{"id":2062,"date":"2011-12-24T21:53:54","date_gmt":"2011-12-25T05:53:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.streamdoubletrouble.com\/?p=2062"},"modified":"2015-12-24T09:10:33","modified_gmt":"2015-12-24T17:10:33","slug":"the-bell-still-rings-for-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/the-bell-still-rings-for-me\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bell Still Rings For Me"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I no longer lie awake at night listening for hoof-prints on the roof or the hissing steam and squeaking metal of the Polar Express. I\u2019ve given up searching for a sleigh through a child\u2019s eye.<\/p>\n

Seasons change. Traditions evolve. We all grow up. For me, Christmas remains one of my favorite times of year \u2013 the spirit and memories of my childhood remain, tucked tightly into the bright white lights lining my tree.<\/p>\n

Last year was the muppets\u2019 first Christmas; it was the first holiday I didn\u2019t spend at home in my childhood twin bed. Christmas was a VERY big deal as I was growing up<\/a>. But now, I think about Search and Destroy asleep upstairs, waking up in the middle of the night, conspiring with one another throughout the night with the excitement my brother and I once discussed (every hour, on the hour).<\/p>\n

I am determined to keep some of my own traditions going, along with the new ones (such as creepy elves on shelves) we will discover as the boys grow up. Yesterday I braved the circus of a store to procure supplies for my favorite yuletide culinary creations: Yule Log and Murder Cake<\/a>. Bouncing around, I happily began burning baked goods to the tunes of Foo Fighters and Linkin Park.<\/p>\n

Me:<\/strong> OW!!!<\/p>\n

Jon:<\/strong> Who let you in the kitchen anyway? Did you obtain the proper visitor permits?<\/p>\n

Me:<\/strong> Let the Christmas cooking begin!<\/p>\n

It did not go exactly as planned\u2026 but both confectionaries appeared edible. And for what it\u2019s worth, you are never too old to lick the bowl.<\/p>\n

I called Aunt J to commiserate. She was in the middle of mashing fruit for a homemade applesauce. \u201cWho are you and what have you done with my domestically-challenged aunt<\/a>?\u201d<\/p>\n

Please note \u2013 this is a woman who once asked, \u201cWhere\u2019s the box?\u201d when faced with the challenge to assist with Thanksgiving mashed potatoes. She mumbled something about Christmas dinner. \u201cHave you ever made applesauce before? If you add too much water\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

I cut her off quickly. \u201cNo. I have never made applesauce. Because you can buy it in a jar at the store. Already. Sauced.\u201d<\/p>\n

Times and traditions change. Tonight I sit alone in my living room, embraced by the season\u2019s unmistakable scent of a freshly cut pine tree spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg.<\/p>\n

The ghost of Christmas past brings memories of my brother and I running toward a tree overflowing with gifts, as my parents stumble forward with freshly brewed coffee. The ghost of Christmas present arrives with thoughts of my friends and family that make me smile. And with the spirit of Christmas\u2019 yet to come I see brothers running toward a tree overflowing with laughter and gifts as Jon and I follow behind them as visions of freshly brewed coffee dance in my head.<\/p>\n

Amid the surround-sound of a self-made soundtrack and a glass of good wine, I raise my glass to you. May you always hear the sweet sound of Santa\u2019s sleigh bell.<\/p>\n

Merry Christmas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I no longer lie awake at night listening for hoof-prints on the roof or the hissing steam and squeaking metal of the Polar Express. I\u2019ve given up searching for a sleigh through a child\u2019s eye. Seasons change. Traditions evolve. We … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[19,20],"tags":[80,641,162],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3Sbzi-xg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":909,"url":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/christmas-is-coming-the-goose-is-getting-fat\/","url_meta":{"origin":2062,"position":0},"title":"Christmas is Coming, The Goose is Getting Fat","date":"December 6, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"When GrammaJ came to visit us this weekend, she looked at our squirmy little muppets and exclaimed how big they are getting. Before we know it, we\u2019ll be closing out the year. This weekend we kicked off the holidays. On Friday, Jon and Uncle Jeffrey trekked up to the Santa\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Celebrations"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/streamdoubletrouble.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/12\/brothers_logan-caden_readingwithgrammaj_12-05-10.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2072,"url":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/merry-christmas-some-assembly-required\/","url_meta":{"origin":2062,"position":1},"title":"Merry Christmas. Some Assembly Required.","date":"December 27, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Christmas 2011 has come and gone. Hurricane Muppet is in full force. This is a long blog. I know this. I recommend some coffee. Go ahead, I\u2019ll wait. We woke up at 7 a.m. (letting Mommy sleep far later than the Christmas mornings of her childhood) and descended the steep\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Celebrations"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.streamdoubletrouble.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Christmas_12-25-11_06-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1999,"url":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/roomie-christmas\/","url_meta":{"origin":2062,"position":2},"title":"Roomie Christmas","date":"December 7, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Twelve years. It\u2019s been 12 years. Twelve years ago the four of us weren\u2019t even of legal drinking age. It was the turn of the century. (Am I totally dating myself with that reference?) And we were four college kids just learning how to survive on our own. (Sometimes I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Celebrations"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.streamdoubletrouble.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Roomies.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":975,"url":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/the-muppets-christmas-spectacular\/","url_meta":{"origin":2062,"position":3},"title":"The Muppets Christmas Spectacular","date":"December 26, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I am sitting amidst the mountains of wrapping-paper wreckage in the living room. The laughter has finally died down. This has been a holiday for the history books \u2013 new chapters and new memories. The muppets woke up at 8 a.m. and I was all too eager to scoop them\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Baby Photos"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/streamdoubletrouble.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/12\/christmas-2010_grampatavo-capturing-memories_12-25-10.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":965,"url":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/its-the-most-wonderful-time-of-the-year\/","url_meta":{"origin":2062,"position":4},"title":"It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year","date":"December 23, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s Christmas vacation 2010! This is my favorite time of the year; I\u2019ve always loved the holidays. But I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve been this excited since I was a very small person. It\u2019s the muppets first Christmas \u2013 the first year we start creating our own family traditions. Christmas was\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Celebrations"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/streamdoubletrouble.files.wordpress.com\/2010\/12\/file0081.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3730,"url":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/merry-christmas\/","url_meta":{"origin":2062,"position":5},"title":"Merry Christmas","date":"December 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Baby Photos"","img":{"alt_text":"Christmas Card_2013","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/Christmas-Card_2013-1024x739.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2062"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2062"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2062\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/streamoftheconscious.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}