Monday, December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas!

As the sun starts to set on Christmas Eve, accompanied here by rain, snow flakes, and sleet, Santa may need to use his GPS to get around. I heard that NORAD is tracing Santa's journey. Volunteers at an Air Force base are monitoring maps showing Santa Claus' progress and have answered more than 24,000 phone calls from children wanting to know everything from old Saint Nick's age, to how reindeer fly (I'd like to know that answer), to when they can expect their presents.

According to USA Today, phones have been ringing nonstop at Peterson Air Force Base, headquarters of the North American Aerospace Command's annual Santa-tracking operation. Dozens of helpers at NORAD are taking calls and tracking Santa's location on large projection screens. They're posting updates for nearly 1.2 million Facebook fans and 104,000 Twitter followers. The stories are really touching.
One little boy from Missouri called 877-HI-NORAD (877-446-6723) to ask when Santa delivered toys to heaven, said volunteer Jennifer Eckels.The boy’s mother got on the phone to explain that the boy’s sister had died this year. “I think Santa headed there first,” Eckels told him. I hope he had plenty of toys for the sweet victims of the Newtown, who just arrived.

Charlie hasn't been feeling well, so I've been running back and forth to his doctor's - first with a stool sample, then to pick up medications. I don't know how an indoor cat gets a bacterial infection, but he managed. Poor little guy is miserable, spending a fair amount of time sleeping on the carpet outside his bathroom. He wants to be close to his box. I feel almost as bad as he does. You know how it affects you when your furry kid is sick, and you can't explain why - or fix it right away.

Otherwise, I must go wrap (or bag) presents. UPS just arrived with a last-minute Land's End order with several gifts for Mom. Plus he brought a little gift for me: an ultra-deluxe sample of Guerlain's new Orchidée Impériale The Cream. Rhonda at Guerlain's boutique in Las Vegas send it, promising that it would not be heavily fragranced. She's right. I can't wait to try it.

Tonight, I'm going over to a friend's party (the snow is not accumulating), and tomorrow I'll be at my Mom's house. I was given potato duty, so I took several recipes over and asked her to choose. She went for the simple au gratin recipe, so that's what I'll be cooking to accompany the prime rib. I hope someone is preparing the French green bean casserole (yes the one with the crispy French's onions - I love it).

Christmas can be a bit melancholy. A group of local residents paid tribute to the Newtown victims at the Washington Monument today, singing carols in their memory. If you'd like to go to YouTube to hear one of my all time favorite Christmas carols sung by Barbara Padilla, check out this link. It's incredibly hard to sing - hard to believe I used to be able sing it (when I had a child's voice). I'll never forget that this song brought tears to my father's eyes. Remembering that brings tears to mine, along with so many memories.

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas celebration. Merry Christmas! I'll be back in a day to show you some beautiful new makeup.

Update Christmas Morning: Charlie is feeling a bit better - after only one pill, which amazes me. He also has probiotics for his food, but he is NOT keen on them. They must have a taste or smell to him. Because he feels better, so do I. I think I had a lot of anxiety yesterday because my baby was so sick.

iStock photos

33 comments:

Nemo said...

So good to hear from you about Christmas, Cg. You sent us the Barbara Padilla link last year, too, and when I heard her sing I gasped. How beautiful she is, and how beautifully she sings! She has talent that surpasses all understanding. I do hope Charlie gets well. I have had a horrid bacterial infection for some time now in my ear and jaw. So painful to open my mouth to yawn, eat or brush my toofies. But not to speak (my husband wishes otherwise) or to place makeup orders. We are not alone in sorrowing for the Newton families. Their horror and sadness are incomprehensible. We have the gift of prayer and a compassionate God, and He will deliver them and us, too, from this. Here is wishing you and your Mom and Charles the very best Christmas ever.

Evelyn said...

Merry Christmas Charlestongirl! I hope the weather will not be so bad and that you'll have fun these days. Hopefully Charlie will be back to normal. He sounds like me when I feel ill, curl up in bed with a clear path to the bathroom. lol

Actually I've managed to get sick again because being sick for Thanksgiving wasn't fun enough! So I will wish all of us a Happy and Super Healthy New Year filled with moisturizing lipsticks, lush mascaras and glowing Meteorites! hehehe

Eileen said...

