Red-striped Pajamas

In 2002, I wrote a short story at Christmas and made some little books with it to give as presents. I now give it to you, Dear Reader. Enjoy.

 

Red-striped Pajamas

(a Christmas love story)

When he was 5 years old, he got red-striped pajamas for Christmas. He loved those pajamas and wore them every night. When they needed to be washed, his mother would have to be sure and have them ready by bedtime, or he would refuse to go to bed.

He wore those pajamas for almost a year. They were worn through in a few places and a bit small by then. He cried when his mother threw them out. She chided him, saying he was too big a boy to cry over such things.

He got new pajamas, but they were green and yellow checked. His mother said she couldn’t find any red-striped ones in his size. He got over his loss, but always felt that something was missing in his life.

As the years went by he grew older, of course, and other concerns took precedence. The pace of his life increased and he was too busy to reflect on how empty his life really was.

When he was 50 he met the woman of his dreams. They fell in love and got married. Their first Christmas together she gave him red-striped pajamas that she’d made herself.

“How did you know?” he cried happily.

She replied, “You talk in your sleep. Merry Christmas.”

And it was.

Total Brain Freeze

Really scraping the bottom of the barrel today. Sat down with no clue as to what I was gonna write about. I've tried stream of consciousness writing before and really suck at it. So random sentences it is....

After church Wednesday night, I had my first practice for playing O Holy Night on Christmas Eve. Wow, did I stink! Out loud! Then went on to play through Coventry Carol with the same results. To be fair, I really hadn't done any practicing beforehand...guess I gotta work on that.

Had Marv get the tree down from the attic and set up Thanksgiving weekend. And there it stood with only the lights on it. I had contemplated just adding a garland and calling it good. Seriously. Finally I had Marv get down the box with the stockings and garlands in it, plus the two small “special ornaments” boxes. And that was it. What was in those 3 boxes was all the decorating I was going to do with the tree and whatnot. Oh, I lied. Marv had gotten the Manger scene box down when he got the tree down. So today I finally got the stockings up and the tree decorated. I have to admit that tree looks pretty spectacular. Got the Manger all set up. That's probably my favorite Christmas thing to do. If I had to, I could live without the tree, but I gotta have my manger scene.

Painted 7 more jars for luminaries to set up on Christmas Eve. Really enjoyed doing that. Saw the example on Facebook last year and we did a lot of them at church at the guild meeting, but knew then we could use more. They look so pretty at Christmas when they turn all the lights off as we sing Silent Night and the only lights are the candles up by the altar, the luminaries and the candles that everybody is holding.

And that's it for now folks.

December 2015 Book Report

The Picture Bible (1978) Iva Hoth/Andre Le Blanc

I bought this for Lia when she was a baby. It's in comic book style, linear in history, very good for young children. The last time I was visiting, I started reading it, wanting to see how accurate it was. I know, I should've done this BEFORE buying it. But as I read, I was satisfied it was accurate as far as a child's understanding went. I also learned a few new things I hadn't grasped before. I ending up taking it home with me (with Lia's permission) to finish it. I will make sure that visits in the future include reading some of this with Lia.

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Shadow Across the Sun (1966) by Betty Swinford

Christ-centered novel about a young woman who is overwhelmed with 4 small children, household duties, sideline job as an artist, and trying to remain steadfast in her faith. Her husband is a non-Christian with very little involvement in his family. She starts to sink into depression and ultimately has a complete breakdown. With the help of her pastor and his wife, she regains her faith.

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Saffy's Angel (2001) by Hilary McKay

Great little YA book!! I originally got it with Lia in mind, but it's a bit beyond her right now. Saffron learns by accident that she was adopted as a toddler by her aunt and uncle when her mother died in a car accident. Since her aunt and mother were identical twins, Saffy never knew the difference. I LOVED all the people in this book and would LOVE to see it as a movie.

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Flint (1944) by Charles G. Norris

Boy, was this book a downer! It takes place in the Bay area just before the US got involved in WWII. There's great strife between the unions in the dock area and the ship owners. Lots of blather about capitalism vs. communism. And everybody dies in the end!! Fairly decent story without all the worker strife, but again: everybody dies!!

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A Royal Pain (1986) by Ellen Conford

Cute YA book about babies switched at birth. One is a princess, one a commoner. Abby's an All American Girl in high school when she learns she's really a princess, promised to marry a creepy prince to solve her kingdom's financial crisis. She decides to make herself very unpopular and abdicate. Very amusing story, but a bit dated.

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Cressida (1977) by Clare Darcy

Regency romance. Cressy and Captain Dev Rossiter were engaged, but broke it off over a misunderstanding. Years later they meet again. Sparks fly. Hilarity ensues. More misunderstandings, but since it's a Regency, all ends happily.