Thursday, December 28, 2023

things are still up

Our Christmas tree is still twinkling away, our menorah still has stubs of candles from the last day (birthday candles... we ran out), our porch decorations are still up, my snow globes are still out, my little nativity set (catholic school holdover) is still on the altar, the holiday card holder is full, and there are too many cookies for even Nu to finish. I'll be putting away most of this stuff before the start of the new year (except the holiday cards, I like seeing everyone's happy faces and hang on to the cards until it's Spring at least). My spirit is still up too.
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I love birds and elephants, and I'm so touched when new friends notice and make note. At Diwali KM gave me one of those Phil Walters' bird silhouettes that you stick into a tree and last week AS sent me a set of "Guide Birds." I'd seen it in a catalogue and liked it a lot, but couldn't justify buying it for myself. As a gift, it's so perfect in every way. Each of the seven birds "corresponds to an inspirational word, such as joy, courage, and generosity" and I look forward to meditatively picking one every day when I light the evening deepam.

Pic: On my overcrowded altar, guide birds shelter under an elephant lamp.

7 comments:

Nance said...

Love this photo. I've been in so many Millennial Homes where the overriding scheme is grey, grey, and more grey. I couldn't live in those places, starved for colour and life. Your home must say Joy and Life the minute anyone walks in.

If I had a set of Guide Birds, the Patience bird would be tired of sitting atop that leaf day in and day out. I'd probably have to carry it with me wherever I went, sitting it on the dashboard of my car as well. Sigh.

NGS said...

I love having our cards up, too! I'll try to leave all the decorations up as long as my husband will let me (we have a long weekend 1/13 - 1/15, so I bet that will be when everything comes down)!

Gillian said...

Very nice.

maya said...

Nance--I'm sorry things are stressful and seem to need extra patience. I hope things resolve very soon.

I've seen tasteful grey and beige homes, but I could never... I'm a maximalist all the way!

Engie--Enjoy your bonus weeks!

Gillian--thanks!

Nance said...

maya—patience has never been my virtue. I work on it constantly. I was a very patient classroom teacher and parent, but it didn’t extend to any other part of my life. So that little bird would get a workout reminding me.

StephLove said...

We only had the tree up for a few days (because it traveled with us), but I'm not even thinking about taking down the living room decorations. Maybe next weekend. Our wreath may have to come down before that because it's shedding needles at an alarming rate. Sometimes we leave it up for a month past Christmas or longer. And while the candy cane lights outside will go soon, the plain white and blue ones we tend to leave up all winter.

maya said...

Steph--let's hang on to the festive stuff for as long as we can, right?

ordinary magic

all my winged things: birds, words always seem to happen only in momentous mystery their maps ghostly with emptiness layered in unknown and ...