Hi, Everyone!
We still don’t have any snow on the ground, but I’m helping Grandma and Grandpa get ready for Christmas!
First, I helped Grandma make new Christmas stockings for Aunt Kara and James. Grandma made stockings for Uncle Bill and for Bill-kun and Karin-chan’s daddy and for Uncle Steven when Uncle Steven was a baby, just like James is now. Grandma couldn’t find exactly the same fabric to make new ones for Aunt Kara and James, but I made sure the decorations were just the same! I didn’t know the sewing machine could make such fancy stitches! Now the stockings are hanging on the fireplace, waiting for Uncle Steven and Aunt Kara and James to come. I hope Aunt Kara and James like their stockings! Grandma says that on Christmas morning there will be treats in them!
Last Sunday, I got to go to a Christmas caroling party with Grandma and Grandpa! I was a good helper and carried the hostess gift. When I got to the party, I made sure to thank Janice-san for inviting me to come. I got to sit on top of the piano, where I could see and hear everybody singing the special songs about Christmas. Esther-san played the piano, and Janice-san and Craig-san played the dulcimer and guitar. Lots of people from Grandma and Grandpa’s church came to sing, and the carols sounded very pretty! Janice-san made lots of desserts, too! It was hard to decide which ones to try, because they all looked yummy! It was fun to see some of my travel buddies at the party. Papa Dick-san told me that my Michigan friend Monster Rock is taking a long nap all winter!
Yesterday, Grandma and Grandpa and I went to a tree farm to find a Christmas tree. Some years we go out in the field to cut down a tree ourselves, but this year we looked for one the farmer had already brought into his shed. I found a new tree friend right away, and Grandma and Grandpa said we could bring it home! I helped buy the tree, then I helped get my new friend ready to travel. The farmer put my tree friend through the baler. The baler winds string around the tree’s branches, so the tree is skinnier for loading and the branches don’t get broken. I told the tree not to worry, that all the branches would spread out again just fine! My new tree friend fit into Grandma’s car with the back seats down. There was even room to spare!
We’ll bring my Christmas tree friend into the living room on Thursday. That’s when Uncle Steven and Aunt Kara and James are coming. I’ll help Uncle Steven put the lights on the tree. On Friday I’ll help Grandma do the rest of the decorations. We’ll really be ready for Christmas then! And look! Even the cactus is ready for Christmas! It started blooming this week for the first time since last Christmas!
Love, Lion-san
This is a great time of year to get together with old friends and new ones!
The tree looks happy and I’m sure it will be come Christmas morning!