Why I Oughta...

'Tis the season for winter, evergreen mixed arrangements around here.  I've made a couple of 'big' ones that ended up at each of our folks houses and some that ended up at neighbor's houses.  A few day ago, I posted a pair that went to my sister's houses .  And, back close to Thanksgiving, I posted a photo of the first one that I put together for our own kitchen counter .   A couple weeks later, that initial one needed a refresh, so I pulled it apart.  And, Nat found this little vintage planter with a wreath on the front that I filled with some floral foam and stuck various evergreen branches to make this arrangement you see below: This has Thuja, pine, fir, boxwood, Alder and painted Birch branches.  

The annual tradition of the Christmas Train is back ahead of Christmas this December.  The KotBT was fumpferhing around with his Lionel O-Gauge train and his new (thanks to his Papa) ZW transformer.  This year might be the year of sorting - what we want to keep (and what works) and what we can get rid-of and likely re-sell via Facebook Marketplace and/or Craigslist.  As expected, he's not that drawn to boxcars, but is mostly interested in the operating cars and rolling stock.

There I was...sitting at a railroad crossing of the BNSF when this Christmas train pulls up.  Did I just get lucky?  I think so .  Below are a number of pics - but they're not great.  Granted...the train was flying by!  You can see the lights, the garland and even...a tree.   Well done, Metra .  Well done.  Here, below is an animated gif of the train:

As is the custom around here, we planted some Amaryllis bulbs in small containers in the time right around Thanksgiving.  We picked this one up - the Double Dream - at Wannemaker's.  Below is the bulb set in the soil and below that is the plant/bulb tag showing the fully-grown pinkish full bloom of the Double Dream Amaryllis.  

The downfall of large department store shopping along Chicago's State Street is well documented.  Marshall Field's becoming Macy's occurred during my lifetime - in 2006 .  That's long enough to kind of forget what Marshall Field's was like, but recent enough to still feel the outrage.   But that outrage really only returns during the Christmas season.  And...that is likely *why* all the changes have been made.  Not enough shoppers have been visiting department stores and not enough are shopping on State Street. Before I talk about what is going on right now, during Christmas 2024, I suppose I should say that we all *should* be grateful that Macy's on State Street still exists at all.  I've covered Marshall Field's (and now Macy's) on State Street in Chicago over the years.    Here's a whole collection of posts .    More on that below the photos.   Macy's calls their State Street Christmas setup 'Santaland ' and it includes...

Menards has moved completely away from Lemax Christmas village buildings and now exclusively carry what I think is their own private label brand:  FG Square .  At one time, I was a Christmas Village guy, but I, umm, went a different direction and have abandoned them completely.  And, I've been happy with that decision.  But, it doesn't mean that I stopped looking at them - especially at Menards.   I often invoke my collecting mantra when it comes to Christmas Villages:  It is enough to enjoy the existence of (Christmas Villages) things without possessing all of them. Here's a few structures: Country Creek ice staking rink, a ski hill called Powder Ridge Resort, Tree house Haven and Prime Cuts Steakhouse.  All lovely.  None of which came home with us.  The animated ski hill is a small-footprint structure that has some good action: Here's a photo of the same ski hill:

My annual Christmastime Disney pin - this year's version is below - featured Santa Mickey Mouse steering a sled chock'd full of presents and lead by just one flying reindeer.  The phrase "Holiday Magic" is at the top and it has a pair of studs in the back due to it being a 'longer' pin (longer than it is tall).  This is an exclusive Disney Pin to the 2023 Very Merry Christmas Party and includes that note on the big green gift tag in in the sleigh.  2023 Disney Very Merry Pin - Holiday Magic I wore it on Christmas Eve and it will now go up with its fellow Christmas Disney pins .

Every year, we've tried to find a way to tip the garbage man (is that what we call him still?) at Christmas.   I've put envelopes taped to the side of the can and done a cash hand-off to the driver, too.  This year, I gave him beer.    I *kinda* know when the truck comes on our block; it is around school-departure time.  So, I was walking in-and-out of the house to peep down the block to see if I could spot him.  Eventually, I heard the unmistakable sound combination of those hydraulics and air brakes that I knew was the garbage man.   I walked down to the sidewalk and as he approached, I gave him this 12 pack of Modelo.  We exchanged "Merry Christmases" and he went on his way.   Is this unique?  No, I don't think so.  Is it better than cash?  I'm not sure.   But, is it something that I'll try to do again next year?   Yes.  Yes it is.  Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals. 

