Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Returning to the complex from picking up prints at Costco yesterday, I observed a few residents hard at work setting up holiday patio decorations.

It’s beginning to look pretty darn festive around here. Except, I'm the only one in my quad to put up decorations. Next door neighbor said she's not feeling it. She put a wreath of sorts on the door, called decorating done, but says it always makes her feel good to open her door and see my Santa doormat and colorful wreath.

Walking through the Community Room this morning, I saw two of the boys decorating the entryway Christmas tree.

This is new ... the guys doing the decorating.

The little guy is Greedy Grabby’s husband. He volunteered and appeared to be enjoying the adventure.

The other guy is Shadow. He obviously did not volunteer of his own accord and appeared as sullen and grumpy as ever.

There was a woman sitting in the corner directing the operation ─ The Seer, which is why Shadow was involved. I’m sure he’d have rather not, but inasmuch as he’s whipped, does what she tells him to do and can’t detach himself from following her around, he ended up saddled with tree decorating duty. LOL.

The prints picked up yesterday were from Thanksgiving in Long Beach, 112 of them.

Since there are so many photos, it wouldn’t do to add them to my album. So, I decided to make a separate album for those photos alone and found a perfect Fall cover set.

 

Creative Memories Gather Together Album

Then I had to start thinking about background papers, which was complicated by the local family-owned scrapbook store going out of business — a place where I could always find high-quality themed specialty paper, unlike the flimsy stuff found in Michaels and Joann’s.

Fortunately, I found some papers in my own stash I could work with and, after hours and hours of online searches over a number of days, managed to get my hands on other background papers to fit the bill, but I really miss the local store.

So, though I really need to get out and put in some walking miles, my schedule for this week looks like a whole lot of sitting — on the couch needlepointing and at my work table scrapbooking.

Probably best, as it looks like it’s going to start raining again.

While at Costco, I walked over to the Christmas section, not to buy anything, but to look because I’ve always enjoyed looking at the Holiday Décor they offer — usually big tall pre-lit things. Only, when I went to the front of the store, where the Christmas section is usually set up, there was no Christmas. Instead, there were toys ─ lots and lots and lots of toys.

Glancing around, I thought I saw what looked like Christmas way far away towards the back of the store. Checking it out, I found a few lights, but gone are the big tall pre-lit things.

Everything is changing.

No scrapbooking store.

No Christmas display at Costco.

What’s next?