John Boy [Narrator]: Christmas is the season where we give tokens of love. In that house we received not tokens but love itself. I became the writer I promised my father I would be and my destiny led me far from Walton’s Mountain. My mother lives there still. Alone now, for we lost my father in 1969. My brothers and sisters, grown with children of their own, live not far away. We are still a close family and see each other when we can. And like Miss Maime Baldwin’s fourth cousins, we’re apt to sample the recipe and then gather around the piano and hug each other while we sing the old songs. For no matter the time or distance, we are united in the memory of that Christmas eve. More than 30 years and 3,000 miles away, I can still hear those sweet voices.

Olivia: What are we going to live on this coming week?
John: Love, Woman.

Elizabeth: Mary Ellen called us piss ants.
Olivia: Well you know better than that don’t you, Elizabeth?
Elizabeth: I don’t feel like a piss ant.
Olivia: There, you see?

Olivia: If John doesn’t get home soon with money, all we’ll have for Christmas dinner is my applesauce cake. We won’t even have that if I don’t get a move on.

Charlie Sneed: Ike, you got any Christmas cheer in this place?
Ike Godsey: I got a little of Miss Emily and Miss Maime’s recipe for snake bite.
Charlie Sneed: [Pretend a snake bit him] Hot doggies! I believe he got me just now. Looky there.

Olivia: What’s that you got in your hand?
John-Boy: It’s a present, Mama, from Miss Mamie and Miss Emily.
Olivia: Bootleg whiskey. Don’t those crazy old women know I don’t allow whiskey in this house? I’ve got young children in this house! What sort of example do they think we set here? You take it out yonder and pour it on the ground!
John-Boy: It’s not whiskey, Mama, it’s egg nog.
Olivia: [after pause] I ought to be ashamed of myself.

Whatever your special recipe is,  may your Christmas be with loved ones, even the piss ants.

About photo: If your lucky enough to own The Walton’s Farmhouse, it is now worth $225-$300. The original Walton’s set was destroyed a studio fire in 1991. Estimated cost of $200,000.

Coupon available for 20% off one regular, sale or CLEARANCE item. Sale starts today (February 23-27)!

With Home Decor items already marked down by 75% off, it is time to think “Christmas” – only 304 more days!

I know a lot of folks haven’t been in ALCO since the one in Ottawa closed down in 1989. They have a large selection of Home Decor that has a Tuscan-Italian look.  These items are more “want” items, instead of “need” items, which probably explains why these items are on clearance since we are living in a need society right now. That is why I am thinking Christmas!

Not in the market for home decor? I also am using the “Additional-25-percent-off-the-lowest-ticketed-price-on-any-winter-apparel-clearance-item” coupon. After all, there still is a lot of winter left, and it will be coming around again.

Or, perhaps, I will take advantage of the 40-percent-off-ready-to-assemble furniture, combined with the additional 20-percent-off coupon. This could be a field day for college students and newly weds.

FYI – You can drive South on U.S.. 59, it will give you a scenic tour of Eastern Kansas. You will go through Princeton (stop to get gas, pizza or a fancy cigar), Richmond (Stay in hwy. frontage RV park, shop for statuary), wave at the chicken sign that marks the turn-off for little Johns Nursery and you are nearly there. ALCO is one of the first businesses on the east side of the highway when entering the quiet villa of Garnett.

To print out your own coupons and to sign up for future ALCO sales:

www.ALCO stores.com

I expect this sale to be a re-union of Garnett residents, so please save me a parking spot. I don’t want to get caught in the back forty!

My deep secret is that I haven’t been invited to any, but I have had five people ask to borrow one of my Christmas Sweaters. One won the contest of the ugliest sweater and got a great prize!

No, I don’t think they are ugly and, yes, I loan them out simply because I would do anything in my power to spread the wonderful Christmas cheer of wearing a festive garment.

I haven’t always been this way. I think it started when I worked at an elementary school.

Teacher’s are the queen’s of dress-up. They have a sweater for every holiday. Kid’s love ‘em. You’ve got it made if you have a cutesy Rudolf sweater — they love you!

Since then, I can’t pass them up. Thrift stores, church rummage sales, garage sales, and after Christmas clearance sales all are good pickin’s for the avid Ugly Christmas Sweater connoisseur.

These parties have become so popular that I have added these sweaters to my mental thrift checklist and plan to stock up for next season so that I can sell them for a big profit!

Along with advertising profits, buyuglysweaters.com sold more than 160 Christmas sweaters last year and has hopes to more than double that total this year. With an average sale of $20 per sweater, that is quite a profit for a garage sale find.

We all would like to make our children’s dreams come true on Christmas day to make them feel rich beyond money. Our little princess will receive a szu szu castle, not quite gold but you would think it was as hard as it was to find.

The gift of Frankincense is the milky sap tapped from the Broswellia tree (save that for your Christmas trivia game). Herbalists say it is calming and meditative. In ancient times it was burned and believed to carry your prayers to heaven.

I don’t know about you, but I’ll take some of that!

Christmas is a time for reflection and meditation of years gone by and our many wonderful gifts and prayers that are answered, regardless of whether you need smoke to reach the heavens.

The gift of Myrrh is derived from a resin produced by a scraggly tree that grows in the semi-deserts of North Africa. It is considered a wound healer and used as an embalming material. It was one of the burial spices of Jesus.

We all have lost someone close and perhaps the Season brings sadness for those who are no longer with us. The memories of Christmases past can bring a calmness to us that we don’t seek or receive during the rush of our every day lives.

I have added my grandmother’s halupsies (cabbage rolls), my father’s orange slices and chocolate clusters and my brother’s Cherry Mashes to our cuisine to remember their favorite foods of the holidays.

Here’s hoping you receive that special gift, remain calm and remember those who have passed for the Holidays.

