Making the transition

Once Thanksgiving is over, it's customary to put away
all the autumn decorations
and get out the Christmas stuff
(though some in our neighborhood
turned their Christmas lights on 2 weeks ago),
but I'm reluctant just yet to let go of the look of fall.


Maybe because Thanksgiving was so early this year;
maybe because of the beautiful bittersweet from Wisconsin or
the pie pumpkin from our CSA farmer.

And maybe it's time to dust. (Can you see the dust on that table?!)

Sinterklaas Essentials

My husband's daughter K sent us a package of goodies
from the Netherlands

to help make our St. Nicholas party authentic.

Music

A package of Flags on a Line


Wrapping paper with Sinterklaas and Black Pete



And a postcard with a note



I'd show you the gift tags, but they're not very PC.
Black Pete, a Moor and assistant to St. Nick,
is always portrayed in a cartoonish blackface kind of way.
I don't think it would fly very well here.
But it seems to be OK in Holland.

Thanksgiving

We spent a lovely afternoon and evening with family on Thanksgiving. The next morning, my husband said, “I really had a wonderful time.”

I can’t always gauge how things are with him, whether he’s just enduring a social event for my sake or actually enjoying it. And I hesitate to ask, sometimes. So it was good to have him volunteer it.