It was "white" after all!

Christmas is behind us for another year.  It was a wonderful Christmas in the GiM household and I hope your home echoed ours.  As usual, my two gals, wife and daughter, put together a superior Christmas meal.

Christmas is difficult in families like ours.  As the years go along and as our age seems to increase, we now tend to get things we need and want as we go along.  That makes shopping for Christmas presents somewhat difficult.  Nevertheless, I think we all were creative enough so that we had a terrific day.

My "fading hope" of last week got revived as snow began falling early in the day and continued all day.  Although we've had snowier White Christmases, we got enough in our yard for me to proclaim a White Christmas here.  That just added to the day's enjoyment.

I love it when it snows as it did and then the snow stops.  This year, however, the forecast calls for some of us to get blasted again Thursday possibly into Friday with more on the way after that.  Although I live in what is projected to be a somewhat rainy event with some snow accumulation, one wouldn't have to travel far inland to find a lot more than people my age like.  I've seen some projections of up a foot or more.  I guess we'll know more later this week.

Our Tree is down already but the Village remains.  It's got another week or two of life.

I hope you have great days after Christmas and that all your presents fit and were appropriate so you won't have to fight the lines of returns.  We won't have to go to the stores.

Dave

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

The entire Gator in Maine congregation

wishes you and yours

The Merriest of Christmases.

May this day bring you peace, joy, and happiness.

Dave

Welcome. You have reached A Gator in Maine.

Our latest hiatus continues.  We will continue with an occasional picture change and add a short comment or two once in a while.

Happy Holiday Season, including A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Monday night includes the annual trip around the world of one of my favorites:  Santa Claus.  When we wake up Tuesday morning, we'll discover that he's left some real nice stuff under the real Christmas trees if, of course, we have been good little boys and girls.

 

There are many places on line where you and your kids can follow Santa Claus's flight.  Here's a couple ways to reach one of them, the "official" one: www.noradsanta.org/ or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/noradsanta.

 

I hope you will find that special item, the one you just must have (or want) under your Tree or in your carefully hung stocking.

 

Dave

Welcome. You have reached A Gator in Maine.

For anyone wondering, circumstances have caused me to put this blog on the "back burner" for a while. We will continue with an occasional picture change.

Happy Holiday Season, including A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Last Monday, we had low hopes of a White Christmas, but rain for most of the rest of the week ended any little hope we had as that rain has eliminated all the snow from our yard.  Our eye is now on Tuesday when, we're told, there a very slight chance of some snow showers which could at least give us some Christmas White.  We're not holding our collective breaths, though.  Meanwhile, we can celebrate sort of a White Christmas by eyeing our annual Christmas Village which includes some "Fresh Fallen Snow" from Department 56.

And since this is the Christmas season, we'll say one last "Goodbye" to our daughter's Golden Retriever.  Haley (on right above making play plans with our Golden last summer) was the sister to our Mariah.  Haley unexpectedly passed away on Nov. 28th.  All of us in our little Gator in Maine Congregation will miss her this Christmas Day.

 

Dave

Welcome. You have reached A Gator in Maine.

For anyone wondering, circumstances have caused me to put this blog on the "back burner" for a while. We will continue with an occasional picture change.

Happy Holiday Season, including A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Dec. 17th:  Not too bad outside our house when we awoke this morning.  I would have been happier if the snow had held off for another week so we'd get a White Christmas.  Meanwhile, our 9-year-old Golden Retriever was surprised when she went outside.  She did her AM duty and came right back into the house.

 

Stay safe while driving/walking today and cleaning out your yards.

 

Dave

Welcome. You have reached A Gator in Maine.

For anyone wondering, circumstances have caused me to put this blog on the "back burner" for a while. We will continue with an occasional picture change.

Happy Holiday Season, including A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

 

The Main Village from our annual Department 56 display.

 

Dave

 

By the way, we're looking at the snowy forecast with mixed emotions.

Welcome.  You have reached A Gator in Maine.

For anyone wondering, circumstances have caused me to put this blog on the "back burner" for a while.  We will continue with an occasional picture change.

Happy Holiday Season, including A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

A Skating Party scene designed by our daughter from our Christmas Village 2012 .

 

Edited Sunday evening to add:  For anyone interested, there's a fascinating story about Charles Dickens' visit to Portland in March of 1868 on MaineToday.com.  He was in Portland to read from, what else?, A Christmas Carol.  You can find staff writer Bob Keyes story in the "Life and Culture" section on MaineToday.com.

 

From the Dickens' Collection, a portion of our Department 56 Christmas display, is a version of Charles Dickens reading his Christmas Carol.

 

Dave

Welcome to Gator in Maine.

Charles Dickens reads his A Christmas Carol

December has arrived and we're just looking forward to a good month.  It'll be a relatively quiet one here on A Gator in Maine.

We are updating our pictures of Village 2012 to see if we can't get some clearer shots.  If we have success, we'll update what you have seen as well as the pictures on my personal web site.  Here's one new one:

From our Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol" collection.

 

 

I have a sad note to add this season, however.  Mariah's (our Gator Golden) sister unexpectedly passed into Doggy Heaven.  Haley belonged to our daughter and visited us often.  The two dogs really loved each other and loved romping in our back yard.  Our daughter has lost a wonderful companion and she will be missed.

 

 

 

"Haley" Oct. 6, 2003 - Nov. 28, 2012

 

You were a very good girl and a super companion.

 

Dave