Hey! Wow! My fastest page yet.

I cut out rectangles of the paper I had purchased last week and scanned them in.

I was inspired by a layout I saw on Flickr of someone’s else gift package page and decided to go with it.

Text reads:

“I used to be a better wrapper, making good use of ribbons and bows and such.  These days, gifts are wrapped with inexpensive but cute paper, and maybe a bow slapped on top.  With 8 year old boys, I find that I could hand them their stuff in a plastic bag and they’d be perfectly happy.  Fancy wrapping paper is wasted on them. ”

And now, I have to take the dog out into the cold, cold, cold, and then go to bed!

TTFN-

Suzanne

Again, I had the text done last night, but struggled with the layout — well, with getting the text to be in the shape of a partial circle. Also, I went through a number of choices before deciding on the paper for each layer. I keep trying to pull in other papers and embellishments, but I just really like this digital kit I’m working with.

I realized after uploading it to Flickr that the background is the same as the previous day’s.  Oh well.

The text reads:

When I was a kid, Santa didn’t wrap the presents he brought. Each kid had a designated chair on which our stocking and presents from Santa were displayed. After we had a chance to examine all of our Santa gifts, someone would pass out the wrapped gifts. If my memory serves me correctly, it was every man for himself, with paper flying off gifts willy-nilly.

At some point in the morning, Mom would start making the Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake that we would take to the Johnson’s for brunch. It isn’t Christmas without that coffee cake.

As we got older, we decided to help Santa out a bit. He still brought bigger gifts to us kids, but we started drawing names and filling each other’s stockings.

Getting married and having children has meant creating new traditions that are special to our family. One of our new traditions is that the boys are allowed one present Christmas Eve, a new pair of pajamas.

After the boys are ready for bed we have several things to do: first is to set out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for Santa. We also add a pile of carrots for the reindeer. The boys are happy to have the reindeer eat as many carrots as possible, the more they eat, the less the boys have to eat.

Santa’s favorite cookies are Peanut Blossoms. He doesn’t care if they are made with Hershey Kisses or Brach’s Stars. Either are acceptable.

After that’s all set, we all pile on to the upstairs couch so that I can read “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Our copy is illustrated by Mary Engelbreit.

Santa wraps the presents for the boys. His wrapping paper is the only one that has a picture of himself on it. Unwrapping is a little more controlled than when I was a kid. We each take turns unwrapping one gift and admiring (a little) before moving on the next gift.

*************

Radar shows that we should be getting hit with another round of winter storms sometime tonight.  It sounds like the states south of us are seeing some very unpleasant weather.  Please keep the Midwestern US in your thoughts!

Suzanne

I thought I was going to get this page done tonight, but I’m out of steam.  It’s close, but still needs a bit of tweaking.  The prompt was to think about the sights of Christmas, and this is the text of my journaling.  I’ll finish the page in the morning.  Photoshop is doing something goofy with my text and I’m just too tired to puzzle my way through it right now.

**************

This time of year, everything seems more exciting — all dressed up and glamorous, with lights on all of the houses and businesses, lighted displays in the park, and all of the fancy decorations that only come out once a year.  Our outside lights didn’t get put out this year — the weather just didn’t cooperate.  Inside, though, we are quite festive.  The boys did the tree, Mark put the lighted garland up on the railing.  The stockings, of course, are hung with care.  Many of my angels stay out all year, but the Christmasy ones have made their appearance.  The Snowman collection, the Santas, the Nativity scenes — everything is out for its time in the sun.  I love seeing all of the special things, and it makes me sad when everything is put away, but really — it would be too much if it were out all the time.  Part of the magic of Christmas is that it is only once a year.

***********

Mark came in and was reading over my shoulder.  He said, “Yeah, it’s only once a year but it lasts from October through December.”

Well, in a way he’s right — the stores put their stuff out earlier and earlier every year, don’t they?  But in our house the “dressing up” only lasts from Thanksgiving until New Years (or thereabouts…).  Plenty long enough, I think.

TTFN-

Suzanne