I don't remember the exact time, but at some point in November, we made the decision to not make and sell any Christmas items. Instead, we decided to go forth and spread lots of Bodacious Holiday Love and Cheer. As we had the year prior.
I mentioned in our November recap that "there is something else that happened during the month of November." That carried forth into December.
We made this special custom piece for a remarkable single Mom of 3 kids in December in addition to some personized ornaments.
On the day before my birthday, I posted this photo on my personal Facebook wall with a caption...
"My wife always takes my birthday week off. It's our busiest time of year in our Bodacious Woodshop and Workshop. It still is. However. This year. More has happened outside of those areas.
Long story short, we planned on having a yard sale in the Spring. Didn't happen. The Summer. Same thing. Work schedules. Deadlines. We could have waited until next year. But. A couple of months ago, I stumbled on a super great Facebook page that focused on a safe place for people to ask for items they needed or to offer items. For free.
For over a month, I've been posting items that we would have offered at our yard sale. And, offering items that we had on hand that was needed by others.
Over the past few days, this is what I've spent most of my time doing. Taking photos. Offering items. Responding. Packing items. It's been a lot of work. But. We have gifted almost 90% of the items that we had originally put aside for our yard sale.
I'm sharing this with you because, during this time, we have made connections with some really fabulous humans. They have shared personal stories and photos with us that will stay WITH US only. As a writer of almost 40 years, I can't even begin to describe this entire experience. Saying "amazing" just doesn't cut it.
With that being said, I'm pouring a glass (or 2 or 3) of wine. I'll be spending my birthday catching up on making Christmas ornaments and making lots of goodies to spread Christmas Love and Cheer over the next couple of weeks. But. It has been so worth it. Cheers!!"
On the day of my birthday, this was the meal Lisa presented to me. All of my favorites.
This is what I wrote to caption the photo...
"I want to take a moment to thank everyone for the birthday wishes. You truly made my day all the more special.
I had a fabulous day with my wife and furry kids. We worked on a couple of projects for our house. I finally got Christmas cards written out and ready to be mailed. I worked on almost 50 ornaments.
At the end of the day, my wife made a spectacular meal with some of my favorite foods. It ended with a decadent chocolate mousse cake. We'll be eating leftovers for a few days.
I will forever embrace our simple life. There is so much to be thankful for."
Other highlights during our Bodacious December...
When you want a hamper for your bathroom. And, can't find one you like. What happens? You build one.
Total. Hamper. Love.
It's the little things, right?
Due to (yet another) COVID-19 Pandemic surge, I had to get creative with making Bodacious Christmas gifts for Lisa's team members and beyond.
My original plan was to make a picnic style dinner for Lisa's team members. However, that didn't comply with the current "pandemic rules and regs."
So.
I had to embrace Plan B. It was a little more time consuming, but it worked.
Chocolate dipped peppermind spoons. Hot chocolate. Homemade cookies. Chocolate caramel pretzels.
And. Handcrafted Bodacious 2021 Holiday Ornaments.
Our dining room table was cluttered for over a week.
I posted this photo on my personal Facebook wall on December 23rd with a caption...
"So. After 8 days of continuous baking and candy making, we are down to delivering the last bag of sweet Christmas Love to our elderly neighbor. Tomorrow. With a gentle reminder that we will provide him with a Christmas dinner.
Yes. Exhausting. But. It marks 10 years that we've been doing this. Worth every minute. This year, we made almost 80 boxes and bags filled with homemade confections and ornaments.
For the next few days, we're going to exhale. Enjoy the simple things which include delicious food, sleeping in a bit, and having lots of family time with our furry kids."
There was a little surprise in my Christmas stocking from the kids.
Much needed.
We made our traditional Christmas Eve and Christmas Day feast. We brought containers and platters of food to our elderly neighbor.
This was our December.
The highlights.
Was there more that happened behind the scenes?
Absolutely.
More to come...
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