Merry Christmas

The first year she participated she was more of a backup singer to the main characters of Joseph, Mary and Jesus.

She still was learning how to compose herself — especially after a devastating blow of not getting to be Mary. She wore a sad long face with puppy dog eyes that seemed to be transfixed on Mary’s flowing headpiece.

Oh, how she longed for that role, to hold the swaddling baby in her arms.

Lo, and behold, the following year she strategically placed herself in the momentous role of Mary. That was the year that they all received treats after their performance, and I got some great shots for the photo album as the chipmunk-cheeked candle lighter with the sucker stick hanging out of her mouth, dressed as Mary.

This year her height has placed her as Angel of The Lord. “I am the lead Angel, mom, because I’m the tallest and the three Wisemen (who are all little boys), bow before me — like they’re asking me to prom!”

There are many possible reactions a person can have to this statement. Mine is simple joy at this unexpected twist of a little girl’s expectations in her future.

Granny tip for combining Christmas with prom in this giving season: As you are hauling Christmas decorations out of storage, cleaning out closets to make room for winter sweaters, go ahead and grab those dreamy prom dresses. Give them to ECKAN to make another girl’s dream come true on this special right of passage. Prom Boutique is in February for local high school girls to receive beautiful new and gently used formal dresses at no cost.

Check it out at: http://www.eckan.org/prom_boutique.html

Lace dresses, black top hats, Christmas caroling, evergreen boughs, homespun fancy work for gifts, story telling by candlelight, perhaps a game of charades. All of these things are CHEAP!

Let’s do the Victorian breakdown:

• Lace dresses — 25¢ to $5 at garage sales and thrift stores
• Black top hats — Tricky one, but do-able. I found a magic hat at the local thrift store and bought it to put on a snow man, but how easy is it to make one out of construction paper! I’ll allow $1 to $5 for that one.
• Christmas caroling — FREE
• Evergreen bough — FREE; Be sure to ask your neighbor’s permission first!
• Homespun fancy work — I picked up cross stitch kits all summer long to keep me busy this winter, my girls will be fighting over that candlewick pillow! 25¢ to $5
• Story telling by candlelight — I hope you picked up the apple and fall candles at your local Dollar General when they went to 90% off. (I tweeted about it! TWGranE) $1, at the most!
• Game of charades — FREE. Granted a couple of glasses of egg nog would get the party started with the caroling, story telling and charades, so I’ll allow an extra $10 to make it extra spicy.

There you go. An authentic Victorian Christmas full of mirth, family fun and good scents (and cents, and even sense) for $26!

More on Victorian decorations:

GREENERY

Many Victorians could not afford to spend money on decorations. They made their decorations primarily from greenery adorned with ribbons and dried flowers. They signified good luck and the renewal of life, and they warded off evil spirits.

DOUGH ORNAMENTS

3 c. flour
3/4 c. salt
3/4 tsp powdered alum
1 1/4 c water
Bake and set for 24 hrs.

PINE CONE TREES

Glue pine cones to stiff cardboard or inside a decorated shoe box lying on its side. Adorn with small beads, cranberries, glitter — whatever is in your never ending craft drawer!

Money, gas, time are all serious setbacks to my family in seeking holiday entertainment. Are we missing something here?

I am going to go ahead and hit the religious button (never talk religion, politics, age or weight).

For outstanding drama and comedy — and to set the scene of a non-material, true meaning of Christmas — there is no better choice than a local church Christmas program. PLUS, who doesn’t like Christmas songs?

I usually laugh and cry through these programs as I see the nervous Sunday school teacher try to keep Joseph from kicking the wise men and trying to keep everybody’s halos and wings on straight. Most of these kids should have a slightly tilted halo!

Let’s run down the excuses for NOT going:

1) Everyone looks down on me because I am not a regular member.

I know those looks from the corner of the eye, but are you going to tell me that you don’t get those standing in line at the grocery store? It doesn’t keep you from eating, does it?

2) I have nothing nice to wear!

Hmmm. In all the likenesses of Jesus I’ve seen, He was in a robe. I am NOT advising to show up in your robe or slippers, but, honestly, that is one poor excuse.

3) I need that time to fix our big family breakfast and lunch.

Oh, you’ll love this answer: Check with the churches for those that are having a big potluck afterward. I don’t think there is a better potluck you can home in on than the diversity of a church potluck. Please don’t be a schmuck, take something to contribute.

4) I am a germaphobic, and I am scared I’ll have to shake someone’s hand!

It’s the year of H1N1 there are bottles of hand sanitizer EVERYWHERE. Call ahead or slip a bottle in your robe pocket.

5) I hate it when the collection plate comes around.

Again, do what you can do. If you ain’t got it, that same church is probably funding community projects to help you!

As I was saving my couch and prying out the wedged bag, I came to an impasse: Do I THROW AWAY food or do I roll it closed and stuff it in the bread box to be thrown away two weeks from now?

Now, I hope you agree that there is something wrong with throwing away food, and I’m sure you know that popcorn grows stale after about five minutes.

Then, I had one of my BRILLIANT ideas! How fun would it be to string it! I was startled to find out my youngest had no idea what I was talking about and had, in fact, had that “mom-I-think-you-have-finally-gone-over-the-deep-end” look on her face.

This made me wonder what other traditions, Christmas or otherwise, that I have assumed my children knew just because they were parts of my memories.
Guess what parents? YOU are in charge of making your children’s memories. The bonus here is that these simple moments are the memories that last.

Tips for stringing the popcorn:

1. Keep the thread on the spool. That way you can make your garland as long as possible.
2. Thread, dental floss and fishing line all work.
3. Let the popcorn sit out for a while. It is less likely to break if it is stale.
4. After the holidays, put the garland outside for the birds.