It's early in the day here so everyone is still scampering about scooping up last minute presents or just enjoying the lull in the rain. My sons are in residence and while I babysit all the pooches, they've taken their special ladies to the harbor to see the boats all decorated in their holiday splendor. We open gifts on Christmas Eve so the big dinner is tonight: roasted tenderloin with cognac sauce, sauté mushrooms, green beans with pancetta (Ina Garten's recipe), roasted fingerlings, buttery flaky rolls from the local bakery, and a beautiful 2009 pinot noir. For dessert it will be a traditional Bûche de Noël. Tomorrow will be a leisurely brunch and then we're going to go see Les Miserablés. When deciding what to see, we ladies won the coin toss :-)

I hope Charlie bucks up soon. I always feel so helpless when any of my furry babies feel sick. They just look at you with big, forlorn eyes as if to say, "You do understand, don't you, Mama?".

I hope you have a wonderful holiday, Charlestongirl. It sounds like it all came together even though some of the shopping was last minute. I think the speedy delivery service this year has been extraordinary.

Have a very Merry Christmas, Charlestongirl!

Hi Evelyn,

I do so hope you are feeling much better soon. Once a person's resistance has been compromised, it seems to just be one bug after another :-(. Take extra good special care of yourself. Relax and let everyone else do all the running around!

Happy Holidays, everyone. I wish you all peace, joy, love, and happiness now and throughout the New Year.

CGirl said...

Merry Christmas to you as well! I hope poor Charlie feels better soon. It is so difficult to have a furry friend be sick.

We are hosting Christmas dinner, so I'll be doing most of the cooking. We are having beef, ham (with an amazing orange-maple glaze and sauce), and turkey (I do not have to prepare the beef, thank goodness). There are some picky eaters at our house, so my mom insists we have all three. I also will make stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry mousse, and salad. For dessert, I'm making gooey butter cake and brownies, while my mom makes pumpkin roll. Needless to say, we have a lot of leftovers!

I'm looking forward to my friend opening the Tarte palette I got for her and to any beauty treats I receive! I hope you all have a day full of love!

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Nemo,

I did put up the link last year. There is only one version I've found on the Internet that rivals Padilla's. Denyce Graves

Charlie has cocci, it's something I think he had flare up years ago. I have read up and found out that it never truly goes away. Just flares. I am wondering if his teeth cleaning exposed him to it at the vets.

Your chronic infection sounds totally painful. How do you feel about a second opinion?

Hope you have a great Christmas! Thanks for being a faithful reader.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Evelyn,

Me too! That's the way Sir. Charleston feels. As for you, think about going to a doctor! Or just don't leave home. That will prevent exposure to all those sick people out there. I am a recluse during flu season. :)

I'll drink to a New Year filled with makeup treasures! Feel better.

Charlestongirl said...

Merry Christmas, Eileen! Your arrangement with Christmas Eve and Christmas Day sounds perfect. I'd vote for that! However, we stick to our family traditions. When I was growing up, we didn't put up our tree until Christmas Eve. That was the action for the day. I rather enjoyed decorating the tree, until my klutzy sister started throwing tinsel by the buckets at my perfectly staged, left-brain creation. :)

Charlie has cried and cried. I know he hurts and is distressed. He has his first pill mid-day, and just played with a catnip toy he wouldn't look at this morning. Hope he's better soon.

Last minute? I'll say. That's what you get when your mother wants/needs nothing. I hope she likes at least one of the things I bought.

Happy holidays! All of them. Give those babies a hug from Aunt Charlestongirl. :)

Charlestongirl said...

Hi CGirl,

OMG...not one but three? That is a total feast. You will be exhausted? I'd like to drop in for that cranberry mousse! Yum.

I hope you have a wonderful day and are the recipient of wonderful treats. I purchased two Rouge Gs and a Hermès fragrance for one of my best friends. I hope she likes them. She is always applying lipstick, so I thought the Rouge G mirror would appeal to her.

Merry Christmas!

Charlestongirl said...

To all of you,

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! I love you all and look forward to our daily chats.

I'll let you know about Charlie's progress tomorrow.

Dee said...

Merry Christmas!

Clarisse said...

