A Flannel Christmas

Personal 3 Minutes

One of my earliest memories of Christmas was my mom squealing with delight when she opened the gift from my dad…it was a flannel nightgown. She got one every year.  I couldn’t figure out what the big deal was.  What I didn’t understand back then was how dire their financial situation had always been.  We three kids always had plenty of gifts beneath the tree, but Mom and Dad bought each other only one gift.  She got a flannel nightgown; he got a flannel shirt.

As we grew older, and Dad found better jobs, he kept the tradition of the flannel nightgown, but added jewelry under the tree.  Oh, nothing like diamonds, mind you, but lovely necklaces and rings and even very nice watches. 

During our most recent trip home two months ago, we were cleaning out Mom’s dresser and in one drawer, I found a collection of small boxes.  I brought the drawer over to the bed where she was sitting and her face lit up!  Her jewelry from Dad!  The anticipation on her face as she opened each box was so precious!  And her smile—recalling every piece that Dad had given her—priceless!!  But then, this look of sadness overtook her.  And it hit me…she wouldn’t ever wear any of these pieces again.  Mom wears a Life Alert pendant around her neck, so necklaces might get tangled.  And the rings?  Well, she’s shrunk some over the years…the rings would just slip off and she might lose them.  And although the watches were useful, many were delicate with small faces and she prefers the ones with larger more visible faces.  But we did have fun trying all the jewelry on and playing “Queen”.

From there I pulled out drawer after drawer of clothing that no longer fits, but she never got around to giving away.  We made piles for certain sisters and then a pile for my flea market friend who would sell or donate the rest.  At the very bottom of the last drawer was a very nice box which I pulled out and asked what’s in here??  I saw the same look of sadness come over her face.  “Open it,” she said.  Inside was a beautiful red flannel nightgown.  I took it out of the box and held it in front of me. The top had smocking in white and an empire waist and long sleeves that gathered at the wrist. (similar to the top below)

It was long and way too big for my mom.  She told me it was the last nightgown Dad ever bought for her and she never even got to wear it.  I told her to put it on now at least, over her clothes. “It’s too big and too long for me to wear it now.  Put it in the pile for your friend.”  I saw her wipe tears from her eyes, and told her to at least try it on once if she’s going get rid of it.

She stood and put the gown on.  I walked over and grabbed the sides and said, “gees this is really huge!  You and I could both wear this!”  She laughed and I helped her take it off and into the flea market pile it went.

But I got what I needed in those fleeting moments.  I took the beautiful red nightgown out of the flea market bag before I gave the bag to my friend.  When I got home, I carefully took the nightgown apart and cut each piece down—removing the inches of unnecessary fabric and adding small tucks here and there.  Then I sewed it all back together.  I plan on giving it to her when we visit this month.  I can’t wait to see her face!

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Published by pat frederick

Published

130 thoughts on “A Flannel Christmas”

    1. Oh, Pat! What a wonderful story! You are so very thoughtful and kind to do that for her! Might she be able to get the rings re-sized so she could wear one or two now and then? She is going to be so happy when she sees that flannel gown!!!

      My a-Dad was so hung up with measuring up to the gravitas of my a-Mom’s family, I think he always felt inadequate (which he was, in truth!). So he would go out and pick out very expensive clothes and jewelry and just charge them – for her and me. Then for months and months and months, every pay day, Mom and I would run around town to all the places where he had run up charge accounts. She would wait in the car while I ran in to make the payment, $10 at a time. She paid for her own presents in the end.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. she uses a walker everywhere and the gripping of the handles with a ring on is what made her stop wearing her wedding ring–that was a hard decision for her–she can’t even wear it around her neck in a chain. so if she doesn’t wear that one, she’s not gonna wear any…

        Liked by 1 person

    2. BTW, if you didn’t see them – for whatever reason, I couldn’t sleep last night – so I did my usual meme-stealing from the Twitter 4 thread and posted them at M’s. I still have some I’ll post here today. Or I can post them here if you want – just let me know. I’ve got them saved in Imgur.

      Liked by 1 person

  5. waiting for the thread reader app for twitter files #4…in the meantime

    Like

  6. Liked by 1 person

  11. Jenevive
    December 11, 2022 6:23 am

    Fox has a story today that Michelle Obama wrote to Twitter asking
    them to ban POTUS after Jan 6 calling him a monster..
    Can you imagine the outrage if that was Melania asking for
    anyone to be banned? Yet ..hmmm..I don;t hear a peep
    about this..

