Dear Reader:

Yesterday I kept discovering items that I thought lost…but now found… and even items I never knew were lost.

For example…while starting to pull out Christmas decorations…I came across a pretty little red box.

“Oh this will be perfect to put some Christmas bows and hair clips in for the granddaughters.”

I threw out all the old tissue paper…and then I heard it…the softest little ping. I stooped down and picked up one small wad of red tissue paper…and felt something inside. As I unwrapped it …there was the most beautiful Baby Jesus carved from a nut lying in a half-shell . Startling creative and exquisite.

I thought to myself…“I was getting ready to throw it out and if I hadn’t sensed something inside the wadded tissue…and heard the softest of pings I would have inadvertently thrown away the most precious little gift…how  sad it would have been.”

*Because of its size I knew it would fit perfectly on the little fir tree Mollie gave me last week…and it did…all nestled in the top branch! Home at last…not to miss another Christmas.

The boys left this book at my house last week and I hate to admit it…but I have had the most fun sitting in the recliner hunting for all the different Christmas objects hidden on each page. What fun!

It was only later in the day (yesterday) that I had to laugh at man’s daily paradox…or at least mine! I can find miniature objects hidden in a book but miss, I mean literally be blinded, to the whole big picture of life in reality.

I stopped by Tuesday Morning to see if I could find two tall candles or objects to add to the mantel this year. (Each year I like to add one new ‘something.’) I found it …two tall wooden/metallic angels…perfect!

(*I must wait until Luke comes later this week to help me place my wreath and other decor on the tall mantel  but here is a picture of the new angel(s)…I love it!)

As I pulled into the driveway…I glanced at the time and knew I would have to hurry to carry everything in….take a shower, grab a quick bite of lunch, and then head over to Mt. Pleasant for a tea for grandparents at Rutledge’s school.

It was while I was quickly eating lunch that I blinked and then blinked again as I stared out the den window. Where were all the leaves from the Bradford Pear?...Gone…all gone! The yard was clear and clean of all clutter.

At first I thought it was my elf neighbor, Vickie, whose yard is so pristine… you could eat off of it…but she assured me it wasn’t her. She had a doctor’s appointment yesterday morning about her shoulder so she was gone, never saw anyone…but she couldn’t rake if she wanted to… I could eliminate her.

I wasn’t thinking about Michael…because he got hurt at work a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving and had let me know he would be out of commission for awhile. I reassured him all was well…just take care and get himself well.

When I called Michael this time, however,…he finally admitted he was the elf using his magical leaf blower/mower, bagger. Ho Ho Ho! Santa Claus had come and cleaned everything in the yard and I was running around so much that I had almost missed seeing the whole thing….a beautiful manicured lawn right in front of my eyes.

Before and After:

The grandparent tea was conveniently placed in the media center with desserts and tea….and also  a book fair just happened to be going on in there too…so we could buy our grandchild a book or a book for his class. Smooth…very smooth.

But hugs from your grandchildren are all we grandparents want ..plus I discovered I was on the “Golden Grandparent” Recognition Wall for helping sponsor something at the beginning of the year. (forgotten now what it was?) Too funny! What we do for love!

So until tomorrow….Christmas, love, hugs, and elves are all around us…we must never get too busy to see their good deeds of giving! We can miss Christmas if we are blinded by the mundane and busyness of life.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh