“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).”
Matthew 1:22-23 ESV
I know what calendars indicate, but all of December is a winter month as far as I’m concerned. I started out for a walk on a wintry day last week and packed the drone with me. I decided to stop and fly so I could get a look at an area beyond where my time would allow me to hike. I was not able to fly far or high because of wind warnings I kept getting for the drone. We will show a bit more of “Christmas On The Coosa” (shown in SSS 526) in a moment, but this is the way Christmas on the Coosa looks at our house!
Before returning you to winter, I couldn’t help but post this amazing tree that would compete with any of the autumn trees we encountered this fall. Friday, in the late afternoon, I walked to the front pasture to see if I could get some sunset views. It seemed too overcast, but just before sunset a small break in the clouds allowed the sun to shine forth like a spotlight, illuminating only the treetops and casting a bright golden glow on all the high clouds which reflected on everything below. I’m glad I looked east and didn’t miss this because it was gone in seconds. The photo has not been “doctored”, as I wanted to keep it as close as possible to the way it actually looked!
Now, as promised, back to winter and an aerial view of the ice rink at “Christmas On The Coosa”. This was minutes after opening for the evening, but a few skaters had already made their way onto the ice. With the knowledge that I need a knee replacement, I am choosing to stay off the ice!
We have followed this tree since construction began and are finally enjoying the completed project. When we attended the lighting the Mayor shared that the tree came from Italy. He also stated that crews worked day and night to make this happen because the tree was delayed for days in Customs at the port of Savannah. They were sweating it out!
There are many different color schemes and it takes several minutes for the lights to cycle through the various arrays and configurations.
Meanwhile, back at our Christmas tree, it is “featured ornament” time. Nearly 20 years ago, we ran across this unique set of ornaments while in London at Fortnum & Mason. Pam is the shopper and normally spots the prettiest things, usually knowing all the special details and history of any special items. But in this case, I found these eggs and just had to have them. There were actually 6 ornaments, all with a different design. They came in a neat padded little case. All 6 are still with us and go on the tree every year. Fortnum & Mason was established in 1707! (Pam told me that…I had no idea, I just liked the eggs)
Some ornaments are chosen because they are simply grand decoration, others because the tree needs a little filling in here and there, but many are all about memories. This small Radko cuckoo clock brings something to mind…My mom and my grandmother had cuckoo clocks that weren’t identical, but very similar. As far back as I can remember, these working clocks were in the family areas of their houses. I grew up with these clocks. A relative who was in the Army and stationed in Germany sent the clocks to them. I actually have the clocks stored. Both are in need of work, and it might take parts from each clock to have a restored, functional clock. Perhaps one day that can happen, but for now, we have this little Christmas reminder!
We received an early Christmas gift last week. It now graces our tree. P.J. and I agree, this is our favorite ornament of all! The vote was unanimous!!
Green and red are often seen as favored Christmas colors. I had not been to the wildlife sanctuary by the lake in over a month, and definitely not since we had colder weather and a freeze. So, when I ventured there Tuesday, I did not expect to find this green algae still present. I had an idea immediately when I discovered this, but did not go back and carry it out. I wanted to get 8 or 10 of our older red ornaments and find places for them amongst this sea of green. I would go back and do it but I suppose it would be considered littering! A lot of people pass this way and I’m sure everyone would enjoy it much better decorated!
It can be a bit harder to find color and activity along the trails in colder months. I was thinking I might not see much on my 3.5 miles along the trail, but one of my favorite things showed up…reflections! Could they get confused and think they are landing in a tree until the water splashes? I guess ducks are smarter than that!
This reflection was one of the most unusual I’ve seen. I stared at it briefly and began to struggle with what was water and what was tree. It messed with my mind after a few minutes!
Was the fishing good at this spot or was it only a peaceful, welcoming, resting place? Or maybe it was the reflections?
This reflection will rival the earlier one that messed with my mind. It seems a still day with the right lighting at a particular angle is necessary to bring this about.
