First Sunday of Advent 2024

Sunday, December 1, 2024

"Advent Sunday, also called the First Sunday of Advent or First Advent Sunday, is the first day of the liturgical year in the Western Christian Churches and the start of the Advent season;[1] a time of preparation for the celebration of Christ's birth at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. Advent Sunday is the fourth Sunday before Christmas." (Wikipedia)

Dale and I plan to mark it by skipping church.

Ready to put away the fall color schemed Fiesta Ware.

Pre-Holiday Season 2024 - Warren

Saturday, November 30, 2024

Dale and I made our post-Thanksgiving pot pie and had Warren over to share it with us. We watched Holiday Affair. It's not my most favorite of Christmas movies but it's not bad and highly watchable.

                      

Released in 1949 it was one of Janet Leigh's earlier pictures and Robert Mitchum was cast, in part, to help rehabilitate his image after a marijuana bust. Warren and Dale had never seen it before. I've seen it once, maybe twice. 

Warren brought a Mexican salad he made himself and it was quite delicious. Pumpkin pie for dessert. 

Listened to Michael Feinstein during cocktail hour and appetizers. 

Pre-Holiday Season 2024: Snowmen

Saturday, November 30, 2024

Started setting these out yesterday but finished this morning. 

Thanksgiving 2024

Thursday, November 28,  2024

Made a Bloody Mary...

...and turned on the parade at 8:30.

Sylvester burrowed into a pile of pillows making a little fort for himself.

He came out eventually and made himself comforatable on whichever of our laps was available.

Dale supervised the making of the feast but I helped quite a bit. 

Mom came over around 2 pm and we ate at 3:00. All in all it turned out great. 

Dale seems to think I do a great job carving the turkey. I feel like I'm hacking away with an ax to the carcass but I guess I do okay since there's barely any meat on it when I'm finished. There's gotta be a youTube video out there that shows the most efficient and perfect way to cut it up. Maybe I'll look for that sometime. 

Mom brought over a pumpkin pie that some friends from church had made. She said they usually make about 100 pies every year to sell to people for Thanksgiving. It was delicious and one of the better pumpkin pies I've ever had. That's sayin' something cuz I LOVE pumpkin pie. 

She also brought over some port wine. Dale didn't think he'd ever had any before. I poured some for us after the pie. Mom and Dale didn't like it. They said the alcohol level was too hight (turned out it was 20%) and they just didn't like the taste. I thought it was fine but what do I know. 

First Day of Thanksgiving Break 2024: Second Cigar of the Day

 Wednesday, November 27. 2024

We headed to South Lyndale Liquors after Dale got home from the gym. Now we're all stocked up with booze for tomorrow. 

Lit up a Hoyo de Monterey Excalibur upon return home. Very enjoyable. 

Temperature up slightly from this morning although it got windier and more raw. Retreated to the garage rather than sitting out back. 

Clockwise from top left:

1. DJ Play Me a Christmas Song, by Cher

2. Underneath the Tree, by Kelly Clarkson

3. Oh, Santa, by Mariah Carey

4. Rosie Christmas, by Donna Summer

First Day of Thanksgiving Break 2024: Coffee, Cigars, and Christmas Music

 Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Morning cigar.  

Dale took off for the gym around 9:00 am.

I lit up shortly after.

Broke my rule and started listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving. Usually I wait until the Friday after so I'm only a couple days early. 

Chilly out but not raw and not windy. 

Had some coffee to keep me warm. 

Pre-Holiday Season 2024: Shopping with Noel - Anthony Scornavacco Antiques

Saturday, November 23, 2024

Noel informed me of a "new" antique place, at least new to us, that sells glass ornaments and other Christmas tchotchkes during November and December. I asked if it was the old Nakashian O'Neil place that was bought by a couple of guys who continued to sell antiques there after Nakashian died a number of years ago. She said she didn't think it was. 

Noel plugged the address into her phone and when we arrived there it turned out it WAS the guys who had bought the old Nakashian O'Neil and it was in the same charming space!

Years ago Noel and I ventured to Nakashian O'Neal. at the recomendation of one of her friends.  We found it funny you needed to ring a bell to have them come get you and let you in. It was an antique store and the owner, who was sitting at the front of the store in a chair smoking a cigarette, was giving directions to his employees as to where he wanted the ornaments hung on the tree and set out other holiday decor.  He was a cheerful fellow and welcomed us into the store.  He looked quite old and frail, cheeks sunken.   The store was just magical. It reminded me of the store in the movie The Shop around the corner. There was a staiway that led up to a mezzanine which. wrapped around the entirety of the store. The upstars was decorated as well. I ended. up buying a replica of a dime store cardboard Nativity scene that was the same as the one Mom had when she was little and the one I found in the coatroom during the first Christmas I taught at St. Bernard's. 

                      

Before we left the store Mr. Nakasian asked us where we were from. When we told him Minneapolis he asked if we knew a couple of antique dealers from there that he had some  gossip about. Nothing mean but it was a little dishy.  

The day after Christmas Noel and I embarked on our annual Boxing Day post Christmas shopping spree to check out any items marked down to 50% off. We found a note on the door that Mr. Nakasian had died on Christmas Eve and that the store would be closed for a while. He obviously loved Christmas so I glad he had one final Christmas Eve.  

Fast forward to today and we were delighted to discover that the store has carried on the holiday tradition of selling glass ornaments and more during the holiday season. 

As I mentioned,  the mezzanine was decorated as well.

There were additional trees. 

Lots of trees with more ornaments.  

I bought the above Belsnickle Santa. I love that it's purple. Noel got one that's green. 

To check out I was seated at a desk across from a friendly woman who rang up the purchase. She sent the santa to the back room where the owners were wrapping up purchases and boxing them. 

When we left Noel mentioned that it's too bad we missed so many years of shopping there.  I answered that the flip side of that is that we probably have saved hundreds of dollars. 

Pre-Holiday Season 2024: Shopping with Noel

 Saturday, November 16, 2024

The second hand shops Noel and I frequent are starting to set out their holiday stuff.

                      

All of the above items were found at A Rare Bird.

We also stopped at Hunt and Gather.

And, of course, Victory.

I bought this little box at A Rare Bird.

And these trees at Brown & Greene.