scatter brained

Somehow,all the planning and preparation to have an easy holiday season didn't quite work out that way.

Here it is one week before Christmas and I'm running around like a one armed paper hanger(one of my Dad's favorite sayings).

I thought I was finished wrapping only to discover about an hour ago there were 3 hidden I'd forgotten about.
The cleaning lady is due to show up any minute and the house is a wreck.I'm not sure what she will be able to do this time.I have her come in once a month to help with things that are too hard for me to do anymore.
I guess today will be her bonnus day.i will pay her normal fee but she will only have to do half the work.I have been trying to clean before she gets here but my mind is too scattered.
I mailed Christmas cards with no return address;forgot to mail cards I meant to;have addressed cards twice to some of the same people.

Bob's cousin fell last week outside her home and laid in the cold and rain until someone happened to come by.She broke her hip pretty bad.
She was due to go to Arizona Wednesday to spend time with her only remaining son;she didn't want to be here for the holiday as she is missing John who passed away in October.Instead we will be bringing her here with us for the holiday when she leaves the hospital.
The room she will use is covered in wrapping material and the gifts that are to go to friends and neighbors here.

I haven't shaken the cold I've had for 3 weeks.My back is hurting a lot but have to keep pressing on.

I have misplaced my address labels;I know they are here somewhere,but where?I just used them a few days ago.

I am usually so organized;someone else has invaded my body and taken over!

The one thing I am sure of is Christmas will be on the 25th and no matter what happens I am not forgetting that it is about the birth of the Christ Child.

So happy holidays to all.I will update if I can find my way to the computer in a few days!

This is my first holiday season in a small town and I am really enjoying it.
There is something precious and unique that I didn't find in the larger cities I've lived.The others may have had fancier decor and more uptown celebrations yet there was something impersonal too.

A few weeks ago Bob and I attended an annual celebration called "Frontier Christmas".
It was walking back in time.
Many of the residents dress up in period costumes and reenacted what Christmas time and holiday celebrations would have been like in those early days in Oroville.

It was held at the Visitor's Center at Lake Oroville so that was a backdrop in itself.
There were booths set up to show off different aspects of frontier life at that time.
Kids were able to make wreaths from native plantings;they panned for gold.
There was a lady showing off the toys used at that time and she played holiday music on a dulcimer.

The gift shop booth was recreated into holiday decorations from that era.Some of the most creative uses from acorns,pine cones,paper and fabric I've ever seen were on exhibit and for sale.

There was the ticket booth to sell tickets for the stage coach ride into Nevada and an old time preacher marrying folks as they arrived.

At the concession stand was food done up as it might have been then and all the ladies were wearing their long dresses made of calico and wearing their bonnets.
You paid for your food and drinks with wooden nickels you purchased at the bank.

There have been ongoing celebrations in town throughout the season.
There was the reception given at the Lott home by the Historical Society to honor the tradition when James Lott brought his new bride to Oroville and he used a holiday party to introduce her to her new neighbors.

There was the Parade of Lights;an annual celebration that folks decorate their cars,pets,themselves and anything else and parade through the downtown business district.This officially kicks off the holiday celebration downtown.
Everyone is invited to participate or just watch.

There is a parade of homes that are uniquely decorated with lights and other decor that you independently drive around and then judge yourself which is best,submit your selection to the newspaper and the top three win a prize.

All the downtown shops are so festive with their windows dressed in holiday decor.Some are almost recreations from the past.

To end the season this year there is the Centennial Ball at the Municipal Auditorium celebrating Oroville's Centennial as an incorporated city.
It began in the gold miner's days as Ophir City both names reflecting its rich(no pun intended)history as the area where the gold rush of 1849 happened.

I feel blessed to get to experience the small town atmosphere with a big heart at this time in my life.