Farewell to Fergus

For me, the end of the Christmas season is marked by the day I take the tree down. Now that I'm retired, I always leave it up until Epiphany. It might have come down earlier when I was working as it is a lot of work to take it down.

Now that I usually invite friends to help me decorate the tree, I enjoy taking the tree down and packing away the ornaments that hold so many memories since I'm not the one to put many of them on the tree.

This year's tree was named Fergus. Fergus is an ancient Gaelic name meaning Man of Strength. Fergus definitely was a hefty guy. I go to pick out my tree on my own and the main things I look for are a good top and thicker trunk. I try to see if it's trunk is straight too but that's sometimes hard when you're holding the tree yourself. One thing I don't know is how much they weigh until I get the tree home and lift it up to put it in the tree stand. Fergus was a bit heavy; I even had to put him down on the front deck to get him in the house.  Although he was heavy, Fergus was just the right height. I have learnt that the trees look much smaller on the lot than they do in the house. 

Fergus was decorated a few days later. I always think that gives the tree time to acclimatize to the warmer temperatures before loading the branches with ornaments.

Just lights.

All decorated

This year, it took me awhile to really get fond of Fergus. There was something about him that initially didn't really call to me. But every morning when I came downstairs on these dark winter mornings, said Good Morning Fergus, and turned on his lights, I warmed up to him. He grew more beautiful every day.

I left up up him up perhaps a little too long though as he really left his mark behind, so many needles. I'm sure I'll be finding them still at Easter. It's kind of sad to put the tree out on the porch and then to the curb. Fergus like many trees before him, tried to escape with a few of his pretty baubles but he was generous in giving them up.

Farewell Fergus, you were an excellent Christmas tree. I hope you enjoyed your time with Teddy, Liam and me.

Someone Recognized the Tune!

Well, one of my friends recognized the tune from my atrocious singing. It's a German folk song called Du, du liegst mir im Herzen, which translates to You, You are in my Heart.  She sent me links to two videos but I found another that is very close to how we learnt the song for Glee Club.

German Folk Song video

Where they sing Ja, Ja, together is where we would have had the repeated line. I think they are also singing 4 verses where we only had 3, although I think we did repeat the last verse.

Snowy fields in the winter

White sheep looking for food

Star and angel appearing to the poor shepherd so good

Star and angel to the poor shepherd so good.

Haste to Bethlehem stable

There in manger for bed

You will find the Christ Child

That's what the angel had said

Find the Christ Child that's what the angel had said

Bowing before such glory

on that beautiful morn

there the shepherds beheld him

thus was the Christ Child born

They beheld him, thus was the Christ Child born.

So now I know, after all these years what the song was. I was probably told way back then but forgot!.

Snowy Fields

Does Anyone Recognize the Melody?

When I was in Grade 9, so many years ago, I was in the Glee Club. That year, one of the local radio stations was recording school choirs singing Christmas carols. Our club had learned I song that I thought was called You, You, Tender and Wistful. Our director said that if anyone wanted to write some words to make it a Christmas song we could sing that for the radio. I tried to find the song on the internet but couldn't find it, I'm thinking now that it might be a classical piece that later had words put to the music.

Anyway, one of my fellow students wrote the following words:

Snowy fields in the winter

White sheep looking for food

Star and angel appearing to the poor shepherd so good

Star and angel to the poor shepherd so good.

Haste to Bethlehem stable

There in manger for bed

You will find the Christ Child

That's what the angel had said

Find the Christ Child that's what the angel had said

Bowing before such glory

on that beautiful morn

there the shepherds beheld him

thus was the Christ Child born

They beheld him, thus was the Christ Child born.

After all these years I still remember the words to the carol but not the words to the song I originally learned.

Since I couldn't find the original song or music, you'll just have to listen to me sing. My apologies. If you know the melody please let me know what it is.

Snowy Fields

Meet Fergus

 A few years ago, after I saw that a friend named their Christmas tree, I decided to do the same.  To date, my trees have been named Gaston, Albert, and Cailun. The names in the running this year were Theodor, Huw, George, Tasha and, of course Fergus.

Fergus was the overwhelming choice of my friends and family. I really liked the name Fergus but also liked Huw. I use coloured lights on my Christmas trees and thought it was neat that a homophone of Huw is hue. But also because my father's middle name was Hugh. Maybe Huw will be the name of next year's tree. The deciding factor for Fergus was when one of my friends commented Fir GUS.  I hadn't even clicked in on the fact that the tree was a fir tree.  

Anyway Fergus is a hefty guy. Lifting him into the house was quite a feat. The trees always look so small on the lot but when I got him home I wondered if he was going to be too tall. He wasn't he was just the right height. He does have a bend in his trunk so to make him look straight in the tree stand he had to be at a bit of an angle. It's not visible from the front as he leans back somewhat. 

