Not Quite as Happy Holidays as We Were Hoping For

Observant readers might notice that this happy holiday saying has crept into my blog titles for weeks now. Curiously, I rarely use that phrase, so where it has come from I cannot say. And no, I am not inviting debate over using Merry Christmas versus Happy Holidays! At any rate, what we thought was going to be an amazing Christmas has taken a different path. Yup, Covid strikes again. 

A few weeks ago, while looking for something to replace the beautiful roses on our dining table I went to Ross just up the street. Normally I am not one to be attracted to signs that say something like, "live, love, laugh", or any other trite phrase you can think of, but on this occasion I saw something along those lines that just felt right for this year. I asked Bruce to hang it by the front door because it would be the first thing our far-flung family would see when they finally arrived after more than two years.

Well my friends, it was not meant to be. Perhaps we were succumbing to wishful thinking? Sadly, Matt and Tom called via Facetime yesterday afternoon to tell me (Bruce was out fishing) that they had made the difficult decision to stay in London for Christmas. Measures are being taken in the UK as the Omicron varient of the virus is spreading fast in spite of vaccinations. Are people dying like last year? No they are not because of the vaccines. That does not mean it is not wreaking havoc though. In the unlikely event that they contracted the virus while visiting here, they would need to quarantine in the US for 14 additional days which would not only be inconvenient, but expensive as well. Then too, during the week they were meant to be here, worries about it would dampen their enthusiasm for celebrating in the usual fashion. While understandable, there is HUGE disappointment on both sides of the Atlantic.

I was so looking forward to Matt's delight when he saw the ornaments he's given me over the years from his world travels on the tree.

Another disappointment, unrelated to Christmas is that our tree is dropping fronds like mad. So much so that whereas just two weeks ago I could not see the sky, now it is easily visible with a noticeable difference in light on the porch.

At first I thought Bruce had trimmed some of the top again, leaving the fronds in the garden, however, that notion was quickly quelled as more and more fronds appeared. We are watching in horror, wondering how long it will last.

Yet another disappointment is that a woman I've never met died yesterday. She was a dear friend of our friend Ann and had been sick for a while, however, when the inevitable finally happens, it is no less sad. Ann introduced her to my blog a few years ago and there has been no bigger supporter of this space than Barbara. Maybe an exaggeration, but still, when it was posted on Facebook she was always quick to make positive comments. I will miss her kindness to a stranger.

With all the negativity out of the way, let's get into the spirit of the season, shall we?

Our community has done a toy drive for the last few years and this year I suggested we add a food drive as well. I went to the office yesterday to see how generous our residents have been and was so pleased.

This afternoon Bruce and I will deliver the food in order for the volunteers at Conway United Methodist church to stock the pantry before it opens in the morning.

There is another huge box on the floor adjacent to this bench that is going to be very heavy!

Who amongst us does not love these? 

Keith gave it to me the other day and it is dancing on the windowsill as I type. :)

Bruce did a little revamping of my pathetic attempt to make this little grouping look cute.

Speaking of Keith, he and Patty took us out for a wonderful Christmas treat on Saturday night. He's about ten years younger so does not mind driving at night like we do which was such a blessing because otherwise we would not have been able to experience the magical scenes in downtown Winter Garden which is lit up like a Hallmark movie!

There were lit up trees galore, decorated golf carts and a gaily lit firetruck roaming down Plant Street. 

Unfortunately, most of the photos I took looked kind of like this one.

I am just terrible when it comes to taking the time to get my photos right when I am with other folks! Seriously, if you live in Central Florida and don't mind driving at night, it is so worth your time to see the charming downtown. Then, you too can have your picture taken in this perfect little setting. Thankfully Keith, who took photos while with the Sheriff department, did a much better job with my camera than I did!

On the drive home we stopped at the amazing light display on Clemwood,

where, if you can imagine, they have added even more lights, explained in the sign below.

Again, it is a sight worth seeing if you can. Speaking with the creators of this magical experience, they said it took 32 days to put up 500,000 lights!! 

Another super neat display on Newcastle in my childhood neighborhood.

From there we drove by Bill and Fallon's house to see how pretty it is.

Because of space limitations here, Matt and Tom were meant to spend their nights here. Alas....

The last time Matt and Tom were in America it was the absolute beginning of the pandemic which I have documented in this post from March 9, 2020. Not only does it detail the beginning of their trip, but re-reading it, I discovered I also wrote about the first time playing pickleball!! At the time I did not even know that it is one word and should not be capitalized. Should you not click on the link, he was my post conclusions:

Doing all that we can, while we can....that is unless that darn Coronavirus turns the world upside down!

There is absolutely nothing like having a blog with real time stories. Writing that then, it is unimaginable that nearly 800,000 Americans have lost their lives since that time. Yes indeed, that darn Coronavirus has turned the world upside down.

Jonathan and Alissa will now have us to theirselves when they arrive on the 23rd. So that is some happy news because we have not seen them for two years either. 

Our hearts are so sad, however, the message of Christmas, hope for today and hope for tomorrow, keeps us going, albeit with just a little less joy.

your friend,

Gail

p.s. Still going crazy about View from My Window....here is a super feel good story that I think you will enjoy reading.