of little goodies, mostly some cat toys and kitty treats, but also 2 wrapped thingys which I haven't opened yet -- attached note says it is some nationally known toffie made in my Beanie pal's hometown of Amboy, Illinois. PLUS a little LIVE Norfolk Island Pine tree with a couple ornies on it!
The third has a still-wrapped box of See's Candies from someone I never heard of, with a little note saying "Let's see each other this new year!" -- and I NEVER even heard of the sender OR the candy maker - hmmmmmm - I wonder if it was supposed to be for the candy wholesaler? And I ain't even gonna check to see if the thing was addressed to me or not! After all, they did hand me the four packages!
Then there was this little squarish box from you, which I decided to open last. OK, after removing the wrapping, the inner box has Glade Potpourri Spray printed all over it, and I thought how did you know just what I needed! So I eagerly cut the tape and and found peanuts, the non-edible kind, and a VERY nicely wrapped thingy -- complete with ribbon and all - I hardly ever use ribbon anymore, and have loads of it stashed somewhere -- matter of fact I had reverted to just wrapping stuff in newspaper the last couple years because the only stuff I gave was to my brother's kids, and they just wildly rip the nice paper off and it seemed like such a waste - although this year I bought more wrapping paper than I will need in 5 years and actually wrapped my gifts! Well, anyway, back to unwrapping....
OMG! Hey, Marion, when I tell you that when I saw the still-sealed box I started CRYING, I MEAN it! Then I read your note, and it didn't help reduce the tears any! Tears of unbelieving delight and joy!
YES, you really knocked my socks off!
I haven't opened it yet, but am dying to! I thought I would get back to you asap to let you know that your surprise arrived...
NEVER IN MY WILDEST IMAGINATION -- and I even sometimes amaze myself with some of the stuff I come up with! -- did it even remotely occur to me that I would receive...
an...
I am really at a loss for words (which is , in itself, a rarity) to describe my absolute shock and delight, and don't know what to say except
THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart! It didn't need FireWire to energize ME after weeks of introspection and a lot of work and sleepless nights! Hey, maybe I'll put my new little Christmas tree in the big window down stairs, water it and hope it grows - and put some holiday lights in too! I really haven't been in the spirit of the holidays for 2+ years, but this year it is all coming back to me in an old-fashioned rush -- and I really like the warm feeling!
Once again, THANKS for your absolutely wonderful surprise, and it will be getting a LOT of active use -- even before the 25th!
Incidently, I sent your goodies out on the 12th, so I guess it should be getting there before Christmas, hopefully.
REALLY HAPPY Sonny
I have waited until I took the above pics of the exceptionally kewl packaging and all, before I load the software, actually take the earbuds and wires and other stuff out of their sealed packaging, and load all my MP3 files from iTunes -- I should, hopefully, do that tomorrow -- so, once again, stay tuned to my updates!
24 December - WOWSERS! It took me a couple minutes to get the iPod set up and I loaded my meagre original iTunes Playlist of 57 songs in MP3 format. Last night I got out a bunch of CDs and loaded a pile more and now the count is up to 231! A lot of Spanish songs by Maria Dolores Pradera, Julio Iglesias, Roberto Carlos; in Portuguese by Amalia Rodriguez - and a bunch of Moody Blues, Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, Feliciano, Bob Dylan, Randy Travis; and some Christmas carols - among others.
I am amazed at how easy it is to use this high tech marvel! And the sound is fabulous. It was my companion from 6h until about 15h at the flea market yesterday, Sunday -- after NOT appearing for 3 weeks already -- and the battery was only about half full at the end! I think I listened to my old playlist 4 - 5 times while there.
27 December - OK, more goodies, opened on the 25th.......
These goodies are from Dariusz Kardas, aka, Darek, a relative in Gdansk, Poland , whom I met through my family genealogy pages.
A Polish calendar for 2002, Selected Poems by Zbigniew Herbert, a book of the most beautiful places and the best-known Poles, postcards of the Black Madonna of Jasna Góra, photos of the participants in the festivities held in Poland celebrating the 300 years of the Kardas family noted in my genealogy research, rasburry tea made in Lublin, and a mug imprinted with Reunion Kardas 1701 - 2001 / Jednorozek, June 23rd 2001 (Zjazd Rodu Kardasiów 1701 - 2001) -- and "Because Christmas is coming we want share the oplatek with you. This is a very Polish habit conserved in all Polish houses and we want to move it to you." -- oplatek = half of a square liturgical host, embossed on one side with IHS within a rondele. I vaguely remember seeing this as a kid at at Grandmom's during the Holidays.
In the background you can see a delightful "picture that was done by a school girl from Jednorozec specially for our meeting. It shows a piece of landscape in the Kurpie region in the eyes of a young girl".
A beautifully done artwork on paper by a VERY accomplished student! It reminds me of some of the old photos which I used to look at when we visited my Grandparent's home in Philadelphia. I have to find a vintage frame, mat and frame it, and it will hang among some of my other art in my study.
Thanks, Darek, for bringing some of the old country to me because I was unable to attend the family reunion.
The following are for my sweet teeth -- what is left of them!
This is that mystery box of candy I mentioned above.
My brother, Bill, and his family presented me with a bunch of goodies when I visited them on Christmas.
A 5 pound ham, a box of mints -- and from Peter, a cute Barkie The Bear (birthdate - 4 August 1999), the Coast Guard Academy Bear, with the Coast Guard emblem embroidered on the front and the Barque Eagle, the 3-masted USCGA training vessel on the back. The letters represent goodies which are no longer available for a pic (gues why!) - Turkey and Leftovers, Pies, Cake and cookies - and a hearty serving of Interaction, which I had to hang on the tree!
George, from Alabama, one of my pals from the Apple Computer message board, sent me 3 typical southern delights, the edible kind. Stone ground corn meal from Tennessee, fancy large black walnuts from Missouri, and a bottle of hot sauce from New Orleans, Louisiana.
And on each item he included a typed three-line comment and use suggestions, AND they were ALL correctly spelled! [that's a private joke] I shall certainly use these goodies according to his notes. Thanks old pal, now hopefully I can try some of your down-south favorites. Hey, even his greeting card had a pic of a GREEN SALAD on the front, and on the back a kewl recipe for it, taken from a well-known book about New Orleans!
My ol' buddy, Bernar, gave me the large metal tin of Belgian cookies (on the left), in which there were 3 layers of really yummy cookies, most of which were chocolate coated. I ate through each individual layer in 2 days, so they lasted me about a week. Passion of Belgium it says -- yeah, tell me about it!
Since I have this thing for Belgium, I got myself a box of Belgian chocolate flaked truffles (center). They are one of my favorites, and melt right in your mouth -- and in your hand if you hold them for a few seconds! I also presented myself with that collection of German chocolate Christmas ornaments that were colorful and neato -- plus they had a couple bears among the selection, and I do like bears -- in any flavour! I still have not opened them, so eventually they will adorn my stomach.
This is the end of the Christmas updates, and any later personal news can always be found in my YES section (see LINK below).
May the spirit of the season fill your hearts with joy, and the New Year be exceptionally positive for you and yours.