A Christmas Mystery

I received a plain white envelope in the mail on Tuesday. "A Christmas card!" I thought. "I wonder who it's from." There was no return address on the envelope, so once I'd divested myself of coat and boots, and wandered into the kitchen to retrieve my letter opener, I slit open the envelope. The card was lovely: an angel over Bethlehem, with gold writing bordering the scene. I opened the card.

It was blank.

Well, not completely blank. The wishes the card manufacturer put inside were there. But there was no writing at all.

I started to laugh. It was almost more delightful than receiving a regular Christmas card. It is a mystery!

I have these clues. The writing on the envelope is relatively feminine, and was addressed to simply, "Vanessa and Mike." It was postmarked from the T5L area, which is in Edmonton. The card is religious in nature, though that may not be as much of a clue as I think it is.

Maybe I don't really want to know who sent it. Part of me, though, is infinitely curious as to how an envelope could be hand addressed, and a card make it inside without being written in. Or perhaps that was the point. But I would like to thank whoever it is for giving me such a wonderful diversion and making me laugh in childish pleasure for a good five minutes, and kept me smiling for at least an hour after that. Even now, I cannot help but grin at the thought. You have given me a wonderful gift this season, and I thank you, even if it was unintentional.

G.I.F.T. Challenge 2006

Only two weeks left to do this challenge, so I will start with the familiar ones, and find something new to partake in soon. Before the 24th!

GIFT 1: Christmas Traditions

There are so many in our family, it's hard to know where to begin! But perhaps that is the best one to share... Christmas for us begins with Craft Dinner. It is a day of good company, good food, and fun crafts. I think perhaps the part I like the best about Craft Dinner, besides the Danish lunch table that tastes so wonderful and makes me fill myself far fuller than I would on any normal occasion, is the absolute variation and personality in the crafts we make. For example, this year, we made walnut mice. Essentially, you take a half walnut and a hazelnut. Fill the half walnut with stuffing and cover with fabric to create the bed, then add the hazelnut to the top, with felt ears and face drawn on. Finish with a yarn tail and hanger. Consider this sample:



So much difference! So much personality! And the same holds true for the years we make crafts from Mary Maxim kits. We all follow the instructions, and each final product is filled with its creator's personality. I do so adore Craft Dinner. To me, it is the way the season starts, no matter if we hold in at the beginning or end of November, and from there, the rest of the season follows.

GIFT 2: Christmas Movies

There is a part of me that half expected to spend this part of the post extolling the virtues of It's a Wonderful Life. And that is one of my favourite movies, not just for Christmas, but for all time. But for the last several weeks, it's been another James Stewart movie in my mind: The Shop Around the Corner. I have only seen this film once, but it sticks with me. Christmas is the backdrop for the story, and the young James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan find themselves both in hate and love in a jolly, busy season. This movie was recently redone as You've Got Mail, with the redoubtable duo of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in the main roles, and it is indeed a good film. But the original, with its 1940s charm, has a special place in my heart. I wish I'd seen it more than once.

For GIFTs 3 and 4, I believe I will turn to literature, and see what kinds of novels, short stories, or poems I can experience in the time I have left.

Okay, now you can see the highlights!

More pictures!

Mike's cookies! He is so proud...



The remains of the gingerbread house. Now to nibble on it. :)



The outcome of my highlights and haircut! She pinned up my hair like I was going to a Christmas party. Not sure if you can see the highlights in these pictures, but it's a tawny kind of colour, both blond and red and brown.

They stole my recycle bin!

At first, I thought it was a hallucination, because, you know, I have a Virus, but after several double-takes, I realized it must be true. From one day to the next, the recycle bin in the office disappeared!

I called the building front desk person. "Did they take my recycle bin?" I asked her.

"Umm... I don't know. What did it look like?"

"Well, it was waist high, clear, had a plastic bag in it..."

"Waist high? Did your association buy that for you?"

"No. It's always been here."

"Well, we have waist high, clear, with plastic bags in them recycle bins in the hallways, but those are ours. Why did you have one?"

"I've always had one!"

So even if I could find my recycle bin again, I can't have it, because it's "not mine." What I want to know is, why leave it in the office for over a year, so I can get used to it, and then POOF! make it disappear one day? And worse, why make it disappear when I'm sick, so I question whether or not I just missed seeing it?

Off to Canadian Tire. I'll label this one very clearly as mine. :)

Turtling

Intellectually, I realize that it is Wednesday of the first full week of December. But I have lost a week due to illness. This is an evil virus. Stay very far away from me. Thankfully, Mike hasn't caught it yet, and is not likely to at this point.

I have been at work for three hours, and it feels like three days. I know I went to an athletic first aid/taping and strapping course this weekend, but it seems a month ago, and I'm very glad I have textbooks. I know that I went to the doctor on Monday, to confirm its viral nature and get a note, since I was mostly out of the office the last three days of last week, but that also seem an age ago. Medications do not touch this virus; they simply make the symptoms microscopically less debilitating. I want to curl up on the floor of my office and have a nap. Not sure how that would go over.

So much for my vow not to set foot in a mall in December. The Virus stole the last days of November from me, and the early part of December as well, and I still have a list, albeit relatively short, of people to purchase presents for. But I just can't right now. Even sitting here, having worked for three hours only, my legs are shaking. A mall of any sort is beyond my capabilities right now.

Being miserable, my first inclination is to remove myself from others until such time as I am good company again. I burrow in blankets, sleep or read if I have the strength, and wait. This time is different, however. I find I am desperate for comfort. I want my love to hold me until I fall asleep, and wait out the inevitable conclusion of the illness with me. It's odd.

Mike baked cookies yesterday. He was so proud, he took pictures. We won't mention that the dough was premade. :)

*whine*

I just was sick! It's not time for me to be sick again! And now is not the time for Contac not to work!

And even worse. Mike made me a drink last night, hot and lemony, and when I came downstairs, I told him he should have put rum in it. He looked at me. Turns out, he put TWO OUNCES of GOOD RUM in it. I didn't taste it. It's all wasted on me.

Grumble grumble grumble... Off to bed again.