'Twas just before Christmas, and ...


The wrapping station was set up to handle a few dozen presents

The pending arrival of a new baby has set the Christmas spirit tingling in the Baker family, and the "recent retiree" status of this blog's author has charged full gear into the season.
Dubbed "Baby Rodewald" until she arrives, the grandparents are decking the halls, wrapping presents, sending out Christmas letters and more. Soon, we'll see all three daughters and their families, attend Christmas mass and note the reason for the season.
Some emphasis will be on reading, Christmas books of course. In fact, giving books to children on Dec. 25 is a fine, fine way to promote childhood literacy. Amy Dickinson, the advice columnist, is a force behind "Children's Reading Connection," online at https://www.childrensreadingconnection.org/a-book-on-every-bed.
Dickinson (printed in our local daily newspaper, the Quad-City Times) calls for a book to be placed on the bed of every child, on Christmas Eve. When the young one wakes up and unwraps the book, sit immediately and read it. According to Dickinson, one-third of American families do not share the joy of reading with their young children.
Kudos to Dickinson for this idea, and the wisdom behind it. She reports it is also a tribute to her mother, and what could be more appropriate?
One good book to share on Christmas Eve is "Twas the Night Before Christmas." Read out loud, with spirit, is so exciting for youngsters!
Meantime, remember that most of the wrapping paper, gift boxes, tissue and ribbon are to go into the garbage. Residents are told the items cannot be processed through the Scott County Recycling Center in Davenport.
The Christmas spirit is sparkly in this part of Scott County. Seasonal music is played on the IPod, the radio, and stereo system. Hallmark and Lifetime movies are viewed on a daily basis. Lights are outdoors, indoors, and in nooks or crannies. The wrapping station, as seen in the photo above, is just about to be put away as 95 percent of the gifts have been wrapped.
Yet to do: Candy baking, and cleaning the house for guests ...
Just a few days to go!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Goodbye, Blogger.com

Image
Thanks to all Bakersheartbeat.blogger.com and  Gardensirencall.blogger.com readers!  It was a fun ride for years!     It's with a heavy heart that I say goodbye on this site, called either blogspot.com or blogger.com.     Recently, I wrote about a Quad-City Times Bix 7 event and the photo to go with it was blocked by Google. (This one, in this blog, was also blocked but I got around it as I'm not using Blogger anymore.)     Anyway, I'm trying to come up with a Plan B for blogging.      Stay tuned.     I think the problem developed (after six or more years of no such thing!) because I transfer the photos I take for blogs via G-mail. Either that, or Blogspot.com is now in the Google universe.     Anyway, it's not feasible to write blogs without photos, in my opinion.     All this blogging started in 2018, when my journalism career ended. Blogging was something I'd done at the office and I found Blogger.co...
Read more

Why a "community" matters, especially in later life

Image
Friends and family members in 2018 attended an excellent basketball tournament in Des Moines; four colleges participated: Iowa, Iowa State, the University of Northern Iowa and Drake University.        It was the morning of Valentine's Day and my husband Steve, and I, started to walk in Scott County Park, located just two miles from our home in rural Scott County, Iowa.     We had begun a two-mile loop when a woman in a car stopped us: She leaned out the driver's side window and handed us two bags of Valentine candies.     Startled, we stared at her as we did not know her. But she smiled and said, "I like that you are out here, walking!"     We did accept the candies and are eating them to this day!     That pleasant incident points to the importance of have a "community" in life. Communities are generally defined as a group of persons who share a common interest. Growing up, this is evident in school when one has dozens of clas...
Read more

Hair: A love/hate story from one perspective

Image
  That's me, after a recent appointment at the salon in Eldridge, Iowa Oh, give me a head with hair Long, beautiful hair Shining, gleaming, streaming Flaxen, waxen Now won't you gimme it down to there? (hair) Shoulder length or longer (hair) Here, baby, there, mama Everywhere, daddy, daddy Hair (hair, hair, hair, hair, hair) Grow it, show it Long as I can grow it My hair ... Songwriters: Gerome Ragni / James Rado / Galt Mac Dermot                   I scoop up my own hair every single day. I do appreciate this thick, brown and healthy hair, but my goodness, what a mess it makes!     I bought a special broom that grabs hair, and all sorts of devices to clean up said hair. I buy Swiffer sheets on a regular basis and use them.     I don't mean to sound negative. It's a blessing to have a head of hair, but also a responsibility.       No one wants to have hair in their food, for example!   ...
Read more