Date: 28 December 2021. Christmas Concludes 2021 (Elf on Shelf edition)

© janice142

 

Elf on a Shelf has become a tradition for many of the younger folks. Essentially, Santa Claus sends one of his elves into homes with children. Each night the elf reports to Santa regarding behavior. Well behaved children are thus confirmed to be on the Nice List. One such elf resides with the Kidlet and her family.
 

Here are examples that Baby spotted in her home:

As for me, the YEAR before Elf on a Shelf became popular I got rid of our two elves that were decades old. Oh well... the new ones are much spiffier than the ancient ones from the boat I grew up aboard.

This year I again am scaling back the Christmas decor.
One thing displayed for the final time was my tugboat.

I do have a picture of The Robin ↑ and a friend has volunteered to add it to her collection.

Fighting clutter is a constant battle. And truth to tell, a 23' long miniature trawler does not a have a lot of space for the extraneous. I am much better at acquiring pretties than getting rid of same.

For instance, I found this beautiful plate at a thrift store:


 

Like most women, I enjoy using beautiful items. Here are additional pictures of my gorgeous plate. I am curious as to the age of this item. If you know, please either comment or send me an email at janice@janice142.com Thanks!

In my opinion the insistence upon only utilizing plastic dishes and cups aboard boats is a mistake. What if it breaks?!? Well, if anything of mine shatters I will first pick up the pieces. Then I will go to a thrift store and find a replacement. I enjoy the nicer things and accept that I will break some items.
 

Don't forget that if your boat is your home, make it so. Replacing a broken cup, plate or glass at a thrift store or charity shop is not costly. Additionally, glassware can be stowed such that nothing will break in all but the most extreme circumstances.
 

This Star Trek mug started life in my house back in 1993.

A few years ago I spotted another on eBay. I purchased the
second  mug as a back-up. So far the original serves me well.
 

Suffice it to say I would advise boaters to enjoy their vessels. Seaweed is not your spit-and-polish yacht. Instead she is home. My favorite boats are ones that have been lived aboard for years. The personal touches make them extra special. But I digress...
 

This year I received the coolest Christmas card. It unfolded into a Santa scene:

Thanks again to Eva and Larry. This card is a Keeper.
 

I also received a 3-D printed tugboat and red roses.

 

Here is a close-up of the 3D tugboat. You might notice Skipper
on the aft deck too. That was a spiffy gift from Rich. Thanks again Sir.

The mouse holding yarn that Baby made for me all those years ago is on the left.
 

Frankly though, for the past couple days I have been dismantling all but the *soft goods. Most items are tucked back into my Christmas box. Tomorrow I will wash the linens, dish towels and other fabrics.

*Soft goods are also known as linens, towels, and such. Your sheets and blankets are considered soft goods. So too are pillows.

It used to be that January would be the month stores would put soft goods on sale. I am not certain if that still happens. Do you know???
 

This is a towel I received a couple years back. It is one of the soft goods I will be washing shortly.

The embroidery is lovely on the Merry Christmas Seaside towel.
 

Organizing and putting away Christmas has been exhausting.
Don't believe me? Just watching my efforts has tuckered out Skipper!

In case you wondered though I have tucked my 100% Christmas music thumb drive back into the Christmas box, I do still have Bing and the boys singing to me. I listen to them all through the year. The magic of Christmas is not just the gifts. Those are not nearly as important as the memories.

I had a great Christmas. It was low key, relaxed and I liked that.
Being a grown-up is great. Unfortunately Newest had a different experience...

Her face reminds me so much of Son's that it is like seeing him again. Except,
because he was nearly deaf his cries were silent. That was pretty nice to be honest!

Still, the little one did say to her Mommy she's "had enough
with rules and is on her way to grandma's *house" (boat)
 

I await the arrival of Newest in her hot pink jeep...

In the meantime I am polishing up some last minute projects. There are always chores, improvements, and tweaks to make my life better/more comfortable. More on that shortly.
 

I do hope you holidays were spectacular, and thank you for reading.
 

Does anyone know about how old my Christmas plate is?
In this day and age, are those annual sales (soft goods in January) still a thing?
And, are you in an acquisition stage of holiday decor, or the opposite?
 

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