I wonder what animals think when they look at themselves in the mirror?
Another color scheme on the big tree near the river! There were so many pretty displays…sorry to bore you with them but we are omitting about 50!
The gazebo near City Hall is always adorned for Christmas. With no one else around, it was a perfect time for Pam to go inside the gazebo and lean her face over the rail in a holiday pose for this photo. I suggested, she refused!
City personnel decorate this very large real tree every year with old fashion style colored lights. We happened by at just the right time to catch the waxing moon (it was a full moon last night) looking on above the star!
At the close of the day on Friday these golden clouds contributed to the awesome colors on the treetops that were behind me…like the one in the earlier photo!
Thanks for stopping by:
We wish for you a pleasant and peaceful week.
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26 ESV
Linking with:
Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch, Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Imparting Grace,Life and Linda
Love your photos. Yes I agree the egg shaped ornaments are beautiful,Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Della. We’ve somehow managed over the years to not break one of those eggs. The way I drop things these days, that’s a miracle. Have a great week!
Butch and Pam
Butch you are amazing! We even get your scary thoughts. Maybe you should stay away from water before you do something really strange😂 but really the algae in December was strange. THe moon this week has been beautiful and your timing to catch it just over the top of the Christmas tree was awesome. Then you somehow caught a tree still holding on to its leaves and the perfect light to showcase it. I’m thinking if your knee wasn’t holding you back you’d be riding that moon that’s over the Christmas tree😁. Have a happy and picture perfect week!
Thanks Alice. My knee is keeping me from getting out and about as much these past few months as you might can even tell on my posts. But maybe that’s also keeping me from following through with some crazy notions that would be hard to explain to the authorities. We wish you a happy week as well!
Butch and Pam
Wow! That tree is amazing. We have nothing close to that in South Alabama unless you count the orange fabric leaves I buy at Hobby Lobby to sprinkle across the table every year. – Sigh. Happy Sunday to you and thanks for the beautiful and peaceful photos.
Thanks Leslie Anne. We have some of those Hobby Lobby leaves too. They do come in handy and don’t have to be raked. That tree has not even caught our eye as colorful but the light transformed it. Have a wonderful week!
Butch and Pam
Lovely, the photos of the lights at night are really good!
Thanks Carole. I wish I knew a lot more about how to take photos in low light/night. I think I miss a lot of photo opportunities depending on that Automatic setting. Have a great week!
Butch and Pam
Greetings Butch and Pam. I always love your SSS posts and am especially happy to see the photos and descriptions of “Christmas on the Coosa.” Truly spectacular. And, oh how I would love to have a miniature version of that grand gazebo. It’s easy to see why that photo of your sweet grands is this year’s favorite ornament. My, how they’ve grown!
A number of years ago someone hung a red Christmas ornament on a tiny pine tree along the path through a neighboring park. It brought me joy every time I walked past it. I only saw it that one year and have been meaning to secret a few of my own red ornaments to brighten the December walks of others. Your beautiful post reminded me that I might want to follow-through on that idea of spreading a little Christmas joy.
Have a blessed and beautiful Lord’s Day.
Thanks and greetings to you Cindie. I’m glad you shared about the ornament along the path. That’s an idea that I might follow up on. To place them in that algae bog would mean wading into the slimy stuff but along the path would be perfect. A lot of people walk in the wildlife park even in the winter. Have a wonderful week!
Butch and Pam
The fall tree pic is amazing and gorgeous! The giant Christmas tree from Italy is magnificent! That gazebo is so pretty lit up and decorated. The reflection shots are beautiful. The egg ornaments are really elegant. The grands ornament is indeed the best one on the tree! Have a great week! Clara ❤️
Thank you Clara. I had declared autumn was over and winter was here but then the sun lit up that tree. I’ve always wanted a gazebo in our yard but absolutely need nothing else for upkeep or to mow around. Have a blessed week!