Just a few days ago, I posted photos of the three different Amaryllis bulbs that we're growing this season and showed how the new (to us) Spider variety - La Paz - was way, way, way ahead of the others.  Just a few days later and the La Paz is putting on a full holiday show.    It has three tall, slender (maybe too tall) flower stalks that each have multiple flowers dangling from the top.   See below for the current state: I say 'maybe too tall' because I didn't get around to watering this with an alcohol mix until it was too late, so it shot way up.  I've used a single-prong flower stem support to keep them upright.  As the stalks were growing up, I was able to sort-of 'tuck' them into the support and keep them centered and (hopefully) stop them from flopping over. Here, below, is the Amaryllis support that I use to keep the top-heavy flowers from flopping-over.  It is about 12" tall and I stick it into the soil at the base of the bulb.

Yesterday, I updated my annual Christmas Tree Tracking series with a post about our Family Room tree - a Fraser Fir from Wisconsin .   This post documents the smaller tree in our front room - the Green Room that has far less ornaments.  It is in the front window and is the one that's visible from the outside.  This is...Nat's tree.  The other one is for the rest of us.   I've been tracking these trees on the blog over the years. This is the 19th tree that I've documented. Here's our 2022 Green Room tree - a smaller, but properly-scaled Fraser Fir Here's our 2022 Family Room tree - a perfectly shaped Fraser Fir Here's our 2021 Green Room tree  - about 6' tall.  Here's our 2021 Family Room Tree  - between 8' and 9' tall and picture-perfect shape. Here's our 2020 Green Room tree  - about 6' tall in total and perfectly shaped. Here's our 2020 Family Room tree - about 8' tall in total , but really nicely shaped. Here's our 20...

Like we've done since we moved in to our house here in Downers, we put up two Christmas trees this year.  One in the front room - a smaller tree.  And a larger one in the family room.  And, like the past few years, we drove up to Wisconsin to get them.  We went back to Evergreen Acres (same place as lats year and paid the same $75 per tree ). Below is a photo of our family room tree for 2022.  It is, like most years, a Fraser Fir.   I've been tracking these trees on the blog over the years. This is the 18th tree that I've documented with the front room one from last year being the most recent (#17) .   Here's our 2021 Green Room tree - about 6' tall.  Here's our 2021 Family Room Tree - between 8' and 9' tall and picture-perfect shape. Here's our 2020 Green Room tree - about 6' tall in total and perfectly shaped. Here's our 2020 Family Room tree - about 8' tall in total , but really nicely shaped. Here's our 2019 Family Room tree t...

Hard to put away all the Christmas stuff without a few glitches, right?  This year, we lost a number of our vintage glass ball Christmas ornaments.  Most of them were common ones - just a single color.  But a few of them were these more interesting ones - with writing/stripes/what-have-you on them.   I posted some photos of a good haul that we picked up at an Estate Sale in Elmhurst back in 2016 , but I don't think the one in the photo (below) was from that group.  That same year (2016), I bought another set of vintage glass ornaments (in these nice cardboard storage boxes) and *those* blue ones were some of the ones that shattered this year.   One of the things that I'm trying hard to focus on in 2022 is the notion of 'stuff'.  I read this post from Jason Kottke that references a Wired piece from Paul Ford titled:  A Grand Unifying Theory of Buying Stuff .  After reading those posts - the line about not 'buying stuff for my stuff...

With the holidays (officially) winding down in our house and the decorations being tucked back into their tubs and boxes, I wanted to include in my Web diary a photo of our front yard Christmas tree and our blow mold Santa and three reindeer .  I've done this in the past including a similar photo last year featuring the tree and Santa/reindeers .  The front yard tree *is* a thing in Downers Grove, but that's not why we do it.  We do it because of our time on Indiana Street in Elmhurst .  We really loved that tradition, so we've kept it despite moving to Downers.  This is the 11th year of documenting our front yard Christmas tree tradition - and 12th year of a front-yard photo.  2019 post was only of the blowmolds , so I'm not counting that in the 11 years.  Here's our 2021 front yard tree featuring a fresh snow covering our tree and Santa/reindeer. Here's our 2020 front yard Christmas tree with Santa and his reindeer .  Here's a photo of our Santa...