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Liked by 1 person

  16. Liked by 2 people

  20. it’s lucrative being in a gov’t position and being able to use your official gov’t vehicle to smuggle illegals…
    entire article
    Federal authorities brought charges against a Texas state employee who they said was using her official government vehicle from the Star County district attorney’s office to smuggle illegal immigrants to Houston.

    Those involved said they made two or three trips a week since the summer, and one of them counted a total of 46 smuggling runs from the border to Houston using the official government SUV, according to court documents.

    Investigators said, Bernice Annette Garza, a crime victim coordinator in the DA’s office, was the ringleader, using her vehicle with official insignias to slip through Border Patrol highway checkpoints to get migrants away from the border.

    Authorities have also charged two people they say were working with Ms. Garza.

    District Attorney Gocha Allen Ramirez fired Ms. Garza, according to The Monitor, a newspaper in McAllen, Texas.
    ‌

    He said they were already investigating Ms. Garza for misuse of the vehicle.

    “This investigation is an example of no one being above the law, and our office taking swift action in eliminating public corruption,” the Starr County release said, according to The Monitor.

    According to federal court records, a Victoria County Sheriff’s Office deputy spotted the vehicle on Wednesday and flagged it as suspicious after earlier reports that it was seen repeatedly making the trip through the county to Houston and “was suspected of being involved in some type of criminal activity.”

    The deputy pulled the SUV over for a violation of the state’s window screen label law.

    After talking with the occupants, the deputy figured they were involved in smuggling and called in Homeland Security Investigations agents.

    The driver, Magali Rosa, and her husband, Juan Antonio Charles, were arrested along with four illegal immigrants. They pointed to Ms. Garza as the orchestrator, saying she sometimes drove herself but usually gave them the vehicle to drive migrants through the checkpoint and into Houston.

    Mr. Charles was carrying a firearm at the time, authorities said.

    The couple said they were getting $3,000 for this trip.

    Ms. Garza admitted to investigators that she had turned over her government vehicle and her badge to Ms. Rosa and Mr. Charles to make the trip under the guise of being on official DA duty. Ms. Rosa said Ms. Garza even armed them with fake stories and papers to use so they could pretend to be crime victims if challenged.

    Ms. Rosa said they have made 46 trips since June, and Mr. Charles said they usually carried three or four people per trip.

    Authorities said one of the illegal immigrants was Honduran and said he paid $10,000 to be smuggled. Another was Mexican and said he paid between $8,000 and $9,000 for his smuggling trip.

    The other two were a mother and her 8-year-old child.

    https://amp.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/dec/10/district-attorney-employee-used-official-car-smugg/

    Liked by 1 person

  22. SOS – !

    I’m at the Village – Sally’s Dad fell and hurt his jaw/chin – broke bones! He’s at Shands University of Florida hospital in Gainesville.

    When he called me late yesterday evening – I had wet clothes in the washer and dryer, then had to pack clothes, food, sewing stuff.

    Arrived 11 pm – fed Sally (she had taken her medicine) and got her ready for the night.

    I’ll be here for some time. Not sure how long.

    Thanks be to GOD for His healing power, mercy and love. Prayers needed!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Talked to him this morning – he fractured his cheek bone, but it’s not displaced – no surgery. They are planning to admit him due to heart issues – that might have caused him to be dizzy and fall off the step stool where he was hanging Sally’s bulletin board.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. heart issues?
          did he get the vax???
          I’m so sorry GA!
          hope he rebounds and recovers before the holiday–it sucks being in the hospital for the holidays!!!!

          Liked by 1 person

          1. He had heart/blockage/stents long before the vaccines were around. Both he and Sally got the Pfizer vaccine and at least one booster, against my wishes.

            Liked by 1 person

  23. Like

  25. Like

  28. hmmm…trying to run and hide?

    tcth

    lindak
    December 11, 2022 9:52 am

    Is Christopher Wray going to resign? I hope so. Although defunding the FBI or disbanding it would be more effective.

