A WINTER BLUNDERLAND

 

Doorbells ring, are you listening,

In the street, snow is glistening

Out in the night,

There’s a hideous sight

Your mother in her winter underwear

HAND KNITTED GLOVES

 

Hand knitted gloves

Scarves and hats

Novelty slippers

A book of cricket stats

Soap on a rope

Hankies and socks

These are examples

Of my Christmas box

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER - ONE SPECIAL NIGHT

 

Made in 1999 One Special Night is the story of local builder Robert (James Garner) who after visiting his ailing wife in a nursing home becomes stranded when an intense snowstorm hits the area.

Katherine (Julie Andrews) whose husband was a patient at the nursing home before his death and had also been visiting offered Robert a lift back to town in her sports car.

The journey was not the most congenial ever and got worse when they went off the road and got stuck.

As a result, they end up walking until they come to an empty cabin in the woods where they talk shelter and after some food and conversation they begin to bond.

But on their return to civilization the relationship struggles to get off the ground.

But love will out.

POINSETTIA THE FLOWER OF THE HOLY NIGHT

 

The Poinsettia is named after the USA's first ambassador to Mexico, Joel Robert Poinsett, who served from 1825-1829.

He saw and was greatly taken with the colorful indigenous plant which was the Mexican Christmas flower.

The Aztecs called Poinsettias “Cuetlaxochitle.” And between the 14th and 16th centuries the sap was used to control fevers and the red leaves were used to make dye.

Montezuma, the last of the Aztec kings was particularly fond of Poinsettias and had them brought especially to what is now Mexico City because the shrub could not be grown at high altitude.

Poinsett took some specimen plants with him on one of his trips back to America in 1828 and they flourished.

Despite an outstanding career as a United States Congressman and an ambassador he will always be remembered for introducing the Poinsettia into the United States.

the Mexicans believed the plants were symbolic of the Star of Bethlehem because of the star shapes created by the bright red leaves Thus the Poinsettia became associated with the Christmas season.

The Mexicans call the poinsettia “Flower of the Holy Night”.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER - WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

 

The 1995 film 'While You Were Sleeping' is the story of a lonely young woman, Lucy Eleanor Moderatz (Sandra Bullock) who lives alone in an apartment in Chicago, with only her cat.

She works in the token booth at a subway station and fanaticizes about being rescued from her lot by a handsome stranger, Peter, who comes to her booth.

Then on Christmas day her world is turned upside down when the handsome stranger is mugged and pushed onto the tracks and she saves his life.

After a mix up at the hospital Lucy is introduced to Peter’s eccentric family as his fiancée.

This begins an amusing chain of events, during which Lucy finds the friendship and sense of belonging to a family which had been missing from her life and as a result she can’t bring herself to tell the family the truth.

Then she falls in love with Peter’s brother Jack (Bill Pullman).

It’s a truly heartwarming love story not to be missed.

THE FESTIVE INTERVAL

 

When celebrating

The festive interval

Please refrain from calling it

The winterval

A WINTER WONDERLAND

 

My bell rings, are you listening,

On your face, your lips are glistening,

A beautiful sight,

I’ll be happy tonight,

Rummaging in your winter underwear