MAGPIE'S MUMBLINGS

A blog about my interests, which include fabric landscapes and various and assorted other artsy pursuits and sometimes known to contain mumblings of a random nature.

Friday, December 20, 2019

And.....another page.....and surprises

At this point I'm working on the outside and inside cover pages for the quiet book. This will appear on one of the inside covers....


and this is what's inside...


and these are inside the envelopes...


    

UPDATED TO ADD:





Just look at what arrived from our family out west!!

How did they know I had planned to replace a number of our fading ugly plants with some new ones after Christmas?






There are at least eleven different succulents crammed in this beautiful pottery bowl!





Huge thanks to our wonderful family - love you guys!



Today, instead of a quote, I came across this story and thought I'd share....

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid.
I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"
My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" she snorted...."Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumour has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my second world-famous cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything. As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping.

For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for.

I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbours, the kids at school, the people who went to my church.

I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class. Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all us kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat!
I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that.
"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby."

The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it.
Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers.
Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going."

I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, dropped the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma.

Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and there stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumours about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were -- ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.That store clerk was one of Santa's helpers,too!


29 comments:

  1. What a wonderful story! Thank you for sharing. My son was 6 when someone told him Santa wasn't real. He came to me with tears in his eyes asking if it was true. I told him that as long as you believe in the magic of Christmas, Santa is real. He's now 18 and smiles as he tells his friends why Santa is still real to him. Bless you.

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    1. Of COURSE Santa is real!! I refuse to believe otherwise. (thank you for leaving the lovely comment!)

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  2. Loved the story, Mary Anne - perfect for Christmas. It's my kinda story!! :-)
    Val (UK)

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it - it certainly hit my heartstrings.

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  3. I just love that tea tree--I am a tea lover--and this would be a great gift for my tea loving friends...thanks so much for all your linkys throughout this past year--I love them and look forward to them;))) hugs for a Happy Holiday...Julierose

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    1. Glad you like the tea tree - I'm filing that one away for future reference too. And I'm happy you enjoy the links - I certainly have fun searching for them! Merry Christmas wishes to you!

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  4. Oh what a lovely story. That mailbox is gorgeous - especially with mail in it. I hope the young ones know what a mailbox is. A lot of them don't know what a landline phone is - or a payphone.

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    1. I guess, unless the kids live in the country, they wouldn't really know what this type of mailbox looks like. Oh well - it was fun to make and I'm sure they'll figure it out.

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  5. I love the story! Yes, the Spirit of Christmas is what Santa is all about.
    Good progress the mail box looks fun.

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    1. Glad you liked the story Janie - it was simply too good not to share.

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  6. Now that's my idea of a great present. Sign me: sucker (!) for plants!

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    1. Me too! Now the trick will be to keep them alive. They didn't come with any 'structions so I'll have to do some research so I don't kill them with too much water or too little!!

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  7. Your GKs are going to think of you always, as a fabulous G'Ma who can do anything. The postbox is packed with fun things.
    Lovely selection of links too..the teabags idea is tempting to make.
    How clever to have sent the cacti gift when you'd been thinking about the old one. Do you have family mindreaders?
    The wonderful Santa story gave me goosebumps.

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    1. Awww - what a nice thing to say! I know I need to make things for 'grands' now because it won't be long before they won't want anything homemade. Don't know about family mindreaders, but in this case they did a wonderful thing!

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  8. It's hard to give too little water to succulents. Just sayin'.

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    1. I think I'm guilty of over watering so I'll have to be careful to watch that.

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  9. DANG! I just was trying to delete a spam comment and ended up deleting a couple of good ones!!! I'm so sorry. If one of them was yours, please accept my apologies (what's worse is that I hadn't even read them!!!!!).

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  10. That is a lovely gift from your family. The mail box is a cute addition to the quiet book. Thanks for the links.
    Merry Christmas.

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    1. Merry Christmas to you as well! And yes, the gift was exactly right - provided I can manage to keep them alive.

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  11. What a lovely Christmas post. The book is looking fantastic! Such a great present from the family, and I loved the story.

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    1. Our family definitely did a wonderful thing with their gift. We always exchange flowers at Christmas but this is the first time they've sent plants.

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  12. The quiet mailbox and letters is adorable. :) And what a nice gift of succulents! Merry Christmas, Mary Anne!

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    1. Thank you Becki - it was fun one to make. I love the succulent arrangement and really hope I can keep it alive. Merry Christmas to you too!

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  13. I LOVE that story! BTW, for someone who doesn’t feel like “doing much” this Christmas, I think you’ve done a lot - and all cute and clever things!

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    1. I thought that story was well worth sharing! I love making things for my friends and family, but it's the rest of the 'trappings' of the season that I can live without as I get older.

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  14. I adore your mailbox with the tiny envelopes. What a lovely bowl of succulents from your family. Thank you for sharing Grandma’s story of being Santa’s helper...I hope kindness on all levels continues forever. Merry Christmas Dear...xo

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    1. The mailbox was fun - but I suppose these days most kids wouldn't have a clue what a mailbox even IS!! We regularly send our grandkids mail so I thought it was appropriate. Merry Christmas to you as well!

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Thank you so much for leaving comments! I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy life to talk to me. It's wonderful to know that someone is actually reading my mumblings and even more fun if I can connect with you and visit your blog.