Christmas Eve!

Today is the last day of my advent calendar. And, although all I'm doing is cleaning, baking and laundry, I thought I'd take a peak and share with you.

When I was cleaning, though, I hip-checked the dresser and my calendar took a header off it. Earrings and little boxes were everywhere. Fortunately, I was able to reconstruct it because I had my blog as a record of what went where! Isn't that excellent. Sadly, though, one pair seems to have disappeared: day 16.

I still have five unopened drawers, thanks to four weekend days in PJs and one day skipped because of Shawna's gift. Oh well. Here's the finished calendar. Merry Christmas.

UPDATE: Day 16 was under the dresser. The dust bunnies were taking care of them.

Earrings take 23

Poinsettias today. Not snowmen.

Michael Schumacher is coming back to Formula 1. And it's back in the minus twenties again.

Fortunately, there are pretty poinsettias to make me feel better.

Prezzies!

Last night my good friend from A Li'l Bit Squishy brought me a tiny present: more Yuletide earrings! Apparently she was concerned that I have too many snowman earrings (you don't know the half of it! I found ANOTHER pair this morning). These are adorable. They're acrylic design on Scrabble tiles. So cute! So I'm skipping today's drawer to wear them.

Earring advent calendar day 21

Yikes! Drawer #21!

T'was four days before Christmas and all through our house
Laundry lay everywhere: even a blouse
The bathroom was filthy; the kitchen was too
The dust bunnies more towards sentience grew

The presents weren't wrapped; hell, they weren't even all bought
Christmas dinner: not planned; groceries: not got
Three more days a-working I had to put in
And evenings were booked with me not getting thin

The parties, the drinking, the fine Yuletide baking
How could the time fly so fast? My head aching
I wondered and had a bit of a cow
I must pause Christmas from coming, but how?

Then what to my wondering eyes did appear
Hiro Nakamura (not tiny reindeer)
He grasped my hand and said "neh-bah fee-ah
"I herupu yoo to po-zu Ku-ri-su-mas hee-ah"*

*"Never fear / I help you to pause Christmas here"

"Thank you, Hiro!" I cried, "I need but a day
"To get my poop in a group, and you've given it; yay!
"I can get done my planning, my cleaning, my shopping
"While you keep the time-space all a-stopping

"And then when I'm done, we'll restart the clock
"And I'll still have more time to shovel the walk
"It's too good to be true," I thought with a yawn
And then my dear Hiro winked and was gone

But I heard him exclaim as he left me beaming
"Bebebebebebebeep!" Crap. My alarm clock. I guess I was dreaming.

Today's earrings: some assembly required

Oh, look! Seasonal holiday light earrings that actually work when you put the batteries in. Don't worry; I won't.

Today, I'm singing in a mass choir for the CBC Christmas Bureau Turkey Drive carol sing-along at the Winspear. The Christmas Bureau Caroling will be heard live on CBC Radio in Alberta beginning at 12:08 PM.

Repeat broadcasts will happen on Sunday morning (Dec 20) between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM and on Christmas Eve (Dec 24) in the afternoon, at some time between 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM. All broadcasts are on CBC Radio One as well as on the internet at cbc.ca.

Five tiny reindeer

Today, I get a brooch, too. How exciting.

Here's a fun-filled factoid about ye olde Christmas carols. Their lyrics and music are rarely written at the same time, resulting in multiple versions. In the case of "Away in a Manger", there are around 40 melodies to accompany the words. We're familiar with two:

This one and this one (sorry about that).

One is more popular in Britain and the other in the USA. We're Canadian, so just like our spelling, we get both versions.

By the way, I learned that in choir. You should join. Ask me how.

Do you see what I see?

A star, a star, dangling from her ear/ it will bring her fashion and cheer ...

Not quitting the day job, don't worry. However, on the subject of Christmas carols, if you have time this evening, why not stop by the Legislature Rotunda (inside! warm!) to listen to the Cosmopolitan Music Society Chorus perform, then have some hot chocolate and cookies while you enjoy the Legislature grounds all lit up?

7:00 - 8:00 PM
Legislature Rotunda

You can take the LRT to Grandin and stay inside all the way--just follow the tunnel past the interpretive centre, the life-size creche and on to Members Way.