Musicians are such a giving group of people. The Jacksonville Symphony group and other musicians spend so much of their “spare” time entertaining the masses this time of the year. This morning, I got up very early to be at a Christmas service that started at 8:30. This feat may sound very ordinary to you, but for me and Precious, getting up early is not the usual thing. Precious, being my adorable 11 month old Havanese puppy, likes to sleep until 8:30. Since she and I are both retired, that is a good thing; however, this morning, I crawled out of bed a little before 7:00. She thought I had lost my mind, I am sure.
At that time I got her breakfast and a quick cup of yogurt for me, dressed hurriedly and I was out the door. By the time I arrived at the church, I was shocked to see that the whole parking area all around was packed. Had I missed the service? No, everyone except me knew that it would be very well attended this morning, and most likely they got up at 6:00. Mercy.
Having been an entertainer most of my life, I know how hectic this time of year can become. There are so many weddings during the holidays. I wish I had a nickel for every wedding I have played or sung for. I even married both times during the holidays. Christmas weddings are truly beautiful, but it can be very difficult to get everything done, due to the crowds in stores and traffic on the streets. Even getting people flown in for the service or picked up at the airport is time consuming. I think I would rethink having a wedding in December.
My Christmas quilt is a small wall hanging that depicts both of my December weddings. It was a walk down memory lane just getting the things together for the construction of the quilt. Shopping for fabrics right now is not a fun thing when one has to “take a number” to get the yardage cut that one needs; then the checkout line is a bummer for sure. I stand in line to check out only 15 minutes. Any time longer than that, I just walk out of the store and come back later. I have never known why stores that have that kind of business -- don’t plan ahead, hire more checkers, and get the new “scanner gizmos” that can speed up the procedure for getting checked out of the store in this lifetime.
I know that very few people are sewing today, Christmas Eve, so I shall say to you, “Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year of sewing and quilting!”
Plan on joining my Ocean Wave Quilters Guild in 2016. We meet the second Friday of every month at The Players Community Center on Landrum Ln. off CR-210, behind the Shell station from 10:00 to 12:00. You will love this group of ladies, I am sure!
