For the first time in 31 years, I have an artificial Christmas tree which I bought at thrift.  It was so easy to do I wonder why I struggled with the live trees for so long, and once decorated it doesn’t look too bad.  No one’s going to be here to see it given the kids are in Osoyoos and Grand Forks so won’t be coming to Kelowna.  I also have about a quarter of the usual froufrou out, didn’t even open some of the Tupperware containers labelled Christmas Decorations, and feel fab about it all.

I now see the amount of rejected ornaments in thrift as a sign of things to come as I don’t want most of the stuff I’ve accumulated over the decades.  I have more ceramic Santas than any normal person needs and why the dozens of pieces of the little Christmas Village that seemed so cute at the time?

Besides simplifying Christmas, another idea I stumbled upon was to use my mom’s cemetery plot, already paid for in Osoyoos, and which she doesn’t want.  I’ll then be buried (or interred I should say) beside my dad, and near my grandparents, and also old time Osoyans with whom I think I would like to spend eternity.  I mentioned it to the reunion women and Penny said she had a slightly used urn and I said I’ll take it as how dirty can it be, plus as a thrifty person, why waste that?

This weekend as I go to Osoyoos I have two interesting desserts planned.  Remember that old pineapple and whipping cream in a Graham cracker shell dessert from the 70’s?  I’m making that, plus an egg nog tres leches cake which sounds kind of interesting.  I’m adding to the plight of the oceans by buying two bags of probably the last wild shrimp in the Pacific, but I can’t eat the farmed as I’ve seen too many documentaries on it.

You may recall Denis put up the Christmas lights on this house every year for the past 31, but since he moved to Midway, he’s balking and so Calvin the tenant and I are going to try and figure it out ourselves.  I’m fine when it comes to downsizing the decorations inside, but I really insist on outdoor lights for the month of December.

Another new and interesting Christmas development is my group of friends I like to refer to as The Crones have decided not to exchange gifts anymore.  It’s always such a struggle to try and buy stuff for people who just go out and buy whatever they want.  And we’re all so peculiar at this age we only like certain things so it’s really impossible, and this was a welcome idea to all.

You know how I love free things so one thing I never miss is the local Global news as I get that channel with just my rabbit ears so it’s free.  I’d kind of forgotten about it as I mostly watch You Tube or Netflix when one day Justin was playing with the remote and that channel came on.  I said to Nick I forgot I used to get free TV!

Alzheimer’s?  Maybe but more likely the usual eccentricity of the aged.  When I watch the weatherman I notice his jacket pulls when he buttons it, so I sent him a very nice message on Facebook saying I think just one size larger would look so much better.  Then I posted it on Facebook and strangely, few people gave a rat’s ass about it.

As we get wiser we realize we can do with so much less, and perhaps that’s the message of the too tight sports jacket, saving on fabric is the future of fashion.