The boy had a proper Christmas train setup this year with the basement being done.  (or mostly done)  You can see his setup (a large oval) with a steam O-gauge locomotive running with some rolling stock behind it.  The tubs in the corner contain a few more pieces of track and cars that we didn't get to this year, but it still is a Christmas tradition.  My Dad set up a Christmas train with me.  And I'm setting up a Christmas train with the KotBTs.   Here's last year's post - 2020 Christmas train .   In our new house, this marks four years - 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021 (now).   There's a very short period of time these days for a boy to be interested in these model trains.  With our train being O Gauge (larger than the most popular - these days at least - HO), I think that also limits the potential in these trains.  HO (smaller) can pack A LOT more into a layout with the same footprint and the hobby is more well-formed for adu...

In the midst of the gingerbread-cooking-making party in recent weeks, Mr. Hankey made his first visit to our house.  The kids, while intrigued, weren't quite sure to make of him.  And Nat shut it down pretty hard as soon as I started singing the song.  Maybe in a few years when the KotBTs is old enough to discover the show on his own we'll have another visit from Mr. Hankey during Christmastime. 

We have this tiny, plastic replica of a Jungle Cruise boat that a special Dole Whip was served to us in on a trip to Disneyland in our living room.  And, I didn't want to get too far away from Christmas before I forget to post a photo of what Nat did to convert it to a Jingle Cruise boat.  She applied a little sign that is perfect for us (name blurred out) and is a nice touch for Christmastime.  IYKYK.  I suppose this is a bigtime #DisneyAdult post.  I'm embracing it. 

This marks the second year in a row that we've booked a drive-thru Christmas lights experience.  Last year, we were up in Northbrook to do what - at the time - I thought was a COVID-specific experience of driving through a zig-zag of Christmas lights .  The whole need for social distancing coupled with the stir-crazy-ness of staying home provided a perfect combination to fall in love with the drive-thru light shows.  This year, the group up in Northbrook ( Let it Shine Lightshows ), expanded to put up a show at the Fox Valley Mall parking lot in Naperville/Aurora.  For my oldest's birthday party (Nat's family), we booked some tickets and went out there over the weekend. I don't know if it was the music or the lights or the fact that were were doing this thing again, but I'll tell you that I had a smile on my face the whole time.  Is it out-of-this-world?  No.  Is it a fun way to spend 30 minutes?  Sure is.  

The last time that I checked in on the five Amaryllis Christmas bulbs was almost two weeks ago .  We have five bulbs in three planters.  And three different varieties .  In late November, we had growth from all five with the initial appearance of a few of the flower bulbs.  Today?  We have stalks shooting up in four of the five.  And good foliage growth in the final one.  Below, in the photo, you can see all of them.  On the right is the largest bulb (Sunshine Nymph).  Behind it is the slowest starter, but another good-sized bulb (Lemon Star).  And on the right is the trio of the big-box bulbs (Red Lion).    Now is the time that I'm going to begin to start 'poisoning' them with an alcohol/water mixture in an attempt to stunt their growth (so they don't get too 'leggy' and flop over).  Without a true 'control' bulb, I won't really know if the alcohol mixture is working.   One other note:  when were picking o...

I've mentioned that we've now traveled up to Wisconsin the past couple of years to cut down Christmas trees after the place we had been going down in Braidwood stopped being fun.  The farm is called Evergreen Acres and they opened in 1975 .  It is a great place.  We bought both of our trees there this year - Family Room and Green Room trees.   When you check out of Evergreen Acres, they give you a little business card that serves as your receipt.  If you know me at all, you know that I'm likely to complain about the costs of things.  I'm pretty sure I live in a fantasy world where I think things and services should cost way less than they should.  We've been looking for a fridge for our basement for a year.  I have a certain price in my mind that I want to hit - in order to buy a fridge.  And, we have a particular format (French door, if you must know) that we (I) want.  I've shopped it.  And shopped it.  And, haven't fo...

Below is a photo of our second Christmas tree - the Green Room Tree - that is now standing tall and proud in our front room. This is the tree you see from the street and the one that is full of white lights and vintage ornaments.  Otherwise known (at least around here) as Nat's 'fancy tree'.    Over the weekend, I shared a photo of our Family Room tree .  This one is smaller, less girth-y and is 18" or so shorter.  But, just like the one in the family room has a lovely shape and, similarly, came from Wisconsin. I've been tracking these trees on the blog over the years. This is the 17th tree that I've documented and is the second one of this season (2021). Here's our 2021 Green Room Tree . Just like in years past:  a little smaller than Family Room.  But just about perfect-looking.   Here's our 2021 Family Room Tree - between 8' and 9' tall and picture-perfect shape. Here's our 2020 Green Room tree - about 6' tall in total and perfect...