    “A few weeks ago, Julie Kelly tweeted that FBI director Christopher Wray has scheduled a “bureau-wide call with all 36,000+ FBI employees” this month. This is without recent precedent and if true, I hope it’s to announce his resignation. He should, of course, because the agency he heads has been engaged in more lawbreaking and unconstitutional conduct than I can easily document in the space allotted me here. I can imagine the blather he’d spout along the lines of resigning to avoid a witch-hunt which would damage the reputation of the agency. If such a meeting does take place and he does resign, it will be only to minimize the damage to himself from his incompetent management of an agency which under his watch has grown out of control, operated as a partisan secret police of the Democratic party, and rightly earned the distrust of citizens.”

    https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2022/12/raiding_arizona.html

    Like

      1. OK – hold on! I just found out she writes for RawStory, which is that satire site, altho they’ve hidden that now from their front page – so those of “us” who have been bamboozled by them aren’t alone by any means! If you click on the “About Us” tab and scroll down, it states clearly that much of what they post is satire. But they never mark whether it is satire or not – tricky, tricky, tricky!

        Liked by 1 person

  32. Liked by 1 person

      1. EXCERPT: “In the meantime, Musk hasn’t lifted the permanent Twitter ban on me or others, who are in the same position as I am. The last thing I shared on Twitter was a video by the Canadian Covid-19 Care Alliance on Dec 28, 2021. That was my great sin… Was it a co-incidence that my permanent bans on Twitter and Linked-in happened two days before my Joe Rogan interview? Over time, I have come to believe it was government intervention.

        Recently, I tried to re-activate my Linked-in account. They told me that due to “continued violations” of their Linked-in policies, the ban would not be lifted. Riddle me this – how does one have “continued violations” on Linked-in, when one is banned from Linked-in?

        Hell is going to freeze over before I get any sort of apology from these characters.”

        https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/p/sunday-strip-to-the-rebels-of-the

        Liked by 1 person

  38. Nick Pickles, the former senior director of global public policy strategy, development and partnership responded, “can we just say ‘partnership.’” He added, “not sure we’d describe the FBI/DHS as experts, or some NGOs that aren’t academic.”

    An undated chat that Taibbi claims took place after the January 6 riot at the US Capitol, Roth joked about a mysterious meeting on his calendar, claiming it is “Definitely not a meeting with the FBI I SWEAR.”

    In other messages sent in October 2020, Roth referenced a “weekly sync with FBI/DHS/DNI” about the election.

    Another message mentions “a report from the FBI concerning 2 tweets” about ballot fraud. Twitter concluded that one of the tweets, which claimed mail-in ballots were being “shredded” was false. However, the second tweet, which claimed that 25% of mail-in ballots were being “rejected for errors,” was found not to have violated any of Twitter’s policies.

    https://reclaimthenet.org/twitter-allowed-fbi-flag-tweets/

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Don’t worry – we’ll get ours – promise! More snow possibly next week. ‘Tis the season, after all! And we need the moisture so I am going to try not to complain….ok, I’ll complain about shoveling….

        Liked by 1 person

  40. 12/05/22 • BIG TECH • BIG FOOD

    “Vandana Shiva: Bill Gates Is Promoting ‘Surveillance Agriculture’ — Vandana Shiva and Russell Brand discussed the history of agriculture, the role of Big Food in the current global cost-of-living crisis and how Gates is promoting “basically a surveillance agriculture.”

    By Suzanne Burdick, Ph.D.

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “Prior to World War II, big corporations had no role in growing food, according to Vandana Shiva, Ph.D. “Growing food was an act of care, an act of love,” she said. Today’s food and agriculture system is “very violent,” Shiva — environmental activist, author and founder of Navdanya International — told comedian and political commentator Russell Brand on a recent episode of his show, “Stay Free with Russell Brand.”

    After World War II, “The same corporations that made chemicals for Hitler’s concentration camps [and] poison gases for the war started to trade in food as a commodity, rather than food as nourishment and food as life,” Shiva said. “Then a bunch of them created junk food and ultra-processed food that’s responsible for 75% of the chronic diseases in our times,” she added.

    Brand asked Shiva about Big Food’s control over agriculture and how it affects the current global cost of living crisis and if she thought there was a “concerted effort” to exert control over the “basic components of human life.” Shiva said that since the global financial crisis of 2008, “the financial system has gotten into food.”

    “If you look at the current cost of living crisis — whether it’s energy or it’s food — both basic needs should be public goods,” she said, “and should be regulated as public goods. Most of the hike in the prices is related to speculation and financialization.”

