Punky has an Advent calendar filled with German chocolates which Oma gave her. She has one each year. It's a challenge to keep her from eating all the chocolates at once.
There are 19 unopened doors left...19 days to finish knitting, crocheting, shopping, baking, and decorating for Christmas. I am a procrastinator, and don't do well with deadlines too far in the future, but I'm beginning to feel the pressure of the approaching holiday. 19 days!!!
I've been working on finishing the baby blanket I started in July. It will be a baby's first Christmas present. It's over halfway done. I have also been trying to finish a scarf for my English friend, since that has to be mailed by next Friday. It's really for her birthday just after the new year, but I might as well mail it with her sons' gifts. Other projects, in order of when I need them finished: teacher ornaments (little crocheted octopuses*); brother's tie (Christmas dinner at our house Dec. 19); Grandma's scarf (Dec. 26). I'll be taking the week between Christmas and New Year's off, but it would be better for crafting if I took next week!
Phil and Punky went to Greenfield to cut a tree on Wednesday. When I came home that evening the house smelled wonderfully of citrus-y fir. I think the tree may be a Noble fir. It has a lovely shape. There is less than 1 inch between the leader and the ceiling. Today, Punky and I will decorate the tree before we go into town for the Christmas parade, in which Phil is going to ride a fire truck.
Last night, our family went to the Amity Volunteer Fire Dept. Christmas dinner. Phil has his EMT license and joined the Amity VFD recently. We took pumpkin pies and chocolate chip cookies from Long's Bakery. I could have baked something if I'd known earlier than Thursday about the Christmas dinner. We had a good time and Punky enjoyed playing with the other kids.
The hostess had organized a few party games. The first was to take a piece of paper, hold it behind your back, and attempt to tear out a bell shape. I won a cute teddy bear for having the best bell. Punky named the bear "Sparkles" because it's golden fur sparkles. I gave her the bear. The next game was to figure out the 20 Christmas songs that were listed with just the first letter of the words. I got all 20, but I let the person with 19 have it. It was another bear.
Next, everyone drew a slip of paper with a line from "Twas the Night Before Christmas." The hostess read the poem, and when your line came up, you selected a present from under the tree. I got a toy monster truck, which I gave to Punky. Phil got a Santa hat, which we put on Sparkles. Punky got scissors, which she gave to me. There were presents left, so each child got to pick another. This time, Punky got a pair of white stretch-knit gloves that were too big for her, but fit me fine. So, I told her I would swap my bear and toy truck for her scissors and gloves.
Tomorrow, while Punky is at Oma's I will wrap presents, put out more decorations, and do my other weekend chores, like laundry. In the evening, we're going to see the Disney on Ice show at Conseco field house. Last year we went to the Yuletide Celebration, and the year before Punky and I saw the Nutcracker at Butler University.
*spell checker didn't like octopi but took octopuses