Merry Christmas Charlestongirl! It's 1 o'clock on the 25th here, we have just come back from the midnight Mass!Have a wonderful day with your Mom and Charlie who I hope will feel better...
Everybody has come home and I wish someone would have offered me a cook for one week as you offered your Mom....so tedious to plan menues twice a day for 6 famished young people:-)!!!anyway I'll manage and it's better than what they usually get in Paris and I'm so glad they came home:-)
Merry Christmas everyone too, enjoy a lovely holiday with your families:-)

Charlestongirl said...

Merry Christmas, Dee!

Charlestongirl said...

Merry Christmas, Clarisse! Now, get to sleep. You have a big day tomorrow with all those mouths to feed. I hope you have a magical Christmas, surrounded by your family. Love to everyone!

Lulle said...

Merry Christmas!

I hope Santa brings you joy, and good health for Charlie!

alrenwald said...

Hi CG--all I wish for you is for your Charlie to get better soon. Hope to hear updates from you. :-)

Evelyn said...

Thanks for the good wishes! I think 2012 has been a tumultuous year so it has taken a toll on me physically, nothing major, just these annoying illnesses and random aches. Now that certain things have resolved in my life the project for 2013 is to develop a balanced physical fitness and nutrition plan which has always been a challenge for me and certainly contributes to ill health (and not happy skin!).

I think the culprit this time was my whirlwind visit to FAO Schwarz and Bloomingdales for gifts, plus our NYC subways. Germs galore, what else can I say? :) It will be ok and I'm sure we'll all be off to a better 2013! And possibly dinner at Eileen's house? Between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve's menus, I'm thinking Eileen has the best ideas for holiday dinners! :)

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas, dear Charleston Girl to you, your dearest mother, your beloved Charlie and your loved ones. Speedy recovery to Charlie, it is so hard to see our furry friends suffer. Thank you for your excellent blog, your great taste and fine reviews. Waves to the nice commenters above.
Tanja

Catherine (@bcrueltyfree) said...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! :D

Unknown said...

Merry Christmas C-girl! Christmas is really about family and closest friends. I hope Charlie feels better soon.

Charlestongirl said...

Thank you, alrenwald! Merry Christmas!

Charlie is feeling better already - after one pill that goes after the cocci that proliferated in his poor tummy. Since he feels better, so do I!

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Evelyn,

Definitely, being around lots of people will do it - one reason I shun crowds. I do not want to be sick for many reasons. One of them is Mom. She had chronic lymphocytic leukemia, so she won't be good at fighting off infections.

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Lulle,

Merry Christmas! Thank you.

Charlestongirl said...

Thank you, Tanja! Merry Christmas to you too!

Charlie is acting less lethargic, so I am pleased that his pills seem to be working.

Charlestongirl said...

Merry Christmas to you too, Catherine! I hope your day is merry and bright - such wonderful lyrics.

We can all hope for a no-animal-testing year coming up.

Charlestongirl said...

Merry Christmas, Anne! I hope your day (which may be over by now?) is a lovely one.

Rosemary said...

Merry Christmas, CG! And best wishes for a speedy recovery for dear Charlie.

Walls said...

Happy Christmas to you and your loved ones. I had submitted a comment to this post yesterday, but I guess it got lost in the ether. Glad Charlie is on the men. I, too, rest more easily when pets return to their normal selves. Have a wonderful holiday!

Walls said...

Oops. Comment should read 'on the mend'. Must've hit delete one too many times!

Victoria said...

Merry Christmas to all! I started reading BTiB this year, and I just wanted to thank from the bottom of my heart all the wonderful ladies (and gentlemen?) whom I have met through my favorite beauty blog. I have learned so much from all of you. And above all, I can't thank Charleston Girl enough for her generosity, her kindness, her hard work, etc etc - i.e., all those nice superlatives that honestly aren't even enough to describe everything that CG has given us. CG, I hope Santa brought you that new consulting gig that you had been wishing for! And best wishes to you, your mom, Charlie, Savannah, and all of your loved ones.

Now, to all a good night! :)

Charlestongirl said...

Thank you, Rosemary. He's better!

Charlestongirl said...

Thanks, Walls. Google sometimes does weird things with comments.

Hope your Christmas was joyful!

Charlestongirl said...

Thank you, May! That was so sweet. I hope your day was wonderful!

Lori said...

Merry Christmas CG and Charlie!!

I was going to recommend probiotics for Charlie. We give them to our guys daily and they do very well with them. They really do seem to help!!