Adorning

Our Christmas tree was finally adorned with ornaments old and new. We do not do ‘designer’ Christmas here. We do a more traditional look, using old and new touches, vintage and modern. As you can see, the presents under the tree are a mish mosh of bags and boxes and wrapping paper. Not much matching going on.

The angel topper has been with us for many years and I’m sorry to say I’m not sure who made it for us and the first year it became our topper.

The ornaments on the tree have no overall theme. Some are from travels to Great Britain.

Beatrix Potter’s characters are represented.

The first Christmas ornament we were gifted as a wedding gift and some early family ornaments represent these special times in our history.

Josh and Dan’s sport photo ornaments have gone to live at their homes.

I’m not sure which one of our 3 kids created this walnut half ornament in Sunday School years ago.

This one above has been around for many of our 51 years of Christmases. The one below is newer but has still been around for years!

Our ‘Grands’ have a representation on the tree, too.

This was our very first Christmas tree at our apartment in West Los Angeles. That is our niece Jenna. We had only been married for 20 days. The fern next to our tree was from our wedding. We had two ferns at the altar for our wedding flowers. After finding these old photos it dawned on me that in our first month of marriage we had both sides of our family over to our apartment for a meal/gathering, including Greg’s paternal grandmother and my maternal grandmother!

This was our Christmas tree in the first home we purchased in 1975 and our second Christmas as a married couple.

Has your tree been adorned?

On the Road Hodgepodge

A few photos from Christmas past.

Thank you, Joyce, for the Wednesday Hodgepodge questions each week.

1. What’s one task you’d like a little Christmas elf to sneak in and take care of tonite? 

I would love for a little elf to come in and address all my Christmas cards!

2. What’s your biggest challenge during the holidays? 

Writing our Christmas letter is harder some years than others. Once the letter is written, the cards are addressed, and the envelopes are taken to the post office and dropped down the slot I feel a load off!

3. Are you a cookie baker this time of year? If your year had to be summed up in the shape of a cookie cutter what shape would it be? 

Cookies are not something that get baked every year. This year I hope to make some cookies for our Children’s play/musical coming up soon. My cookie cutter shape for 2024 would be thistle in honor of our trip to Scotland.

4. Santa likes milk with his cookies. Do you like milk? What kind of milk is on tap in your house? (whole, 2%, skim, almond, oat, etc). What’s the last thing you made that called for milk? 

I like milk but I can’t have too much of it as it doesn’t sit well with me. We typically have 2% on hand. Cereal is the last thing I enjoyed with milk, not something I made but something I put together.

5. Share one favorite line from a Christmas carol or holiday tune? 

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus, There is room in my heart for Thee.

and

O come. let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!

And there are so many more!

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We are on the road again today, on our way back home from the westside of the Cascades. We were in Canada on Monday and overnight into Tuesday. Lots of time in our vehicle. I will be late in visiting Hodgepodgers. In Canada we enjoyed time with the B.C. Mennonite Girls Can Cook. More photos of our time to come later but here is a preview of some of the food we enjoyed.

Christmas Past…

This is probably Christmas 1957.

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Christmas 1958. My brother Tim was 11 months old. I was seven.

In December of 1959 our brother Steve was born. This photo was taken at my Uncle Paul’s home in 1960. My babushka lived with them and we would go and visit on Christmas. My dad has his Molokan shirt on (think Dr. Zhivago) but I’m not sure if this is before church or after church. We would have two more siblings added to our family in 1963.

high-school-scanned5Christmas 1968 is my guess for this one. Me, Kathy and Vera. Look at those shoes.

los-angeles-ave3Christmas 1969. Tim is eleven, Steve is ten, and the twins, Lana and Leonard, are six.

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los-angeles-ave4At my little babushka’s house for Christmas breakfast before church.

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Christmas 1974 in our apartment on National Blvd. in the neighborhood of Mar Vista, Los Angeles. We had been married for two and a half weeks.

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Our oldest niece Jenna, 1974.

Our first home in Huntington Beach, 1975.

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Christmas 1977 in our second home in Huntington Beach.

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Christmas 1978 in Huntington Beach. I am pregnant with our firstborn Josh and Chris is pregnant with Jenna’s little sister Annie. These are Dear’s mother and father.

josh-dan-79-837Christmas 1981. Josh and Dan are almost 3 and almost 1.

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Christmas Eve 1982 reading the Christmas story with the Bagdanov side of the family.

ventura9Christmas tree 1986 in Ventura. Josh is almost 8 Dan is almost 6 and Katie is almost 1.

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I think this one is from 1988 in Bothell. Our first Christmas in Washington State.

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Late 1980’s in Bothell Washington.

early-1990s3Christmas on Norway Hill 1992 in Bothell, Washington.

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PM1912 Postmarked 1912.

We are moving along with all things Christmas at this old house. Food shopping mostly done. A few things to add on Friday. I also am waiting to see if I’m inspired to bake one more favorite that my mom baked for all of us every year. My Bagdanov family had a cooking day today making my mom’s Vareniki for their Christmas Eve celebration.

 

Christmas Past…

I’ve decided to share some snap shots of Christmas past and join in with Vee’s December Notecard Party

Christmas dessert from 2009

December night in Seattle with the Space Needle through the boat masts at Elliott Bay Marina 2009. We were celebrating Katie’s completion of her degree along with her birthday.

This year Katie is turning 27 on the 27th of December. I guess we’ll have to do something special to celebrate this magic birthday!

Every day Christmas table from several years back. Things have changed in this room.

Thanks Vee, for letting me join in late. Today I’m trying to talk myself into wrapping some gifts. I’m also thinking I should choose some cookie recipes to bake. It’s raining steadily here in the Seattle area. How are things in your part of the world?