With no further introduction, meet Fergus. My Christmas tree for 2025.

Welcome home.

Getting Lit

All lit up.

Introducing Fergus

The Christmas Tree of 2025 - Fergus

Another Christmas come and gone!

 Well, it's been awhile since I last wrote but I just couldn't think of what to write about. 

Christmas has come and gone. We had the traditional family gatherings, even though those have changed over the years as my nieces and nephews left home and started their own families. I hosted a Boxing Day dinner for my two sisters and their husbands. The menu was tomato panko topped haddock with salad as the appetizer, chicken Cordon Bleu with a mashed potato casserole and roasted asparagus as the main course; and for dessert there was gingerbread cake with vanilla sauce and whipped cream. Everything turned out fine but I don't think I'd make the Cordon Bleu again. 

Haddock and salad

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Gingerbread cake

Before the Christmas season really got started, I had some friends over for brunch and to help decorate my tree.  One of the friends is vegan so brunch was vegan pancakes, maple curry roasted vegetables, hash browns and fresh fruit. There was also sausage for the non vegans. After eating, we decorated my tree. A few years ago, I decided to start naming the Christmas tree. This year from those names that were suggested, the name Cailun was chosen. 

If you Google Cailun, you're likely to find it means "little girl" in Irish Gaelic but one web site said it is derived from the word "caille" which is Scots Gaelic for "from the forest". So whatever definition you like, it was a good name. Cailun was a near perfect tree. I'm sure I say that every year but it was a beautiful tree. 

Cailun - the Christmas tree of 2024

I also had friends over again at New Year's. We were a small group this year as only five people could make it. It was nice though with just a small group as we seemed to have more time to sit and chat. We did our group photo and toast to the New Year around 11pm but everyone stayed until we could actually celebrate the New Year's arrival. 

Since the holidays, I've had a cold followed by the flu, neither lasted very long but it certainly doesn't get you in the mood to do anything and I'm not much of a winter person anyway. Liam and I have started back to agility and hoopers classes. In the Spring, Teddy will probably go back to doing some ratting classes. I'm already thinking of camping season but haven't made any plans. We'll probably stick close to home this year. 

So that really brings you up to date with what's going on with Teddy, Liam and me. Pretty boring right?

Albert

So, another Christmas has come and gone, but I have to do one last post about the season and that's about my tree, Albert.   He didn't particularly grab my attention. I always look for a tree with a nice top and a fairly thick trunk. I try to find one that also has a relatively straight trunk, which Albert doesn't have. He has a bend in his trunk which meant that getting him to look like he was standing straight could be tough. But having looked at most of the other trees on the lot, I decided on Albert, although he wasn't Albert then.

Last year for the first time, I named my Christmas tree. Last year, one of the friends that helped decorate came up with the name, Gaston. All this past year, I thought this year's tree would be Friedrich; but somehow that didn't seem to suit this tree. I was out running errands one day after bringing him home when the name came to me, Albert. And so, Albert he became, and it suited him.  

As you can see in this picture, Albert leans somewhat but I assure you, he is standing straight in the tree stand. The slight bend to the left is at the bottom of his trunk just above the stand. You can also see that he has a bit of a bare spot to one side too but since the tree goes into a corner that's sometimes an advantage. Standing in the corner, Albert stood straight and tall but viewed from the dining room, you can see that he leans into his work.

Again, this year, I had friends come over to decorate; it makes things go so much quicker. I love to reminisce about the decorations. I have ones my parents gave to me, ones from family and friends, ones from places I've traveled to, ones for each of my dogs and some I gave to my parents that have now returned to me. 

To Mom with Love

Very Special Dad

Ode to Albert

The best place in the house to see the tree is sitting on the stairs. I often put music on before going to bed and just sit and watch the lights.  It brings back lots of Christmas memories. 

Despite his imperfections, or maybe because of them, Albert was a beautiful Christmas tree. It's always hard to take down the ornaments and put the tree outside. Albert got to stick around for a while as he missed his ride the first time, so he hung out by the porch for a week.

On the porch

Waiting for a lift

You were a wonderful Christmas tree, Albert. Thanks for the memories! You were a work of art!

Christmas Memories

I suppose it is the memories of Christmas past that make us either happy or sad at this time of year. I know for me, they make me both happy and sad, well maybe not sad but nostalgic.  

