Glittering up cones and pods.
Stitching up baby hats for Mama to Mama.
Bashing candy canes to sprinkle on top of cookies for kid-friends. (Could there be a better job for a seven-year-old boy?)
Making sets of cocktail napkins for grown-up friends. These were fun. All the fabric-choosing delight of quilting, but much less effort. I got to use my new serger–which I bought with money earned from my first publication. One creative endeavor fueling another. I like that.
One of the elves has been extra busy in the past few weeks. That would be the Divine Miss L, who just finished the 12 Days of Nutcracker–another way of describing twelve days with four dress rehearsals and eleven Nutcracker performances. This year she moved up from “cute” roles–lambs, soldiers, mice–and put some mileage on her pointe shoes. She was a perfectly sassy Spanish Chocolate, and a graceful and lovely waltzing Flower. This besotted mama couldn’t take her eyes off her dancing Lulu.
I got lots of chances to watch, ’cause I co-chair food concessions for the shows. Which means about a zillion emails and calls to line up 80 bakers, and 50 concession shift workers. Plus stocking the kitchen and decorating, and working six 5-hour shifts. In the middle of December. On top of all the other holiday craziness.
But am I complaining? Why no, I gave that up weeks ago! And busy as the last few weeks have been, I loved getting to watch Lulu dance so often. And it’s always fun to sell hot chocolate and sweets to happy theater-goers. Especially the little girl who brought Joan Baez along to one matinee. (For some reason Chris and I used to love to sing the Tears for Fears’ song Shout, Joan Baez-style. I think we heard her sing it at an Amnesty International concert once upon a time and it cracked us up. We are easily entertained, you must understand. It was hard to look at the real Joan across the counter the other day without wanting to start in: Shout, shout, let it all out…)
Anyway, the elves still have much to do. So I’m signing off for now.
busy indeed! i think i’ll put my little elves to work on candy cane smashing. have a lovely Christmas!
Breathtaking, she is. So grown up.
Have a wonderful, wonderful holiday.
Love the cocktail napkins and hats! They are gorgeous. If the kids get antsy I’ll set them to the candy cane cracking. Mine pounded chicken last night–not quite as fun. Merry Christmas!