It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Cup your ear and give a listen.
Do you hear what I hear?
A Christmas Belle is ringing!

That would be my dear pal,

Lolly,
a self~described Cow Belle

ever since moving to America’s Dairyland a few winters gone by. Year 'round is how often Yuletide songs are playing at her house and an O Tannebaum, wealthy with trims, is a perpetual in her parlor! I know no one who loves Christmas as plentiful much as Lolly! And the day after Halloween is when I can without exception see coming a pre~Holiday parcel from my forever walking in a winter wonderland friend. She calls this special delivery her Jolly Jumpstart to me, a ‘Tis~the~Season~to~be~Ho! Ho! Ho! reminder, if you will, and yet another one of Lolly's ratherish ways to say words about it.

Penned in white~as~the~"driven," rolling script that had looks like the “Over the River and Through the Woods” song sounds, Lolly had written this “Open Me! Open Me! lure:

“I’m Dreaming of a....”

Depluming fingers of mine went fast to pluck free the small box from brown postal paper wrap, and then layers of illustrated candy cane tissue that amounted to oodles! Afterwhich, my eyes joyfully met up with a cartonned, “Lolly” two~word finish that would complete the package’s front side inscription, and begin a delicious Christmas story from her house to mine (whose “sips of” I take, amazingly taste like the North Pole itself!):

Noël sous la neige the blanc!
(Christmas in the snow white tea!)
What a lovely song
my unpolished French does make sings of!

Miss Lolly? Cup your ear and give a listen. Do you hear? Another Christmas chime resounds, this time, belling a plethora of Thank~yous in a direction that leads to you!

Have yourself a
Merry, Little Christmas!

Closelies From Little Acorns Grow

Jubilancy blankets me!
Our anniversary

Two Witches’
Oak Seed Switch

has once more been

twitched!

As long as long, J______, who answered only to “Lolly,” because “This given name most certainly was NOT meant for me! I SHALL TAKE ANOTHER,” and I fastfriended the moment our arms locked during a youth game of playground Red Rover, which ultimately resulted in us saving our team’s day and, thereafter, we have ever sincely and yearly cast the following charm:

Two Witches’ Oak Seed Switch

Begin this spell by presenting Dear Friend an acorn with. Marry hands in a circled embrace, so as to heartnear hold an Oak tree of both Dear Friends' choosing. (Fingertipping surely makes do, too, when trunks be that of mighty.) Ask its blessings by together saying:

We honor you, O Mighty Oak
Grant your strength unto these folk
Let it surge throughout these seeds
And make us strong in thought and deed

Each Dear Friend then entreaties the other to carry at all times the Oak seed. (Threaded as a necklet, or keychained can accomplish this "fine print" quite favorably!) As they do, the ties betwixt them shall grow and firm.

A few winters ago, Lolly, upon her heart’s urging, followed her “dream” ~~all the way to Dairyland, USA! Regrettably and alas, that particular “dream” of hers was of the two~timing variety and in short order got her boot! But because Lolly had so easily fallen into place with the cheeses and the mooing and all other things Holstein,

she swept up her broken pieces,
declared herself an honorary

Cow Belle,
and to this day and all those forward,
calls Wisconsin "home"!

Witch Which beyond doubt created a situation remedied only by invoking the Spirit of Mild Modifications (<~~lol): Now our yearly acorn presents are exchanged by post. And our tree chantings and Oak hugs are solo performances across the miles, yet in harmony, as we renew our friendship pledge at a time and on a day specific, and still with each other!

Acorn Promises

Integrals:
1 3/4 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/4 pound of butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup raisins
1 ½ cups chopped acorns (Remember: the fresher, the better. Not to Forget: un~bitter by leaching)

Make Haste To:
Screen together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, Cinnamon and Nutmeg. Earmark. In a large bowl, cream butter. Follow the additions of Vanilla and sugar with a hardy beating. Add the eggs and spoon~stroke until smooth. Steadily add the screened ingredients, turning again with your wooden until thoroughly commingled. Gently disturb the mix with a stir~in of the raisins and acorns. Place well~hilled teaspoonsful of dough distanced from each other by two inches on a tin foiled cookie sheet. Bake in a pre~heated 400*F oven for 12~15 minutes.

POSTSCRIPT: Lolly also sent word that she is recovering from a nasty tumble in which she sustained a wrist fracture! Although she mends nicely, her daubers seem a bit south. Might you put some kind thoughts to her? It would mean the world! Thank~you!

(I will hand image credits as soon as I have re-gathered them.)