Butch and Pam
The lighted tree is so beautiful! I love all the photos of the reflections too. Christmas tree ornaments bring back so many memories…my grands decorated our tree on Friday night and they had so much fun talking about the ornaments, and laughing at ones made when they and their parents were little, that I cherish and love. Your grands will do the same in a few years when they see the ornament of the 3 of them in 2024! Ho, ho, ho, less than 2 weeks to go!!
Thanks Jenna. Sounds like decorating at your house is fun. Hopefully we will be around as the grands get older and can experience that same ornament fun and laughter with them. You are blessed to have that opportunity. Have a great week!
Butch and Pam
Good Morning. The reflection in the water is amazing how clear and you are right it does mess with your mind a little bit. The Lighted tree is gorgeous. Those lights with the array of color patterns are so popular. I love those egg ornaments and the cuckoo clock is really nice. My daughter has a good friend in Germany and when she visited Germany last trip she brought us a cuckoo clock. She has a few of her own and I think I need to see if that ornament is still available to give her for her tree. Of course the grand kiddos are adorable and I would say that is the best ornament on the tree this year too. Have a great week as we slide on down to the big day. Hugs. Kris
Thanks Kris. I do think that cuckoo clock ornament is a Christopher Radko and you probably could find it somewhere, maybe his website? I was thinking about a room or house full of working cuckoo clocks when you mentioned “she has a few” and imagined them all striking 12. I had to stop staring at one of those reflections for sure. Have a great week!
Butch and Pam
What a Sabbath pictorial feast today ….. The Italian tree is a marvel of ingenuity and would hold me
spellbound through all the light pattern transitions no matter how long. It must really delight the children. Speaking of which, that ornament of your three darlings is bound to be a “must hang first” when decorating the tree in years to come. That gazebo is like a radiant wedding cake…and the city
personnel tree, a cocoon of color… What a magnificent job your town does in making Christmas a time to stay in place and enjoy, especially that skating rink. Every town should have one. Thoroughly enjoyed the refection photos and discerning where reality ended and it’s image began… The Fortnum and Mason ornaments are a collector’s “must have” …. great eye, Butch. Many thanks for this magical visit through the imagery of your perfect timing.
Thank you Mary. So many places have wonderful displays and festivities around Christmas and we’re thinking there is much to see in Brentwood and the surrounding area. I had not thought about a wedding cake when I saw the gazebo but you nailed it…it is so like one. I’m not apt to recognize anything as special or having a history or value due to a label or such. I just know when I see something I admire, and occasionally it turns out to be something nice (ha). (Occasionally being the key word). Have a blessed week!
Butch and Pam
Ornaments hold such special memories and the grands will look back at that ornament of theirs over the years with fond remembrances.
Thanks Karen. Several have told us who have grands that are older now about how they hold special memories for them all. Hopefully we will be blessed with that opportunity, but we are so blessed regardless. We wish you a wonderful week ahead!
Butch and Pam
Good morning! The new Italian tree is beautiful, and the real tree with the colored lights is magnificent. I love reflections in the water, and you caught some really special ones! When we first moved into our home over 30 years ago, we would go outside right at sunset to watch the winter flocks of geese land on the pond. Those things are huge when they fly right over your head, and I always hold my breath they will stop in time…I do that on the plane too! It certainly feels like Christmas today with the cold and rain. I’m predicting an afternoon nap in my future!
Thank you Roxanne. I hope we aren’t waking you from your nap. I would say a flock of geese just above my head would bring an additional concern besides just their ability to stop in time. It is cool here and been rainy all day too. I’m not normally a nap person but if there’s ever going to be a good day, today was a good one in our neck of the woods. Have a wonderful week!
Butch and Pam
The gazebo and old-fashioned decorated Christmas tree remind me of the movies we have been enjoying on Great American Country. So thankful for that channel and their Godly values! The tree with the autumn leaves is so beautiful! I am still wanting to cling to autumn and very reluctant to let it go! Have a blessed week.
Thanks Cheryl. I thought I had moved on from fall with Christmas just around the corner but then that tree put on a show. Maybe we can check Great American Country for some good Christmas movies. Seems like we did see one from GAC on YouTube but I’m not sure. Have a wonderful week!
