Wrapping it Up!

As the holiday season begins its inevitable crash into the New Year, I am grateful to have a moment of peace beneath the warmth of my down comforter.

From today's newspaper comes a story that wraps up Christmas with clarity and humor, helping to define the blessings that we often take for granted. 

A Chicago man came home to find his entire apartment wrapped up as a prank by his friends. It took 16 people and 35 rolls of wrapping paper to turn the apartment into a gift of many delights. For eight hours these dedicated masterminds wrapped everything from the couch cushions to the beer in the refrigerator. 

Although the owner has only managed to unwrap about 10 percent of the packages, he says each time he does, he finds just what he needs. I found this to be quite profound. Perhaps Christmas doesn't come with ribbons and bows, as the Grinch finally discovers. Perhaps it is a little bit more. A place to sit or sleep, a roof over one's head, a glass to drink water, a lamp for light to read. 

Bravo on a prank gone well! A great way to remind oneself of the gifts we already have. That's what a wise grandma would do. 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

A Cup Of Holly Jolly

I am, once again, graced with the wisdom of my friend, Dr. Hoolala. His words on gratitude provided wisdom to the Thanksgiving feast and now his wishes for the holidays are like presents for both Scrooge and Elves.

Here is the Doctor's prescription for peace on earth.

I can't remember the last time I wrote a Christmas wish-list. This year is different, I've been discovering what I want and learning how to ask for it. Are you ready? Are you really ready? Here's what I want:

 

Compliment a stranger and tell me how they react.

 

Volunteer for two or more hours at a non-profit that you've never heard of before and tell me what it was like for you.

Give a sandwich to a homeless person and tell me their name.

 

Ask a coworker what their dream job would be like and tell me about it.

 

Try to learn a song backwards, sing it at a restaurant, and tell me how people react.

Write an inspirational message inside a bathroom stall with dry erase marker and tell me what you wrote and where.

 

Think of a question you've never asked me before, and ask me.  Make it something that you really want to know, too.

 

That's what I want, any or all of those.  Take your pick.  My only wish is to believe I've made a positive difference in the world, and to help others realize that they too can be positive influences in the world.  If you get this message, it's because you've been a positive influence in my world.

 

Thanks for another year of tears and laughter,

Dr. Hoolala

Right back at you, Dr. That is exactly what a wise grandma would do.

Making Snow Cream

As part of our twelve days of Christmas random acts of kindness, my granddaughter has decided to bake cookies for all of her Kindergarten class and teachers. We have a baking rule in our household. All products must be taste tested!

Since the weather outside has turned frightful, we stoke the fire, preheat the oven and whip up a batch of indoor snowmen. There is nothing better than a sweet snowman with your snow cream. Hopefully you have the essential whipping cream in your refrigerator for the unexpected school snow day!

Recipe for snow cream

4 cups of CLEAN snow

1/2 c sugar or to taste

1 tablespoon of vanilla

1 pint of whipping cream

Slowly blend together with the cream until you have the right consistency. Remember the snow will melt as you add the cream. Be sure to use a wooden or plastic spoon. Snow will freeze to a metal spoon. I doubt there will be any left, but snow cream does not do well in the freezer. It is meant to be enjoyed in the moment!

Ghosts of Scrooge

Bah! Humbug! Words to live by if your name is Ebenezer Scrooge. This world would be a much better place without all the people. I know it sounds harsh but think about it. Other than the occasional frustration of a disobedient dog, or the scratch marks on your new furniture from the cat or possibly the mouse that escaped your grandson's makeshift cage, there are few irritants that can really spoil a good day than people.

So what possible reason could Scrooge and I have for an often, considered negative attitude about people? As a teacher and director of a youth non-profit, I seem to meet up with some of the most irritating of the bunch.

Oddly enough, a woman whom I hardly knew gave me the best advice. We met on a plane and began chatting to pass the time. She had recently finished a book by Paramahansa Yogananda. She said he spoke eloquently about the freedom of forgiveness. His words serve as a mantra. Five little words spoken in the heat of anger - Bless them and forgive them. I find them most effective when repeated until the anger passes or I pass out, whichever comes first.

Of course the best advice is one that is passed on to others. So I give this advice freely to Scrooge and all those who will listen. It would be nice to extend this season of goodwill to men beyond the stroke of midnight on December 25th. May the ghosts of Scrooge haunt us all year long. Perhaps the world would be a better place if people were blessed and forgiven. That's what a wise grandma would do.

Live and In Person

Welcome to wisegrandma.com. Good to be live and look forward to blogging my way through what is now "officially" a recession. I don't think this is news to most of us and for the rest of you, don't worry. Many of my readers lived through the Great Depression and suffered far more than we are now. The main thing to remember is that you can always find someone in a worse situation than you.

So here is my tip for the day. Roll those pennies. Yes, I said pennies. Every year since we were married, my husband and I saved our pennies in a mason jar we left on the kitchen counter. Come Christmas time, we sat down and rolled all the pennies in the jar. I think our kids loved doing this because we would dump all the pennies out onto the table and the pile was quite impressive. They would sift their hands through the pennies, like King Midas himself. After painstakingly counting the pennies into neat little piles of ten, we would place them in wrappers and stack them in pyramids on the table before us. The number of rolls determined the size of the tree we would purchase.

At the time, $10 would buy a pretty good size tree, often having to be trimmed to get through the front door. Now we are lucky if we can rub together $20 in pennies for an average size tree, but none-the-less, it has become a tradition of family fun. It inspires saving and earning, not to mention the sigh of beauty when you see the tree sparkling with ornaments and lights, knowing you grew that tree one penny at a time.

My kids no longer chide me about picking up a penny on the street because they know that's what a wise grandma would do.