This will be my first Christmas without my wonderful mother and I am reminiscing about seasons past. This lightly edited re-post makes me smile.
Every year, for more than 40, my family’s Christmas card visualized a map or globe. Dad was a geography professor and Mom, as the family’s ‘creative director’, came up with this plan, made it happen, and kept it alive. In those days it was often hard to find the perfect card, but she prevailed with an amazing variety. A few years ago, while helping Mom downsize from her home of many years, I found a box with one of each card, carefully archived.
So many of the cards remind me of the Christmases with my family and, of course, my Father – all precious moments. I decided to scan them all and create a poster to frame as part of our Christmas decorations. Here are just a few of my favorites. Keep in mind, these are from the days when people actually used printed maps! I hope they make you smile too.
The Finished Product
I certainly couldn’t use all the Christmas cards, but managed to fit in about half. It’s 16 x 20, designed and printed with Shutterfly, then put in a simple frame. It’s easy to store and pull out at Christmas to display. My mother was so surprised.
The Polar Express. It’s no surprise a magical book would produce a magical experience.
Train museums across the U.S. offer seasonal trips on The Polar Express. Based on the iconic 1985 award-winning children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg, the story was catapulted to international fame when made into an animated movie featuring Tom Hanks.
We took The Polar Express at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore. Considered the birthplace of American railroading, the B&O (Baltimore and Ohio) is a National Historic Landmark. The 40-acre site was the location of the country’s first commercial railroad in 1827, and the first passenger and freight station.
Our five-year-old and three-year-old grandchildren dressed in warm red flannel pjs for their journey to the North Pole. The excitement was palpable, as the friendly conductor welcomed everyone to board the decorated train with its twinkling lights, tinsel and ornaments. We each had a golden ticket, just like in the movie.
Once seated, we sipped hot chocolate and nibbled on sugar cookies as the staff entertained us with songs and dances adapted from the very flamboyant movie version. Staff circulated through the car reading the story from an oversized copy of the book.
The friendly conductor returned and feverishly punched our tickets, eliciting more than a few giggles from the kids. The Hobo who lived on the top of the train, sat with us for a while, but the kids were wary of him. My granddaughter whispered to me that he was a “specter.” I’m not clear how she knows what a specter is at age 5 . . . but she didn’t want to get too close.
And then with great fanfare, Santa appeared! He spent time with each child and presented each guest one of his special silver bells.
Finally, at the North Pole, we walked through a flurry of falling snow and a bevy of elf-helpers, to a world of huge vintage trains, model trains, children’s crafts, and lots more fun. The five-year-old pronounced the elves fakes because their ears were not pointed. But still, it was quite an enchanted night.
Before and after our recent trip to Normandy (on Uniworld’s SS Joie de Vivre) we spent some time in Paris. Mostly walking around, with a number of stops in cafes. I thought the best way to convey the feeling of Paris would be with pictures and occasional observations. So here goes.
We did visit Versailles to see the private apartments of the royal family. It was terribly crowded.
We enjoyed a walking tour of the Latin Quarter (5), the historic center of Parisian university life.
We found our way to the historic Jewish district and a Yiddish deli. Excellent pastrami!
We learned it’s important to look both up and down when walking around – Paris has a few surprises. The French street artist known as Invader installed mosaic tile art throughout Paris. His artwork first appeared in the 1990s and is inspired by early video games from the ’70s and ’80s. He has expanded to other major cities around the world – but none more prolific than Paris where 1,000 installations can be found. Kids enjoy hunting for the images and you can buy books and maps with their locations.
Ememen is another French street artist working throughout Europe. His specialty is filling in cracked sidewalks and pavement. He works at night in disguise; word is he’s coming to the US, so keep your eyes open.
Notre Dame did not look ready to open. But since we’ve been home, they rang the Cathedral bells for the first time since the 2019 fire – we just missed it. It is now scheduled to reopen on December 8th, 2024.
In honor of celebrating our anniversary later this month, we also indulged in a couple of very touristy endeavors. We went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and had flutes of champagne. This involved huge crowds (even with advance purchase tickets) and me hugging the walls since I’m not a fan of heights. I stepped forward briefly for our toast shown below. We also got a kick out of the energetic show at the iconic Moulin Rouge. During one of my first childhood dance recitals, we performed a can-can routine – so I could not resist seeing it done in Paris.
We drove into Honfleur by a scenic route from Caudebec where our Uniworld ship was docked. Caudebec was the home of Victor Hugo (who wrote Les Misérables and the Hunchback of Notre Dame in case you forgot). All along the route, we enjoyed seeing many of the thatched-roof houses for which the area is known. And then we arrived in Honfleur on the Seine estuary.
Honfleur was spared during the war and in addition to having a lovely seaside setting, is an intact medieval village. Today it’s also an artists’ colony and is packed with shops, galleries, antiques, museums, and cafes. I loved it. I also need to thank our friend Amy O. for telling us about this wonderful part of France. After hearing her description and seeing her pictures, I had to visit.
Any town dating from the Middle Ages has a lot of history and we enjoyed learning more about the area on a walking tour. Originally built for trade, today’s industry centers on tourism. We spent the rest of the day strolling up and down the narrow streets. Finding the next meal always seems to be on my mind and there are so many enticing options it was hard to choose. We finally settled on one where I enjoyed mussels and frites while Fred had fish soup. Once fortified, we were back out exploring. The morning haze had lifted and we had some lovely blue sky among the drifting clouds.
Monet’s mentor, Eugène Boudin, was born here and the area was a magnet for impressionist painters. The village became known for its changing light conditions. The different light and reflection from the water would change the colors of buildings, creating an enticing opportunity for artists. There is a museum with Boudin’s work (aptly named the Eugène Boudin Museum) and others who were captivated by this lovely setting.
Honfleur is definitely one of my favorite stops on this itinerary. I could easily spend a few days here.
There is not much fishing these days, but the fishing boat shown here unloaded their nets on the dock. A man watching picked up a starfish from among the shells and seaweed. Finally, he released it back into the water. Just in time, because I was trying to decide how I was going to mount a rescue effort.
If you enjoyed this post, you might like to visit Monet’s Giverny.
