Old Christmas Day

Hi, it’s Ginger Gingerbread-Man, and today is Old Christmas Day. People say that today is when the Christmas season is over.
However, I have been observing so many ways that people are keeping the spirit of Christmas.
And, I can tell you that, even though the ornaments and the tinsel and lights are packed away, people are still able to feel the spirit of the Christmas season, any time of the year.

People sense Christmas when there is a feeling of generosity, or kindness to others, or welcoming hospitality in the air.
People sense Christmas in fun and laughter with friends and family.
People sense Christmas when they are sharing joy and excitement with youngsters, or when grownups forget their adult restraint and act like youngsters themselves.

It’s Christmas when folks share good food and happy occasions with others, any time of the year.
It’s Christmas when folks turn their home into a special place to welcome guests.
Most especially it’s Christmas when folks express their love to the people they are closest to, and also to strangers, any time of the year.

Thank you for sharing my thoughts over the past few weeks. I wish you the very best of Christmas feelings, all year long!
See you next Advent! – Ginger

Twelfth Day of Christmas

Hi, Ginger here, and today is the Twelfth Day of Christmas. I’m still looking for ways to keep feeling the spirit of the Christmas season all year long.

Tomorrow is Old Christmas Day, and for most folk, tomorrow is the end of the Christmas holiday season.
It’s considered bad luck to keep the Christmas decorations up after that.
So tomorrow, we take the presents out from under the tree, we pack away the decorations, and we unplug the Christmas lights.
But we don’t have to pack away all the good Christmas feelings.

In the story “The Polar Express” if you can hear the sound of the jingle bells from Santa’s sleigh, that’s a sign that you still believe in the magic of Christmas.
I like to keep some little jingle bells around all year so I can shake them from time to time, and listen to them ringing and jingling.
It makes me feel good!
I think that having a reminder of the magic of Christmas is a good way to keep feeling the spirit of the holiday season all year long.

See you tomorrow for Old Christmas Day! – Ginger

Eleventh Day of Christmas

Hi, it’s Ginger, and Gigi is with me today. We’re closing in on our search for ways to keep on feeling the spirit of the Christmas season all year long.

We will be packing away the Christmas decorations in a couple of days, and returning to our regular everyday lifestyle.
After six weeks of holiday activity, it’s starting to feel like Christmas is our normal routine, and not the time of special celebration that it really is.

I’ll feel a bit sorry when we start taking ornaments off the tree and packing away the holiday lights.
However, knowing that our decorations are all boxed up, waiting for us, is going to make me excited for next Christmas to come!

I think it’s the anticipation of the excitement that helps us feel the spirit of Christmas, and I like to enjoy that all year long.

Today there’s still time for Gigi to watch one more Christmas movie, and my job is to help her choose one.

See you tomorrow! – Ginger

Tenth Day of Christmas

Hi I’m Ginger, and it’s been fun this holiday season to find ways to make Christmas last all year long.

We’ve been having a good time playing with the battery operated toys under the Christmas tree, but some of the toys seem to be working more slowly now.
It’s the batteries starting to wear out.
Batteries, as you know, are stored energy, and when the batteries are replaced, the toys will leap back into action.
That’s a bit like us, too, we need to take time to recharge ourselves and refill our energy resources.

Having a holiday like Christmas at the darkest time of the winter is like replacing the batteries in our own equipment.
Christmas gives us a break from our normal routine and it lets us refresh ourselves for when we return to our regular lives.
I think we can feel the relaxing fun of the Christmas season any time of the year, if we take a little break from our routine now and then to refresh ourselves and our energy.
Just like new batteries in the toys!

See you tomorrow! – Ginger

Ninth Day of Christmas

Hi Ginger here, and I’m continuing my search for ways to feel the spirit of the holiday season all year long!

Roast turkey is our traditional family Christmas dinner, with potatoes, vegetables, lots of gravy, and puddings.We eat ourselves full of this plenty.
Because a turkey is a big bird, and there is a lot left over, the next day we have another family meal of hot turkey sandwiches, with french fries and more gravy.
And then because there is still a lot of turkey left over, we make a pot of turkey soup.