Butch and Pam
Good Afternoon Friends,
I love seeing the tall Christmas Tree in its different variations. The old-fashioned one with the moon on top is especially precious!
All the reflection photos are fabulous! I see how they may have messed with your mind.
Thank you so much for your lovely photos. Oh my, I forgot to mention how much I enjoyed the lit-up orange tree! Beautiful!
You mentioned something about a knee replacement. Sweet Man is getting a new knee very soon. Please say a prayer for him and me, the caregiver!
Have a great week, folks!
Merry December!
Thanks Nancy and good evening to you. I have been troubled with my knee for a year and a half and the only help now I’m told is replacement. I’ve been putting it off but it seems your husband has decided to go forward. We will remember to pray for him and his caregiver. I can no longer jog or hike some of the more rugged places I love to go but it’s maybe just a new normal. We wish you a wonderful week ahead!
Butch and Pam
Your tree is like mine — an autobiography, of sorts, filled with memories, travel purchases (Fortnums is the BEST!), things made by me, my mom or the kids, gifts from friends, and a few things I couldn’t resist — just because. (An abundance of ornaments is why I end up with so many trees!). Loved that rink tree, well, all of it!
Thank you Jeanie. An autobiography is a wonderful analogy and I haven’t thought of the ornaments in that manner. Neat thought and so true. We understand “things you can’t resist”. Hope you have a great week!
Butch and Pam
I am appreciating your London at Fortnum & Mason ornaments, and a company established in 1707 – yes please! And I’m sure the special ornament from the grands will be cherished with much love, how fast they frow up!
Blessed weekend wishes!
Thank you Mary. Not many companies established in 1707 are still around. Not many from 1907 for that matter. Those grands do grow up in a blink. Thankful for sweet memories. Have a blessed week!
Butch and Pam
So beautiful as always Butch. The brilliant orange is a stunning tree. What a kaleidoscope of images you bring to us each week. Each photo not only thought provoking but just plain lovely. Christmas is truly a wonderful time of year especially through the eyes of the little ones. The Captain and I grabbed some hot chocolate last evening and drove through some of the most beautiful Christmas lighting displays!
On a sadder note, Prayers for those that are battling illnesses and pain as there seem to be more this year than in times past. I have come to the conclusion that it is because we are older and our friends and family have aged too. I used to lovingly chide my Mother with her continuous reading of the obituaries …she said it was because many of the obits contained her friends. Now, I can understand her reasoning….and all I can say is Come Lord Jesus!
Thank you Kari. Hot chocolate and an evening drive through Christmas displays sounds like a perfect evening. I always did the same with my parents and grandparents as I couldn’t figure why they were always visiting the hospital or funeral home, but you are so right, we understand much more now. And, we absolutely know so many who are struggling with various illnesses. On another note, I think I’ve had more hot chocolate this year than ever. Have a blessed week!
Butch and Pam
Stunning and breathtaking photos!!! Adorable Christmas tree ornaments! Merry Christmas, dear friends.
Thank you so much Maristella. People talking about ice skating, snow, and things like sleigh rides must seem strange in warmer climates or in places where it’s summer??? We rarely get snow here but it is winter and sometimes cold and we enjoy songs like White Christmas and others about snow anyway. We wish you a great week and a Merry Christmas!
Butch and Pam
Th orange tree is gorgeous – what a fabulous shot! Those reflection shots – especially that one – really does mess with your mind. Your ornaments are so pretty and I agree that the one of the grands is a favorite. I’m so glad you updated with the photos of the huge tree as I was so wondering how it turned out. Wow, what a mammoth undertaking. Love the sky shots as always. Have a wonderful rest of the week you two!
Thank you Kim. We always appreciate your comments. We hope everything up in the great north is going well and that you are ready for Christmas. It’s supposed to be 70F here Wednesday but long range says 58 on Christmas. Have a great week!
Butch and Pam