White Trash

Miss Etta, I plum forgot to tell you when I wrote earlier about my White Trash encounter!

One of my relatives brought some along for us all to try over the Christmas holidays. It was so yummy. She said that she had found it in a Southern Living magazine and that THEY called it White Christmas.

I suppose they felt the need to be politically correct. She did say that everyone else in her neck of the woods called it White Trash. She said she had made enough to give as gifts in little tins to everyone who didn't warrant a 'real' gift.

I don't remember if your recipe had peanut M & M's? I will have to go back and look. I would think that almost any favorite chocolate candy would be good in it.

I still have a little bit left. It won't be around much longer.

What Fool Am I--- To Brave Today

Oh Miss Faye,

I trust you enjoyed your holiday as much as I did mine. And I'm sure that Santa was as good to you as he was to me. I do think the best gift of all, as I told my brother last night on the phone, was the rain. I know it didn't rain hard, but what fell had to sink in. What a glorious site to hear the pitter patter of rain drops after the pitter patter of reindeer hooves. Hmm, maybe the rain was to clean up the messes left by the team?

Oh, the agony of it all. I had to put on all my armour and head out to the Fayette Pavilion in order to exchange two gifts of the wrong size variety. Memories of Christmas past had me in a sweat as I mentally prepared myself for the LONG lines. I fretted. I panicked. And then, away I went before good sense could kick back in and keep me warm in my pjs playing with my Christmas toys.

What's this? Where are the masses? Why are there parking spots close to the front of the stores? Has everyone come and gone already or are they just waiting for me to show up?

The first store was a breeze. There were five clerks for checkout today, compared to the two last week. I stood in line for about 3 minutes and painlessly made my exchange. Hey, this was ok. Let's head on to the big box at the far end of the Pavilion. Ok. So there weren't so many empty spots. Maybe that should have been my first clue.

So, the line at the main checkout is long. Hmm. The second clue. Nah. They are all buying the after Christmas markdowns. I'm just going to swoop in, find the right size in slippers, exchange them with a smile, and be off to that electronics store to do some serious shopping.

Third clue. They have empty racks where the slippers were just last week. Oh, there they are. Scattered here and there. Ah, there's the style. Grab........ aggghhhh. They don't have the right size. Now my feet are regular sized, no special needs. Why can't I find my size? I'm starting to pant. I search through the small discarded slippers on the bottom rack, and viola! They have one pair in the store in my size. Alright!

Feeling back on track, I head off to the back of the store for an exchange. I search for the end of the line. Oh dear. Now, I'm getting eye glazing from all those who are standing in this line waiting to see one of three clerks who can assist. Five minutes go past. Then ten. Now I'm starting to panic. If I didn't mind cold feet, I would just leave. But I can't as I wore out last year's slippers two weeks ago and my tootsies are turning blue.

Follow the line. I must follow the line. Here I am at the start, and only a mere twenty minutes of waiting-- all to exchange one pair of slippers! I've lost my smile by this point and just want to escape. The lady working behind the exchange desk doesn't seem so merry, either. Maybe she's been waiting the crowds to leave. At least I get to leave when I shove my slippers her way, along with the receipt.

I fight my way back out of the store, too tired to do anything else. So, I skipped the electronics store and came home. Home to my little house and my nice new slippers that fit. I think I'll wear them for a couple of days straight. And with any luck at all, it will rain a few more times before the end of the year.

Keeping a goose-less house

Good morning Miss Etta and good morning world!

As I was walking on my treadmill this morning, watching Fox News, my mind started traveling to all the things I had to do. High on my list was to finish up my Christmas shopping.

I know it is anti-American and absolutely not something most belle's would admit to, but I surely do hate to shop. I swear I can do a mall in under 15 minutes and be ready to go home before ten are up.

I also do not like the idea that everyone expects to get some heavenly gift from yours truly every year at Christmas. I have decided that I will do my normal gift giving this year because I would hate to disappoint the youngsters, and I do love to give, but I am thinking of making a change this next year.

Instead of giving gifts on the expected holidays, I am going to surprise my friends and relatives all year long with little thoughtful gifts. I am going to put a little card on each telling them it's an early Christmas or birthday present. An installment if you would.

Christmas has become a time of expectation. We expect to get a gift and we're disappointed when we don't, or if it's not something we want. How many things do we have stuffed in our closets that we have to pull out when Aunt Sadie comes to visit?

I remember a friend years back who decided that I needed to collect geese. I have NO earthly idea why she got it into her pretty little southern head that my house needed to have ceramic geese and hot pads and even geese wall hangings. However, every time there was a gift giving occasion she gave the gift of geese.

Well, I am not a goose person at all. I think all animals belong outside, even the one that don't breath.

Needless to say, I had a special closet just for her gifts. When she came to visit, I would take these horrible things out so her feelings wouldn't be hurt. It's a southern thing. There just are certain things you do not do and not showing appropriate appreciation for someones dedicated shopping is one of them.

I was SO relieved when she moved to North Carolina. It didn't matter how many geese she shipped to me after that, I did not have to put them out.

We have since lost touch and I now keep a geese-less house. The geese went the way of a yard sale and I'm sure they are now gracing the home of someone who loves and appreciates them.

At Christmas, people give a lot of geese just so they'll have something to give. Proper shoppers and those who truly care work their credit cards to a frazzle trying to find just the perfect gifts, ones that won't end up in a closet.

We all punish ourselves by spending time shopping, and we seem to forget why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. I've heard the reasoning as to why to celebrate the birth of Jesus we give gifts to others. It just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

Somehow I just can't picture Him watching our frenzied shopping and connecting with how it has anything to do with His birth. Doesn't it seem to you Miss Etta that what He'd probably like to see is us giving all year long? I'm not talking about giving toys to our children, although that is truly a fun thing to do. I am talking about giving a gift of food to someone who doesn't have any, or anonymously sending a neighbor in need a money order, or "adopting" someone in a nursing home who isn't blessed with a family.

There are so many people doing so many good things, especially here in Fayette County. Why every day I read or hear about some good work someone has done. I wonder if somehow we could find a way to do good works throughout the year and tie it to Christmas giving? I will have to think on that for a while.

Miss Etta, I know that you are one who knows the real meaning of Christmas and it will be something you truly celebrate. I know, too, that these are some profound wanderings for early on a cold Tuesday morning.

I am going to ponder more on the things I've touched on in this journal. After I get back from shopping this afternoon.

Miss Faye