Kate Cross's Blog, page 2

12 Days of Christmas Day 6

My sweet Logan under the tree. Happy Holidays!

12 Days of Christmas Day 5

A Few of Kate’s Favorite Christmas Things:

1. Pomanders. My mother and I used to make these, and they always remind me of Christmas. Take an orange and poke holes in it with a skewer or something small. You can make a design or lines, or random patterns. Stick cloves (pointy end first!) into the holes, affix a ribbon with hot glue or a tack, and hang. As the orange dries out, it gives off the most wonderful smell!

2. Terry’s Chocolate Orange. My hubby gets me one every year. I love them.

3. Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas. I watch it every year.

4. I’ll Be Home for Christmas — possibly my favorite Christmas Carol.

5. Christmas Eve with Steve. With a catchy title like that, how can I not love it? Just me, the hubby and the cats, drinking hot chocolate (the cats don’t have any!), opening a gift, and basically just enjoying being together.

6. The Muppets Christmas Carol. Gonzo as Charles Dickens. Michael Caine as Scrooge, and Kermit the Frog singing One More Sleep Til Christmas. Classic.

7. Eggnog!!!

What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions?

12 Days of Christmas Day 4

Wildcat McGuire’s Christmas List:

I’ve never been one to ask for much for Christmas — my folks didn’t exactly have much. If my sister and I got an orange and new shoes we were happy. I’m told that Christmas is a big deal at King House, though and that I have to give at least a few gift suggestions. Here it goes. Renn, if you’re reading this — you already know what I want.

1. Nail files — you wouldn’t believe how many of these I go through!

2. Hair pins. I’ve always wanted to put my hair up like a lady.

3. Kippers.

4. A ball of yarn. Don’t ask.

5. A kitten. Surely that doesn’t surprise anyone?

12 Days of Christmas Day 3

Arden Grey’s Favorite Christmas Gifts:

I have two gifts that stand out as favorites over the course of my life time. The first was a doll given to me by my father. At the time, I believed the doll to have come from Father Christmas, whom I longed to glimpse for myself. My father had constructed a ‘Father Christmas’ detector out of an old watch and a bell that jingled whenever Father Christmas was in the vicinity. He said it was to make certain I didn’t stumble upon the old man by accident and lose my presents, but now I realize it was a very crafty way for my father to make certain I didn’t happen upon him while he and my mother were arranging presents and decorating the house for Christmas morning.

One Christmas I found Miss Merriweather under the tree. She was a regular doll that was very popular at the time — I forget the true name of it. My father had taken it upon himself to ‘improve’ the doll by adding a voice cylinder inside that would say things recorded especially for me. My mother provided the voice for Miss Merriweather (this was long before dementia claimed her mind). One of the things she said was, “I love you, Arden.” I still have the doll, and every once in awhile I turn the key in her back so I can hear my mother tell me she loves me again.

My second favorite gift was one from Luke. He gave it to me our first Christmas after his return home. It probably seems like a trivial thing, but we didn’t know how much of his memory he’d regain after what those villains did to him, so when he surprised me with a new edition of Miss Bronte’s ‘Jane Eyre’ — the first Christmas gift he ever presented to me — I was delighted. What made it even more special was that he remembered that first Christmas.

Of course, every Christmas Luke and I get to spend together is the best gift of all.