    ‘Bill Gates ordered a hamburger’

    Brand asked Shiva about the role of Bill Gates and other Big Tech “mongrels and titans” in this increasing “technologization” of food and agriculture. Shiva responded with a story.

    Years ago, she explained, Gates visited the Indian president at the presidential palace where “really beautiful banquets are put out for international guests.” “Here was all this wonderful Indian food, and Bill Gates ordered a hamburger,” Shiva said, adding, “That’s the level of his food literacy.”

    She criticized Gates’ gene-editing in food production, noting that “life is complex [and] self-organized. It’s not a Word program that you can cut and paste with no consequence.” In editing one gene, 1,500 other genes get destabilized, she told Brand. Shiva also criticized Gates’ “digital agriculture.” The concept doesn’t make sense, she said, because agriculture is about “living seed” and the trillions of organisms outside and inside our gut, she contended.

    According to Shiva, what Gates is promoting as digital agriculture relies on large-scale monocultures — “basically a surveillance agriculture” — in which farmers are “forced to get addicted to chemicals and chemical fertilizers” that harm the planet and people while reducing natural biodiversity. There was “no way” a surveillance drone could monitor her highly biodiverse farm, she said. “It would get thoroughly confused.”

    Brand told Shiva that digital agriculture sounded like an example of “extremist materialism to the point of ecocide,” in which “the idea of spirit or mystery or symbiosis or Gaia has been extracted” by an “obsession and fetishization of measurement and control.” He added that although it might sound like a sci-fi trope, “it appears that we’re doing this already by adopting a kind of AI [artificial intelligence] rationalist mentality that excludes the immeasurable value of that which is difficult to know.”

    Watch the Russell Brand segment here:

    Liked by 1 person

  44. what makes it suspicious is, in both cases, he looks at the name tags before stealing the bags…if it were about the luggage itself, he wouldn’t need to check tags…it’s like he’s looking for particular bags
    FTA
    Samuel Brinton — who has served as the Energy Department’s (DOE) deputy assistant secretary for spent fuel and waste disposition since June — allegedly stole a suitcase with a total estimate worth of $3,670 on July 6 at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, according to a declaration filed by a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) detective on Wednesday. The bag contained jewelry valued at $1,700, clothing worth $850 and makeup valued at $500.
    snip
    “Specifically, Brinton pulled the victim’s luggage from the carousel and examined the tag.”

    “Then placing it back on the carousel, looking in all directions for anyone who might be watching, or might approach,” it continued. “Pulling it back off the carousel and demonstrating the same behavior by looking around before walking away with it quickly. Brinton only having checked one piece of luggage, which Brinton had already claimed from the carousel, had no reason to be examining and taking any other pieces of luggage.”

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/sam-brinton-nonbinary-biden-official-stole-jewelry-worth-1700-second-luggage-theft-police

    Liked by 1 person

  46. I have to wonder – why do investigators automatically assume that if a house wasn’t clearly broken into, the victim let them in? Do they never think about the fact that a lot of people just don’t lock their doors???? The only reason I lock my front door is to keep my exterior full glass door from blowing in the wind and breaking. I could leave for a week with my house unlocked and not worry about it. I do have the benefit of neighbors across the street who would notice anyone strange coming into my house and call me but it just wouldn’t happen here. One of the reasons I chose to live in a small rural town. These days, I would never do that in Norfolk.

    Liked by 1 person

  47. “Musk Sets Bait For Big Fish”
    SUPER SPREADER
    11 MIN AGO

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “Opinion: Musk would NEVER had said this unless he already uncovered something really big. He has found some evidence that has empowered him to make this statement and not fear any legal ramifications. Wonder what he found? Hmmmm…

    “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci”
    -Elon Musk, Dec 11, 2022

    Liked by 1 person

  48. Man, are these wood peckers ever going to town on that suet! The big block is already half eaten!!! I haven’t noticed any squirrels on the corn yet…..I also bought Pennington bird seed this last time – it is much better seed, with far less chaff and grit – the sparrows, finches, etc. are eating that up, too!

    Liked by 1 person

  49. Worship Band Continues Shadow Ban Of Bassist
    CHURCH · Dec 11, 2022 · BabylonBee.com

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “PEORIA, IL — The local worship band for Redeemer Church has continued its decade-long shadow ban on bass player Kevin Young.

