December…jingling all the way!

The Farmer’s Almanac has predicted a “cold and snowy” winter for the Midwest, and so far, the predictions are spot on. This weekend the expected overnight temperatures are 4 degrees Fahrenheit. Brrr!

From the basement (or is cellar a better word for a room you can’t fully stand up in, that sports a dirt floor, and several trees are support beams holding up the house? No kidding.) I hear the busy chatter of a local crew installing a new furnace…I’m so grateful that it will be in place to keep this 161-year-old farmhouse toasty before the winds howl and the snow piles up around the doors. And while the new furnace and a cozy fire are perfect for these shivery December days, they’re not all that will take the chill out of a month that can be bitterly cold. Both homes and hearts can be warmed by the glow of the holiday season.

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  1. TheCrankyCrow says:

    Merry Christmas Sweet Mary…. Another beautiful post – you never disappoint. What a comforting (albeit budget-stretching) thought to be having a new furnace installed ahead of the for-sure-and-for-certain cold this winter will (and already has!) brought. After my nightmare last year with the non-working furnace issues, I’ll vow I will never take for granted again being able to wake up to – or come home to – heat. Great ideas for keeping Christmas in our hearts. As I just commented on Jacky’s (“Dicky Bird’s”) post, though, I won’t be doing much baking/cooking this year even though that has always been a large part of Christmas for me. The whole GF thing makes it difficult and the kids really don’t eat much of that stuff anyway (sometimes I question whether they’re proper relation to me LOL). Gifts, too, are simpler (why buy things they don’t want/need?) but I’ve probably decorated even more than I have in the last several years. No one other than me to enjoy them but enjoy them I do…a little light in the dark of winter (and a great way of procrastinating less enjoyable tasks). Again I find myself wishing we were closer neighbors.

  2. Gae says:

    Thank you Mary for another wonderful post! The reminders to take life slow and simple are appreciated! Timing is perfect for the new burner installation! Merriment and blessings to you and your family this Christmas and throughout 2026!

    Gae
    Farmgirl 7534
    From a snowy Northeast this morning

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