ROBBLOG #589

 

The Holiday Season has officially started for me.

Fah Lah Lah Lah Lah

Lah Lah Lah Lah

 

Swisssh and Starlite Radio went all Christmas at noon today. I've loaded more than 100 new Christmas songs on Swisssh. Not quite as many on Starlite.

Outdoor decorations went up in the warm weather last week.

I had worked on the Christmas Swisssh Website page a few days ago and uploaded that Thursday Night in advance of November 20th. Facebook all changed to reflect the Christmas Season as well.

I threw decorations on two slim indoor trees today. Took about an hour.

Still our family room tree to be decorated. Lots of time for that. Now you're up to date with my Christmas decorating.

 

 

 

Oh, I tried to watch the movie "Elf" tonight.

What a piece of shit.

Moving on...

 

Terrible tragedy those killings in Paris last week. We are looking at going to Europe for a few days.

We were thinking of Paris and then to London on the Eurostar through the Chunnel. We did that two years back. However, with Paris climbing out of the ashes of terror, Munich and the Christmas Market could be the ticket.

 

Mainz Christmas Market

 

 

I love the German Markets. They are more "old" world Christmas than the market in London's Hyde Park which features a huge midway too.

Paris is all white and blue. Very pristine and beautiful to be sure right on the Champs Elysees at the Place de la Concorde end- but very expensive too.

I would expect the Holiday spirit feels rather "dampened" this year in Paris but on the other hand, Parisiennes are robust and love life, so they move along. They love their outdoor cafes, their café and their art and culture and nobody will take that from them.

 

I would like to go to the Toronto Christmas Market in December in the Distillery District. It is truly worth the drive especially as it grows closer to Christmas Day. Holiday things to buy from the little "huts". Lots of places to sit and eat, enjoy an adult beverage of just a coffee or hot chocolate. I bought a couple of Christmas Decorations in a quaint little shop three years ago. The façade of the shop is below. Really Christmassy inside.

 

Toronto Christmas Market in Distillery District

 

 

That's one of the greatest things about the Christmas Season. So many things to do and see and buy it's impossible to see or do everything and that is one of the charms of the hustle bustle of this Holiday Season.

 

Enjoy!

 

ROBBLOG #588

 

Hello November.

 

How the Hell did we get here so fast? It was September just yesterday- wasn't it?

 

Now, I must say "spoiler" alert if you are Sue Dosso! During our Theatre Orillia production of Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" Sue said that everything Christmas should wait until at least post Remembrance Day. You know Holiday Music, Holiday talk- etc. So Sue, I am talking below about Christmas Trees- so beware. You have been warned as well as anyone else who becomes perturbed when the word Christmas is mentioned far too early.

 

Here I am with the Hallowe'en stuff freshly stashed away, about to talk about Christmas- specifically Artificial Christmas Trees.

 

I have been routing around in the loft of our garage looking for stuff- including Christmas décor, that can be sent to Goodwill.  I already have a small pile of clothing and odds and sods packed in see- through bags and stacked in the workshop. I started to shift some Christmas boxes around just to see what else I can find.

 

Among my discoveries- A big box of gold balls. Assorted, empty Christmas Boxes. A wreath or two. Some candles and several artificial Christmas trees in boxes. I haven't used two of the trees for several years, so I hauled them down the stairs to see what condition they were in. A few years back I bought two slim line trees in place of these fuller trees. The slim line trees take up less space inside the house and when you hang ornaments on them they tend to look more full and lush.

 

I set up both trees on the back deck to see which one looked best, then I called Tom out to give me his "tree" opinion. Almost like choosing a tree from a tree lot.

One tree- A Victorian Pine which was pre-lit, cost us more than a hundred bucks. The other, I remember buying a few years back at the Old Wal*Mart store in Orillia before the huge Supercentre was built. It was a couple of weeks after Christmas Day. The tree was priced at ten dollars. I couldn't pass up a bargain. The more expensive Victorian Pine lasted a couple of years and then the pre-lit lights went flop bop.

 

 

 

A lesson here. Beware of pre-lit trees.

I have one in a pot that I use on the front verandah that was purchased at Costco. It stopped working after one season. Same thing happened with this tree. In both cases I ripped the lights off and threw them away. I re-strung lights on the potted tree but left the other one bare.

 

So, there I stood with Tom on the deck outside the garage, reviewing both trees and deciding which one looked best. The 10 dollar tree won! Tom suggested the 10 dollar tree had a bit more space between the branches allowing for decorations to hang unobstructed.

I agreed.

 

I think I'll use the other tree on the front verandah and cover it with blue and white LED lights. It would be a change from the white mini-lights adorning a pair of white,wire-frame reindeer that I usually place there.

 

The other tree will be used in our Keeping Room and I'll string it with LED lights in assorted colours Those lights I bought post Christmas up at Zehr's 5 or 6 years ago. I remember they were a 99 cents a box. I mean, who could pass up such a bargain? Each string has 25 coloured lights. They are still in their original boxes. Never been opened!

 

My next chore will be to hose down both trees to remove some dust that has gathered on their branches. I am hoping the forecast for sunny, mild days will hold true.

 

Now, I don't intend to decorate these trees up anytime soon- although I usually put my outdoor decorations up on a mild, mid-November afternoon. It's better than freezing fingertips off towards the end of the month.

 

So, Ladies and Gentlemen, that is how I am lighting up my life during what can be the dull, horrid, overcast month of November.