    “Yeah man, the levels are perfect,” said vocalist Andrew Doerschuk, with the bass output again set to zero. “You’re really adding that depth to our sound, bro.”

    According to sources, the shadow ban originated years ago when the sound guy realized he had never hit the button to turn on Mr. Young’s bass. “That was probably two years after Kevin had joined the band,” reported sound guy Dave Laramie. “I felt terrible, but no one in the band had any idea. I switched it on a few times just out of curiosity, but as far as Andrew and I could tell, Kevin was just playing that riff from ‘Schism’ over and over. He seems so happy up there though, so we just left him turned off.”

    A faithful member of the band, Mr. Young has admitted to having occasional suspicions of a shadow ban. “I’m completely in my element up there, rocking my beanie and shredding in the background,” said Mr. Young. “Still, I have wondered sometimes why no one ever comments when I totally slay a riff during the pastor transition time. Also, a couple of times I forgot to plug my bass in, and everyone said I sounded awesome that day. Who knows?”

    The praise band has also reportedly continued its shadow ban of the rotating cast of twenty-three different backup vocalists.”
    ————
    “Archeologists Unearth Giant Minion Inflatables Joseph And Mary Put Out In Front Of Stable
    SCRIPTURE · Dec 10, 2022 · BabylonBee.com

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “BETHLEHEM — Archaeologists have discovered the unmistakable remains from humongous “Minion” inflatables that Mary and Joseph used to decorate the front of the stable.

    “After a thorough analysis, our team can confidently report that Joseph sprung for the twelve-foot-tall Minion inflatables ‘Dave’ and ‘Stuart’,” declared lead archaeologist Dr. Bradley Atkins. “Given their remarkable height, we believe the two Minions likely dominated the landscape of ancient Bethlehem.”

    Excitement built around the dig as the finding of yellow plastic gave way to the discovery of a fan and LED lighting. “For centuries, churches have tried to recreate the nativity scene in all its detail,” said Dr. Atkins. “At long last, we now know that out in front of all live nativities ought to be that most perfect of Christmas decorations, selected by the Holy Family itself: a monstrous inflatable Minion.”

    In response to the discovery, Christians across the world have rushed to add inflatable Minions to their own front yards. “Now, it’s really Christmas,” said famed Pastor Tim Keller, as he plugged in a Minion outside of Redeemer Presbyterian Church. “Alongside the donkeys, the cows, and the manger – there was also Dave and Stuart. It’s finally complete!”

    At publishing time, Joel Osteen had announced a capital project to help build a 500-foot-tall Minion to sit on top of his church’s roof.
    ————
    “Following Sinema’s Exit, Romney Announces Intention To Remain In Democratic Party
    POLITICS · Dec 10, 2022 · BabylonBee.com

    ENTIRE ARTICLE: “WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Mitt Romney reassured supporters today that he would be remaining a faithful member of the Democratic Party.

    “The Democratic Party can continue to count on me through thick and thin,” said Mr. Romney in a statement. “While Senator Sinema and I have both occasionally voted with Congressional Republicans, I want voters to rest assured that I will never go turncoat like her. I’m staying put.”

    After Sinema’s exit left Senate control in the balance, Democrats rushed to reaffirm Mr. Romney’s allegiance. “I knew he would stay true to his progressive roots,” said Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “Obviously, Mr. Romney was going to vote for our bill enshrining the government’s redefinition of marriage. The real test was when Mr. Romney helped crush religious liberty by defeating the amendment put forth by his fellow Senator from Utah. That’s when I knew Mitt would be a Democrat for life.”

    Although Mr. Romney’s intermittent breaks from party-line votes have earned him a reputation for independence, sources close to Romney do not believe he will ever follow in Sinema’s footsteps. “I just don’t see it happening. The man’s veins run blue,” said a high-level staffer on condition of anonymity. “At this point, Romney has staked too much of his persona on destroying the Republican party to really go independent. No one would take it seriously.”

    At publishing time, Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski had joined Romney in affirming her commitment to stay a Democrat.”

    Liked by 1 person

  50. SMH – I am sooooo sick and tired of hearing Lindell’s voice on his CONSTANT commercials on Fox – same on Newsmax, altho IDW in the hell he would advertise there, considering how they treated him. Jeez, enough already!!!! Not to mention the obscene prices of his stuff, especially those slippers!

    Liked by 1 person

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