I really enjoy making the soup. The leftovers simmer in the stock pot all day and the aroma of turkey and spices is delicious all through the house!
The flavors of a holiday dinner seem to sharpen my senses, and everything smells and tastes so rich and good.

Taking the time to prepare and to serve a family meal is part of the spirit of Christmas, laughing and talking with relatives who travel to share our food with us.
I think that having family meals together and enjoying the food, whether it’s a full holiday dinner or a simple bowl of turkey soup is a way to feel the spirit of the holiday season all year long.

See you tomorrow! – Ginger

Eighth Day of Christmas

Hi, it’s Ginger, and I’m continuing my search for ways to keep the spirit of the Christmas season all year long.

Today, I’m relaxing with some holiday music.
There are lots of Christmas songs and instrumentals that stay fresh, year after year.
These are the ones I love listening to.

Every year, I am able to add a recording or two to the collection.
There are so many good ones out there to become new favorites!
I think that having familiar music to trigger memories is a wonderful way to keep the spirit of Christmas from one season to the next.

See you tomorrow! – Ginger

Seventh Day of Christmas

Hi, it’s Ginger! And I’m enjoying my search for ways to keep the spirit of the holiday season alive all throughout the year.

The ending of the old year and the beginning of the new year are cause for great celebration.
I enjoyed New Year’s this year with fireworks and bubbly champagne, good friends and much laughter.

Fireworks give noise and light to scare away bad spirits before the start of the new year.
Wine is the feast of the harvest. Celebrating with bubbly demonstrates abundance, in the old year past, and also for the year to come.
And, well, we all know that friends and laughter go hand in hand, any time!

Celebrating like this makes any occasion into a special time.
I think that we can look for special occasions any time of the year to celebrate and enjoy ourselves, and remind ourselves of the spirit of the holiday season.

See you tomorrow! – Ginger

Sixth Day of Christmas

Hi, I’m Ginger, and I’m looking for ways to make the spirit of the Christmas season last all year long.

We’re almost at the end of the year, and it’s time to make New Year’s Resolutions.
The New Year is the start of a new calendar cycle. Some people who think they didn’t do so well in 2009 are making promises to themselves to improve in 2010.

A lot of people make resolutions to lose weight or to exercise more.
My resolutions are to be better in the kitchen, and to be a smarter all-round cookie!

I want to make more baked goods, to be more organized with my ingredients, and to trade recipes with more people.
Oh, our gingerbread kitchen will be so much more efficient in the New Year!

See you tomorrow, – Ginger

Fifth Day of Christmas

Hi, I’m Ginger, and I’m spending this holiday season finding ways to keep the good feelings of Christmas all year long.

Today, the weather office is forecasting a heavy snowfall warning. We will get a lot of snow overnight and it will be stormy tomorrow.
This is winter weather, and even though pictures of snow may look very attractive on Christmas cards, snow makes it really difficult if you’re walking or driving.
When it’s stormy, things don’t go on schedule. For me, I’m worried about how much snow will be in my way when I have to get out in the morning.

But this is the holiday season, and many people are able to wake up, appreciate the beauty of the snow, and then decide to snuggle back into their cozy warm blankets for some extra sleep.
I think that choosing to relax and enjoy the weather, whatever it may be, is a way to keep the good feelings of the Christmas season all year long. It’s a choice!

See you tomorrow! – Ginger

Fourth Day of Christmas

Hi It’s Ginger Gingerbread-Man and I’m on a search this holiday season for ways to keep the good spirits of Christmas all year long.

Today I made some new friends – a whole parcel of silly Christmas penguins who were out for a good time!
Now, I’m a gingerbread man and not a penguin, but they surrounded me anyway and made me part of their group.
When we posed for this picture, they were making plans for us all to go partying together.

That’s part of the spirit of Christmas, having good times with friends, and including new people in the group simply because you believe you can all have fun together.
I think that’s something that we can do all year long, is to be open to meeting new friends, however unlikely they may seem, with the expectation of enjoying their company.

See you tomorrow! – Ginger