It Wasn't Easy...

...but we held off the onslaught of Christmas...long enough to actually celebrate Thanksgiving.

I'm glad we did...always a good idea to pause and give thanks to God in heaven for His manifold gifts.

living room tidied up...

...dining room table ready for the feast...

...feast prepared, courtesy of Karen...

...and time to give thanks, then enjoy

Obviously, we used our finest china for the meal...the disposable kind...made cleanup a little easier.

As mentioned previously, we had a slimmed down guest list...my oldest who's usually here with a couple of his kids flew out to San Diego this year to be with his oldest daughter:

She's in the navy and in port for a while.

And apparently I failed to release the hounds in time so both of Karen's daughters and their S.O.'s made an appearance later in the day, after we'd already eaten.

Oops, wrong pic...hold on a sec...

Amy and Pete, Sarah and Alex

There we go.

One person we missed who used to join us regularly is my 2nd son, Ryan...

...he celebrated his first Thanksgiving in heaven this year, and someday, in God's time, I'll join him.

Oh...and of course, the Lions lost to the Bears, 16-14, on a last second, 28 yard field goal, moving them to 0 wins, 10 losses, and 1 tie on the year.

Unless I'm mistaken - a rare, but not unheard of event - that puts Michigan solidly in the top tier of purveyors of both incompetence and hopelessness.

Impressive, but still way behind Washington, D.C.

When it comes to being the worst, Brandon's still the best.

And in the O Boy Ain't This Fun department, today we woke up to this:

I guess it's beginning to look a lot like...well, you know.

Let the games begin.

So today is Black Friday...

pic of a local mall courtesy of Karen's son

...which makes it a dandy time to be working from home, though I have to say the mall looks busy, but not crazy.

Even so, my agenda has been given to me by the boss:

Well, maybe it just feels like that when I'm climbing up and down ladders and running extension cords.

The end result will be a little less over the top (I hope).

With any luck, we'll have The Castle Frankenstein all gussied up and ready for Christmas before you can say "why the heck do we do this every year?"

That's gonna hafta do it for this post Thanksgiving edition of the AMC.

I'll inundate you with pics and regale you with tales of decorating woe next time.

Until then, in this season of gratitude, remember...

later, mcm fans...

The Diva of Decorating...

...returns...Karen decided the front needed a little more work, while being careful not to cross the dreaded Clark Griswold line.

Here's a closer look...

...mostly the same, but a new green wreath on the right...

...the middle is really what needed lighting..

...and the white wreath is a nice touch near the manger scene.

There was a crafts show today in downtown Holland, and while there I spotted this book:

...by childrens book author Dave DeVisser...so I bought a copy and read it tonight...it's really a creative way to introduce children to some important history of WWII with quality illustrations by Cary VanderVeen...and since I'm a sucker for history, I admit I shed a few tears at the happy ending.

You can buy copies of Dave's books on www.davedevisser.com  Check it out...I enjoyed talking with Dave and his wife Joan, learning of their experiences as they travel to these kinds of shows, promoting the book.

Dave has another book coming out early next year as well.

Best success Dave and Joan as you strive to introduce a new generation to the Greatest Generation.

And while we're on the subject of the Greatest Generation...

...assuming you haven't just returned from a week long trip to another planet, you know we just completed a week of national remembrance for George Herbert Walker Bush, our 41st president.

His was a life of service...he was a naval aviator in WWII, a congressman, ambassador, Director of the CIA, Vice President and of course President.

My granddaughter, Tionna is part of the Naval Ceremonial Guard...

Tionna at a previous event, shaking hands with the brass...

...and she was on duty at the funeral that took place in Texas...hope to have pictures of that event soon.  Very proud of that girl, but of course her father Micah is even prouder...as he should be.

Well, we've closed out the first full week of December, so I suppose this is as good a time as any to inflict some seasonal pain on you, my hapless audience...with apologies in advance to Clement C. Moore...

'Twas 2 Weeks Before Christmas...

...and every mouse,

had fled frozen fields

for the warmth of my house.

My wife found their droppings

and said “I'm not pleased,

to think that these varmints

are taking their ease

“inside my warm dwelling;

this outrage won't stand!

What will you do?”

Then I raised my hand...

“These mice, they are finished!

Kaput and kersplatz!

No way they'll survive,

for we have three cats!”

And then we beheld

our fat felines, all three:

Kitty,

and Zoey,

and the useless Smokey.

Disciples of Garfield,

were these pointless creatures,

with sleeping and eating

their dominant features.

No help would be coming

from those worthless saps,

so I scrounged all around

til I found an old trap.

And later that night,

before mice came a-creeping,

I set the cruel deadfall

then got busy sleeping.

So early next 'morn,

at dawn's early light,

I sprang from my bed
to find what I might.

But what did my wondering
eyes finally see,
but a clean, empty trap
and a note left for me:

"Thanks for the cheese,

but what would be better,

instead of old muenster,

could we have fresh cheddar?"

"And what's with this platter?"

my mousy pals asked.

"We might have been killed

if we hadn't been fast!"

'Twas then that I thought

of the great Robert Burns

and his famous lament

to a mouse that he turned

Out of warm hearth and home

as he plowed in his field.

Did I want to partake

in his life time of guilt?

The best laid plans,

it is easy to see,

Gang aft agley

and I think you'll agree

There was nothing to do

but give them their cheddar.

After all, it was Christmas,

and what could be better

Than showing the love

God has for His swarm,

by letting them stay

inside where it's warm?

So out went the trap

in the cold, winter, night;

we're quite overrun

but I guess it's alright.

So to quoth from St. Nick

on his annual flight,

Merry Christmas to all,

and to all a Good Night!

An important note that I just recently realized...the above picture of Santa tippy toeing through a cool mid century modern house is from a Christmas card designed by Diane Dempsey of www.RetroChristmasCardCompany.com  I've been buying Christmas cards from them for 2 or 3 years now so should have known this, but I found the above pic online a few years ago and snagged it for this poem...

...so anyway, credit where credit is due...and check them out...they have the best mid century modern Christmas cards anywhere.

I leave you now with this mid century modern icon...a short video of my aluminum Christmas tree emanating mcm Christmas elegance...def watch it in full screen mode...

...classic...

later, mcm fans...