Tag Archives: holidays

Happy New Year—Hitting the Reset Button

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Okay, so it took me five days to write my New Year’s Blog, but HEY! I have a lot going on right now!

Between kiddo being home, Christmas and New Year’s meal preparations with a bum right thumb, doctor’s appointments, and the general hullabaloo of the holidays, I feel myself lucky that I am sane right now! But I digress. We had a wonderful time, and it was nice to celebrate without thinking about “what things may become” in the future. Now that I have put the grown (21!) baby back on the plane and he is back at college, I have a lot to do this month!

So I tackled the chores in my frenzied Cleaning, Cleaning, Cleaning phase (always after the new year, it seems.) I always feel as if I can get rid of stuff I haven’t used in a hundred years (or since we got married—how many of you remember all those crazy wedding gifts from twenty+ or thirty+ years ago?), then the old mantra, Clean House, Clear Mind, will ring true.

First, I tackled the paper shredding affair. Ugh! What a task. (Everyone who does this understands what I am saying.) I shredded two years’ worth of old tax documents dating back to 2017 and then had to pack it into two big bags for disposal. Then, I had to clean up the floor. Sheesh!

Then I went through the office closet and found way more stuff to give away, such as a zillion children’s puzzles. I am taking them to the rec center for summer camp, 2026!

Then came the kitchen. Since we have such a small kitchen, I went through the pantry and the shelves, cleaned them out, and put on new shelf paper.  I found yet more gadgets that I hadn’t used since the beginning of time (or when we bought them). I’m removing them from the pantry and storing the ice cream maker, popcorn popper, and snow cone machine for the kiddo to see if he’ll take them away when he gets his own place. If now, well, ARC here I come!!!!

We’ll finally tackle taking down the tree, putting away the Christmas decorations, and putting away the Lego Village this weekend. I’ll have my living space back! Yes!

So, with a wonderful old-fashioned Tea Cake Recipe from the past (Thanks, Jo!), I’ll relive my Grandma’s love, and make them this week (after the Frenzied Exercise startup, of course!).

So here’s to singing in the new year, and creating Mantras (NOT RESOLUTIONS!) to do better, be better, and help others. It’s all inside of you!

I completed the updates to both Silver Element and Silver Storm (new cover in progress), so the refresh/reprint is online as well as the third book, Silver Lore! Hope you purchase and read them, and have a blast with the stories!! https://www.amazon.com/stores/Drusilla-M.-Tieben/author/B00ET98OVA

I also want to share an email from a friend on New Year’s Day:
“Hi Friends! I woke up this morning dreaming about our meditation group. I was saying that meditation is not about adding something- but uncovering what is already there- your beautiful, soulful self. Keep uncovering your best, loving self in this New Year.”—Stephen Wurzel
“We know what we are, but know not what we may be.” Shakespeare’s Hamlet (Act 4, Scene 5).

So have a great start to the new year. Love each other every day and help those in need! I love you all and can’t wait to see you or meet you!

Hallmark Moments

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AND: Love, Romance, and Aging Brains
Have you ever found yourself watching the Hallmark Channel around the holidays and getting sucked into the story, even if it is really bad, full of cliches, and with a festive atmosphere where no one is angry with each other? And a little part of you is starting to want to have that life, that moment after the big fight where you kiss and make up, near the mistletoe, and everything is wonderful, and everything is with your soul mate?

Wellllllll…. We all know this quest for true love and romance doesn’t always happen in real life, right? We all go through the ups and downs of daily life, and as we age, things get harder to face in the real world. (Also, notice that everyone in all of these movies is beautiful, has money, and is very young?)

What I’m trying to say is this: We create our Hallmark moments every day that we interact with the ones we love. We strive for perfection, yet embrace what is given. We can love each other the way we are, not perfect, yet make our dreams come true with what we have. Love can conquer our greatest fears as long as we acknowledge our past and move on to a future of our own creation.

In the movie Fred Claus, Fred, Santa Claus’s brother, realizes that there are no naughty kids and that every kid deserves a present at Christmas, no matter how small. It’s the thought of having a loving family surrounding them that counts, not the present itself. In the real world, not every kid is always good, and not every kid gets a present, or even has a family. There are so many of us who forget about the love portion, no matter what we do.

There are rich spoiled kids with good and bad parents, and poor kids whose parents treat them poorly, or kids who don’t have parents at all and are in the system. But I’d like to believe that the majority of parents pull together for the holidays in ways that aren’t about how they were treated by their own parents. I’d like to believe in those happy moments where families just love each other for who they are in this present moment. Sometimes it’s hard to get beyond our weird family dynamics, but there is hope for all of us to love each other in ways we weren’t loved. There is hope that we can become better parents and grandparents and forgive those who treated us poorly in the past. There is hope in seeing others not as different or less than us, but as part of our bigger family, part of being human, people we should embrace and call our own.

So sometimes I have weird dreams, and my family dynamic from the past interferes with my aging brain’s headspace. But I try to overcome these moments and say a little mantra, forgiving all the past trespasses of my family or me against my family. I try to see where I’m at today and be thankful for my loved ones who love me unconditionally. I try to love them the same way that I want to be loved. I remember the good times and try not to beat myself up with the bad times. It’s hard to forget everything, but my brain and body have lived for a long time on this planet, and I hope it continues to live a little longer to see a change in our world for the better.

