It's Raining, It's REALLY Pouring

I awoke to a storm of epic proportions. Wind lashed at the roof, and the rain was pouring dogs, cats, chickens, cows, and pigs! It was absolutely crazy, and I was thrilled to not have to be out in it - I was off of work today. I opted to sleep in instead.

When I finally did get up, I wrote in my journal, got dressed, had breakfast, and went into the next phase of Christmas decorating - putting the bears under the tree. The Christmas Bears are teddy bears and other holiday-related stuffed animals who are dressed in old scarves, hats, small costumes, and baby clothes each year. Mom started this tradition when I was a child. She grew tired of doing it around 2000 and turned the remaining bears and their things over to me.

Some of the bears are my own bears. There's the old Paddington Bear I've had since the two-foot teddy was taller than me. He gets dressed in a baby sweater, an old ear-flap hat, and an itchy plaid scarf. Brownie the Jointed Brown Bear, Happy the Floppy Polar Bear, and Honey the Golden Bear got old West Cape May Christmas Parade costumes and winter hats. Hugh and Mel the Koalas, Almond and Pecan the Beanie Baby Bears, Marshmallow and Quinn the Polar Bears, and Ursula the Small Signature Black Bear get ribbons with jingle bells.

Some of the bears have been around since Mom did the hope chest display. Chester the White Bear was actually hers. Chester was K-Mart's annual Christmas bear for 1987; the date is on his hat. He wears his original scarf and hat (the date on the hat turned around so it's not visible) and a red felt vest made for the Cape May Christmas Parade. Sarah was a teddy I've owned since I was very little. She wears my sister Anny's old red velvet Christmas dress and a big green ribbon.

They've been joined by myriad others over the years. There's Clarence the Reindeer (in a Santa suit) and Starlight the Peppermint Puppy, both WebKinz. There's the three Christmas Muppet Babies McDonald's sold as a very popular promotion in 1986, Fozzie, Piggy, and Kermit. There's the bear in the sleigh and the small bears and reindeer who join him. Oh, and the adorable 50s Snoopy I bought from CVS last New Year's Eve who holds a candy cane in his paws.

When I finished the bears, it was time to put up the displays. My Christmas decorations come from all over. Some come from yard sales. Some, like the heavy resin Santa, the chickadee and copper candy cane bell, the American Girl tin, and the big tree and wreath, were given to me as Christmas presents over the years. The the small tree and balls go back to college, when I couldn't have any kind of live greenery in the dorms and apartments. Jessica the Turquoise Birthstone Doll and the tiny porcelain teddy bears dressed for the holidays came from the thrift shop. One flocked mini-wreath came from a bazaar at the Special Services School when I attended there in the early 90s; another mini-wreath came from a dollar store, as did the pretty velvet-and-cardboard angel. Mom gave me the Eckerd's candy cane beanie, my snowman-themed stockings, a tiny quilted wreath, the wooden Noel sign, a home-made stocking filled with old Happy Meal toys, the delicate white angels, and the 50s-era Santa and Mrs. Claus pepper shakers when she cleared out her old Christmas decorations around 2003.

It had been raining hard all morning. It finally subsided around 1. It was still windy and much colder, but the rain was gone. I took advantage of Mother Nature's slightly more amiable frame of mind and went for a short walk. I did go by the Oaklyn Library on my way to WaWa, but they were still closed. Thanks to the weather, there weren't even any repairs going on, inside or out. I also got the rent together and delivered it to Miss Ellie and took those old CD holders out for the scavengers.

I had lunch when I got home, then finished decorating the bedroom. The mini-tree and the Winter Dreams Cinderella went with the Sailor Moon dolls; the mini-tree got a new silver snowflake garland I bought at JoAnn's a few weeks ago. Douglas the Tree, Stardust the Star, and Kane the Candy Cane went with the other stuffed animals on top of my desk. Big Tenderheart Bear gets to hold the green mini-wreath this year. Jessica and the resin Santa went on top of the paperback adult fiction bookshelf.

I managed to finish with enough time to do some baking. I made Banana-Honey Muffins to get rid of some very overripe bananas. After that, I made Olive Oil Bread from a recipe from the Italian Farmhouse Cookbook, the same book I get my Christmas biscotti recipe book from. I made chicken meatloaf, spinach salad, and potato latkes and applesauce for dinner, the latter in honor of Hanukkah starting today. Spent the rest of the evening watching Bowery Boys and East Side Kids movies until I went online.