Wednesday Hodgepodge

Did you watch The Charlie Brown Christmas special Monday night? Who's your favorite Peanuts character and why? "Most psychiatrists agree that sitting in a pumpkin patch is excellent therapy for  a troubled mind." (Linus) Would you agree?

No we didn't watch it on Monday, and I heard they had a 50th anniversary special before it. I am bummed that we didn't see that because we are HUGE Peanuts fans, especially Eli. In fact, I wore my Peanuts shirt yesterday. We did purchase the Holiday Collection dvd that has the Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas specials on it because, surprise surprise, we often miss when it is coming on. We are going to see "A Charlie Brown Christmas" play in December as a family, and are all really looking forward to that. My favorite character is Peppermint Patty. I just think it's sweet how much she is in love with Charlie Brown ("Chuck") but is such a tomboy that she treats him like a guy would treat one of his pals. And I think Linus has it right. Sitting in any natural setting is excellent therapy, whether it be a pumpkin patch, a rose garden, at the lake, or on the porch swing looking at your own flowers.

Describe a sound from your childhood. What does this sound bring to mind?

The attic fan. We didn't have central air conditioning in our house and the only air conditioner was in the family room window at one far end of the house, the opposite direction from the bedrooms. So our bedrooms were never cool. At night in the summer, my sister and I would go to bed and be so warm. We had our twin beds positioned under the windows and welcomed any tiny breeze that was coming in from outside. When my parents went to bed for the night they shut all the doors and windows in the living area side of the house and when that happened the air would come whooshing in through our windows from the pull of the attic fan. I would get instantly cool and sleep to the glorious hum of that attic fan and the sound of cool air rushing.

You've won a trip to a winter wonderland ... would that excite you? Which one of the following would you most want to experience (or which one would you dislike the least) -- see the Aurora Borealis in Norway, stay in Sweden's Ice Hotel, go dogsledding in Lapland Finland, take a winter wildlife safari in Yellowstone or celebrate Winter Carnival in Quebec?

I love winter and the beauty of it. I don't even mind being cold if I am dressed appropriately for it. A trip even to a cabin in the woods in winter would be so cool. I have been to Crested Butte, Colorado, while Rick skied before and thoroughly enjoyed myself walking around the quaint shops, sipping coffee in a coffee shop, and snuggling by the fire in the condo. Out of the ones listed, I think I would most enjoy a trip to se the Aurora Borealis, and just to go to Norway anyway. That would be awesome!

Who or what keeps you humble?

The Word of God keeps me humble when I am consistently in it. You don't have to read very far in the Bible to understand your place and purpose in this world. It's not all about me. In fact, it's very rarely about me.

What part of preparing for Christmas do you like the most? Explain.

My favorite part of Christmas is buying gifts. I love putting thought into what I am going to get my family members. I listen to them all year long, watch what interests them, and then try to surprise them with gifts they forgot they even wanted! Watching their faces when they open their gifts are cherished moments.

Gingerbread -- yay or nay? Is making a gingerbread house part of your family holiday tradition?

I do enjoy gingerbread. We are not very successful at making gingerbread men, but we often try during the holidays. Decorating a gingerbread house is not a family tradition. But this year Kyndal wants to start a new tradition where our immediate family goes over to her and Collin's house, after we celebrate Christmas Eve with my parents and sister, and open their gifts to us. She has plans to make gingerbread reindeer cookies which are really just gingerbread men turned upside down and decorated to look like reindeer. It will be a fun tradition.

What's one thing you want to start, do, or complete before the calendar rolls into a new year?

I want to take more time to read before the end of the year. I have been in a lull with the busyness of school and the holidays, but I would like to read a couple of Christmas novellas and round out my year with a bestseller.

Insert your own random thought here.

Sometimes life kicks you in the teeth. I have had to sit back and watch it do it to both of my older kids the last couple of months, in some pretty big ways, and it has been so difficult. But I am so immensely proud of each of them! They are both now stronger individuals because of their trials. Walking through the storms of life is no fun. But it does make us stop and appreciate the things and people in our life that are important. I have confidence that they can handle just about anything because they have been through the worst of it. Hoping for happy holidays for each of them!