Snowmen, Postcards, and Calendars...

I have a friend, Carol, who decorates with snowmen during January and February.  As soon as Christmas decor comes down, her snowman collection comes out. Read her Gathering Graces blog post at Silver Valley Stories from December 31st.

Snowmen are also a favorite of mine too. I usually have my little collection out during Christmas, but since there was no Christmas tree or decorating this year, most of them are still packed away somewhere in my garage. The exception are these three, which happened to be on my bookshelves. The tall one was my mother's, the one with the two little girls was a gift from my mother-in-law many years ago, and the one holding the snow baby was a gift from a friend.

Snowmen are so cheerful!

Fun story, my husband is a letter carrier, who has been delivering mail for 30 years. He has been on his current route for a very long time. People know him well and like him a lot. He receives stacks of Christmas cards and many small gifts of treats, etc. Some of the cards are family group photos, and he has watched many of the children grow up and move away. Today a post card came through for a couple on his route. As he glanced at the address, his eye caught sight of his name. Above "Dear mom and dad" was a small "Hello to you too, Paul!" It was from their daughter, all the way over in Italy, and she remembered to greet her former letter carrier. It made him smile. I told him he should have snapped a picture with his phone, which he hadn't, but it's probably against rules anyway. I thought it was funny and sweet that she thought to say hello to him.

Every year one of my dear friends, DeAnn, gives me the Mary Engelbreit daily calendar. I love calendars, and this one is a favorite of mine. There is colorful artwork and quotes for each day of the week. The theme for this year is love. There are hearts on each page, a constant reminder to look for love in the world and to be a more loving person. If we really try, we can change the world for the better.