One of the memories I have of Christmas is of my mother baking Christmas sweets to enjoy. I don't know how she did it, with six kids and, for a lot of the time, she was also working. There was always plenty of sweets to eat at Christmas time, shortbread, fruit cake, sugar cookies, cherry nut loaf, date and nut loaf, and of course, mincemeat pie. I don't know where she found the time; baking one batch of cookies takes me all afternoon. This year I did make shortbread cookies, an orange cranberry loaf and a cherry nut loaf.

Shortbread cookies

Orange Cranberry loaf

My parents also used to make Acadian meat pies every Christmas. I did a blog post about Christmas meat pies last year. We grew up calling them tourtieres. Meat pies always bring back memories of going to Midnight Mass then coming home to have meat pie, some sweets and opening one gift before heading to bed, as a child that was such a magical time. I made meat pies again this year. 

Acadian Meat Pie

But I think the most Christmas memories come when I decorate my Christmas tree; this year I called him Albert. I see pictures of other people's tree and they look stunning like they should be in a magazine. Some people I know even occasionally change the theme of their tree, so I don't know if their tree holds as many memories. Many of the ornaments on my tree hold special memories for me and even though it may not look like a tree from a fashion magazine, it is still beautiful. There are ornaments my parents gave to me. One from the US Air Force Academy; it is an ornament depicting the Academy Chapel. I had drawn that chapel as part of a grade school math project so when they traveled out west many years later, it was souvenir they thought to buy for me.

I have ornaments that I bought for my parents that with their passing have returned to me. They make me a little sad but also bring my parents closer to me.

To Mom with Love

Very Special Dad

I have many ornaments that were given to me by family and friends, some handmade and others I'm sure were chosen especially with me in mind. 

From my youngest sister and her husband

Stained glass made by my brother-in-law.

From a friend on Keltic's passing

Made by my sister and her daughter.

From my nephew and his wife

Painted by my sister

Made by my niece and I still have the handmade box they came in. 

From a close friend and neighbour

I'm sure other people have ornaments in their tree that bring back many happy memories as many of mine do, so here's to all the memories!

And Merry Christmas to all and we'll see you in the New Year!

Wordless Wednesday

 

Gaston in his Glory

I went out to get my Christmas tree earlier than planned. I had friends coming over to help me decorate on 18 Dec, so I had thought to get the tree on the Friday before but when I came home from my agility class on the Monday, 12 Dec, I drove by the Christmas tree lot, and it seemed the stock was dwindling rapidly. So, I went home, emptied the car and drove back up to the lot to get the tree. There still was a quite good selection, although everything they had was now in the lot. Usually, I look for a tree with a nice top and a fairly thick trunk as even though my tree stand looks like it would hold a very small trunk, the tree stands more solidly with a thicker trunk. I had looked at several trees before I stood up this one and I just knew it was the one. The trunk wasn't as thick as I would have liked but it had a beautiful top and a great shape. 

I had three friends over to help decorate; it goes so much faster with people to help. I had already done the lights, so it was just putting on the ornaments. We were done in no time at all.  Another of my friends names their Christmas tree so I decided this year to do the same.  The first suggestion my friends made didn't work at all in my mind, but the second seemed to fit him and so Gaston was named.

Gaston in his glory!

Of course, Gaston was the focal point for many pictures over the Christmas holidays. He filled the dark nights with such a wonderful light. 

Gaston was part of our New Year's celebrations too. I had some friends over again this year for New Year's Eve. We kept the evening to a small number, and we didn't actually stay up until midnight but did our toast for 2023 at about 10pm. 

Epiphany

It's sort of a sad time to have to say goodbye to such a beautiful tree. I always wait until after Epiphany to take down the tree; that's what we did when we were kids. I don't understand people who put it away on Boxing Day; I like the season to last. Gaston didn't really want to go, and he hid an ornament from me right until the very end. I thought for sure I would find the ornament when I took the lights off, but no. 

Lights coming off.

Just a star!

Gaston has left the house.

I looked and looked for that last ornament before putting Gaston out on the porch. One of my sisters suggested giving him a good shake which I did but to no avail. Gaston dropped lots of needles but still I didn't find the ornament.

What Gaston left on the porch.

I took Gaston done to the end of the driveway, turned him round and round and laid him against the snowbank after giving him yet another shake, but I still didn't find the ornament. I took one last picture of Gaston out waiting for his lift and decided then to take just one more look. I'm sure glad I did as there was the little ornament! It was nearly at the bottom of the tree and luckily near the front or I wouldn't have seen it.

Perhaps Gaston wanted a souvenir of his time as a Christmas tree with me and the dogs as the ornament he hid is of a Christmas tree with a dog running round it called Chasing his Tail. The dog actually does go round the tree, good thing my dogs don't run round the tree.

Chasing His Tail

Last night at home with Gaston.