All I know is that I have done what I could to help others and will continue to do so through many, many small acts of kindness. I hope you’ll do the same. But I think most of us can be better than you know who, and, at least when I fall asleep in my chair, I don’t have the world watching me because I am in charge of the highest office in the land. Time to step down and become a human being, mister! And threatening people’s lives is not cool, so stop it and overcome your pettiness and selfishness. Be a kind and gentle leader for once in your life! No amount of gold on the walls will make you happy with who you are if you don’t take care of all of the people in this country. Enough said.

I hope everyone has a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving. Make beautiful food, share it, and continue your traditions, as well as make new ones for the future. Overcome your dark moods before everyone comes home and try to stay in the moment. Love each other the best way you know how, and extend a helping hand to others in need. I send out much love to all this week!

Traditions

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I have just started preparing for the holidays. My neighbor has all the lights up around his house and is working on the inside! Wow! We will probably start doing that this weekend. We always miss the good weather and end up doing it in the snow. Crazy us.

We’ll get down all of the boxes and boxes of lights and ornaments that are up in the attic over the garage, and I will get out my Lego Village and put it on a long folding table upstairs for display. (We bought the Lego Christmas train this year to add to the village!)

We won’t build the Lego set or put up the tree until kiddo gets home from college, another tradition we’ve started over the last few years. Everyone takes turns putting all the decorations and ornaments on the tree, and if you know me, I will rearrange them a million times before it looks just right.

It’s fun to create traditions that are your own. My husband’s mom passed away recently, and I remember her kindness and thoughtfulness to me when I was struggling with a piece of writing. She would always review my books, and they were always honest and still positive. One of her traditions she started was sending us a Hallmark Christmas ornament around Thanksgiving each year.

We sometimes got the tree up early, but usually it was about two weeks before Christmas. When kiddo came into our lives, David’s mom started sending fun kid ornaments. We have a whole box of them now, and we only put up a few of them for sentimental reasons. This is the first holiday season we will be without her, so I decided to keep the tradition going. I bought a Hallmark ornament for us and for my husband’s Dad. He received it last week, and I think it cheered him up a little bit. I will try to honor her in the future in a way I hope has meaning for all.

And we always hope for a dusting of snow like in the movies, but of course, we haven’t had any snow or rain in 233 days now, so who knows? We can wish. I love you all this week before the holiday season starts. And remember those in need through Colorado Gives Day on December 9th!  https://www.coloradogives.org/

And, of course, catch up on my series before the new ones go live:
SHOP Drusilla Tieben on Amazon

Christmas Collections and Traditions from the Nerd Family-This is Who We Are!

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When I finished decorating the Christmas tree today, I looked at it and said to myself, “Boy or Boy, are we the nerd family or what?” Looking over the ornaments we have collected over the years, here is what I saw:

Lots and lots of Lego ornaments (assembled lovingly by all of us over these last few years);
A Wall-e figure (that talks);
A Tardis (yeah, you know what I’m talking about); and,
Many cute, framed pictures of Kiddo (from 2-year-old karate days to pre-teen years-what a ham;
Lots of lots of Weiner Dogs-and some have on pajamas! Too funny!

And the nerd of all nerd ornaments that we have saved for many years but didn’t put on the tree this year: An entire Rubbermaid storage box of spaceships (Star Trek and Star Wars).

So now is the time to bring out all your fond memories and decorate your tree in your own nerdy way! It’s our fun family tradition where we don’t fight much and enjoy each other a little bit.

Make your own version of the 1950s classic Chex Mix in your own way and enjoy a big bowl, sitting around the tree! I love you all and hope you have a great holiday season creating your own fond memories with your children and grandchildren around you.

Classic Christmas Music, Cookies, Decorating the Tree, and Construction

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December should be the time of year where you focus on everything Christmas, right? Unfortunately, we still have projects to do and mile(stones) to go before we sleep(finish)!

Here is how I balanced it today: Contractor came in and put in both the outside doors. Having bought them almost a year ago, it was time…. Took almost all day. We had to do the cleanup, and I will have to trim and paint later. One more thing on that list.

Went to the grocery store. Not too many people at 3pm in the afternoon!

As for the Christmas, the lights on the outside are all strung and working (Thank you David!)

Today, we put on the classic Christmas music, put up the tree, and finished decorating it. Kiddo helped and it looks beautiful.

The never-ending list narrowed down to December:

Finish putting storage boxes back down (where doors were stored) to take the tree down afterwards.
Decorate all the Knick knacks on the tables and hang the stockings on the mantlepiece.
Finish baking cookies and bread.
Distribute said baked goods to family and friends.
Wrap presents.
Make dinner (and repeat every day!).
Make breakfast (and repeat every day!).
Make lunch (and repeat every day!)
Contractors coming in to fix things that the dishwasher installers broke…. (a story unto itself-heavy sigh)
Finish painting closet doors.
Senior choir concerts next two weeks. Help with setup.
Bake and prepare for the senior choir potluck on the 27th.
Get a walk and swim in sometime during the week!
Read and Write and Post.

So, I’m a little tired today. I am continuing to make lists so that eases my brain a little bit. I’m trying not to explode on loved ones. The point of this writing exercise is to let you know that you aren’t the only person who has an overwhelming list. Take one task at a time, love the moment you are in, and just remember that I am with you 100%. Take a break in the evenings. Have a good dinner and binge watch Interior Chinatown Season 1 and get as confused as we were! Thank you, Taika Waititi for being your usual self!

Laugh a little, love a little, and forgive those who dun you wrong and forget about it in your next phase of life.

Love and hugs to all y’all!