I got to go in the car today!

It has been almost two weeks tha we have enjoyed this wintery weather. Except for walking to the mail box or over to the grocery store, I have kept happily and safely in the house. We did not get a Christmas tree before we left on our holiday, and we have been snow-bound ever since we got back, so Christmas came and went and we were treeless. But I LOVE a Christmas tree! We have five boxes of Christmas decorations, and four of them are decorations for the tree. So, on the 24th, I got creative. This net of lights usually wraps around the tree along with a couple strings of colored lights. I plugged it into the wall and spread it over a few picture hooks. (The pictures got Christmas off.) Then I took ornaments that wouldn't break upon impact with the floor, and hung them here and there. It's not a tree, but it is a representation of what I feel about a Christmas tree. Lights and color and shiny things.

In the dining room, we have a potrack light-fixture. Not especially good lighting, but we like it. I took some breakable ornaments with lots of bling, and racked them up. this is actually rather pretty.

Except for walking myself to the mailbox three blocks away, or to the grocery store half a mile away, I have been happily housebound. But today, temperatures are above freezing and the major streets are just about passable. Side streets, where no plow nor sanding truck intrudeth, are still essentially skating rinks, but the major streets show bare, wet pavement. So DH loaded me up with promises of Christmas presents, and took me out for an airing. He is the world's best driver and very gentle with me, so I wasn't frightened much at all. We stopped for breakfast, and the restaurant parking lot was the worst driving we dealt with all day. (I had a German pancake with mangos and ginger. Omg it was good!)In fact, the parking lot was so ugly that DH just drove across the sidewalk and over the curb onto the street. We had places to go!

Cars which were parked alongside major streets when snowplows go by wind up buried in snow and street scrapings. The snowplows throw up a berm which today was about three feet high and at least as wide at the base. This makes pulling into on-street parking very interesting. But doggone, DH managed it! He found us free parking within a block of Lush (my favorite bubblebath store) and if that wasn't good enough, when we walked inside, we discovered a 3 for 1 clearance sale going on for all the holiday products. "How much can I choose?" I asked my Santa. "At these prices, you can go nuts," he replied.

I did. This is about thirty pounds of bubble stuff. When the basket got too heavy, I decided it was time to quit. Lush stuff, lush stiff, two bags full! The bubble bars have names like, "Frothy the Snowman" and "Jingle Spells" (It's got glitter in it!) and "Snow Fairy." I'm going to smell luscious for months and months!


On the way back to the car we passed a tea shop. I had mentioned once seeing a fun sort of tea that was well - like those little sponge dinosaurs that grow when you put them in water? These are servings of tea leaves that are sewn together with dried flowers and rolled up into balls the size of big marbles, but when you drop them into hot water, they bloom into floral arrangements. And the tea is pretty darn good, too.
DH spoils me inordinately!

I got him some solid shampoo at Lush, and a body pillow at Costco (we had to go to Costco. We were out of everything.) And he is also getting gift cards from Sears, MacDonalds, and Jamba Juice. What do you get the man who doesn't want anything?

So my first expedition into the world at winter has been successful. In a week, I need to get in the car and drive to work. Need to get a new battery first, though. And wait for the snow to melt off.

So, Happy Boxing Day to one an all, and best wishes for the next ten days of Christmas!