Christmas 2022

You Sleigh Me!

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Word of The Day Challenge: SLEIGH

PHOTO A.M. MOSCOSO

I was in the fourth grade I wrote a story about Christmas Trees.

I didn’t get a grade on it, what I got was a note to my Mom asking for her to come in for a parent/teacher conference.

My Mom signed it, ” At least you get paid for being around her. ”  Then she told my Dad what I wrote and he told my story to everyone at Christmas dinner that year and they loved it. Here is  roughly how the story went:

Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.com

My story began in a haunted forest full of restless ghosts.

A long time ago, I wrote, people who lived near the haunted forest used to chop the heads off of the prettiest people in their village and they hung the heads from the trees.

The Ghosts liked the trees full of pretty severed heads so much that they would stay in the forest and sit around the trees and they didn’t feel like they had to go and haunt anyone’s houses.

It was considered a great honor to have your head chopped off and hung from the trees in the haunted forest.

Later, after all the pretty people ran away to live in a village where they didn’t have to worry about getting their heads cut off, the Villagers started to hang pretty little ornaments from the trees in the forest. Lucky for the Villagers the ghosts in the haunted forest liked this idea.

So from then on every winter people started to hang ornaments on their trees and that is why we have Christmas Trees now.

By Anita Godfrey

Age 10

December 1973

PHOTO A.M. MOSCOSO
DECEMBER 2024

Happy New Years!

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No I am NOT jumping the gun on New Years.

New Years on the Martian calander began on December 26th.

I wanted to write about how cool it is that on a planet whose sole inhabitants are robots- both living and dead ( or to be technical, functioning and non-functioning )  the year is 2023 and we’re still stuck in 2022.

So in keeping with the Martian season because they’re ahead of us and I want to get the party started,  I’ve  got  my New Years resolution list ready ( which will probably end up being soaked in sarcasm ( but not before having a hand full of mistletoe stuffed down it’s gullet ).

Believe it or not, I’m actually more excited about New Years Eve even though-

I’m not going to get dressed up, I’m not going to party my guts out, I’m not going to go to the symphony and ring in the New Years ( I actually really do miss doing that ) with Beethoven.

I’ll probably go to my Sister’s house for a few hours and then ring in the New Years with the BEST DOG IN THE WORLD and some strawberry margaritas. I’ll have fun, I’m sure of that- but sad to say it’s probably no going to be as much fun as celebrating the New Years on Mars.

So from Earth to Mars you Rovers want to dance? Its New Years somewhere in the Universe! Lets do it!

If You Go Down In The Woods Today

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If you go down in the woods today
You’re sure of a big surprise

If you go down in the woods today
You’d better go in disguise!

For every bear that ever there was will gather there for certain
Because today’s the day the Teddy Bears have their picnic

Beneath the trees where nobody sees
They’ll hide and seek as long as they please
‘Cause that’s the way the Teddy Bears have their picnic

The Yuletide Hits The Shore

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RDP Prompt: YULETIDE

Photographer Unknown

I really did try to find inspiration in the Christmas season.

I left myself open to holiday cheer, to watching a couple of those Hallmark Christmas movies so that I could try to wrap my brain around what made them ‘fun’. I even went and did a little Christmas shopping instead of ordering everything on line. I even did the meaningful stuff like giving to charity and smiling to people instead of nodding when I greeted them on my dog walks or when I got on the train.

I enjoyed being with my family and  participating in Christmas festivities, I really enjoyed seeing how much fun my Granddaughter was having. Hands down, seeing her enthusiasm really was the best part of the Christmas season.

But in the end all I wanted to do was to get through it.

Bat World Sanctuary- batworld.org

Right before Christmas we had an ice storm and by Christmas day it was near 50 degrees out and I had all of my windows open. That cool fresh air felt great after being locked up in dry heat for the better part of a week.

Dare I say? I felt a little cheerful.

After my family had eaten our fill, opened the presents, played some games and told some stories,  this little voice whispered in my ear, ” go on- kill the tree-stuff it in the garbage. You know you want too. It’s an old fake tree. Nobody will miss it. Just wait until everyone is gone and do it.”

That evening after everyone had gone home, I went to get the storage box for the decorations and I got ready to take the tree down and toss it.

I thought- you know it IS sort of pretty because it’s a little faded and crooked. It’s not a perfect tree but it’s charming in it’s way.  Plus for his own reasons Hamish Macbeth wasn’t going out of his way to stand next to the tree and wag his tail so that he could watch the ornaments fly off the tree and he could chase after them.

So that night I left the tree up and when I got up in the morning the lights were still on. Hamish was laying next to it the way he used to when his Cat brothers were alive and with us.

That’s when I decided I’ll wait a few more days before I take it down. What’s the rush? It’s just there in my living room looking warm and festive and that’s not such a bad thing to have around.

I think I’ve found it to be a little inspirational.

Hamish and Krampus
December 25th 2022
Photo: A.M. Moscoso