Saturday 3 December 2022

Whimsical Christmas and physical efforts

 After reading Deborah's post this morning, I thought I might share what we did this year to make this Christmas more whimsical and fun. After the last few months, I knew I wanted to insert some fun into the decorations and the Christmas season. Every year (EVERY YEAR) I put up the village. It has grown and morphed over the years and has changed locations in the house. Often I get help from the family. It's a bit of an ordeal, placing everything, hiding all the cords under the "snow". Deciding how we want to divide up the village - where will residential go? What about the commercial district? What about the duck pond? Is the school too close to the pub?

Along with all the buildings, there are accessories like trees, stone walls, and people. I decided that instead of using the people we always use, we should use Lego mini-figs (figures). These are the little people and characters that come with Lego sets. Over the years our son received many Lego sets, some themed like Star Wars or Indiana Jones movies. Our son dug out his collection(s) of mini-figs and he and his sister (ages 22 and 26 respectively) started assembling them, including items in their little yellow "hands". Our daughter had the idea that we should each make a mini-fig to represent ourselves as well. That was fun. Mine had a book in my hand, husband had a drill in one hand and a beer glass in the other.

Then the placing of the little Lego people began which was lots of fun. Here's daughter with the village.


Next, Darth Vader has joined in on the fun. 

Frankenstein's monster is waiting on the porch of the Norman Rockwell collection home where two old folk are enjoying their tea.


We almost always put Santa in the gazebo in the town square. We allowed for him to be there this year as well, but it is the storm troopers who are lining up for Santa instead. 


One poor, unfortunate storm trooper is being dragged under the bridge by a crocodile. It happens. 


Next, we have Rebel fighter pilots (as the only non- Star Wars junkie in the house, I had to ask husband what the orange guys were) atop Santa's workshop.


This knight is ready for battle on top of another Norman Rockwell house where everyone is gathered at the table for a Christmas dinner. If you look closely, you can see husband's mini-fig where he is sitting on the side porch, waiting to be invited in for dinner. 



Outside the pub (the log built structure) we have Hagrid helping out a patron who is bent over the fence after too many drinks (it's actually daughter's boyfriend's mini-fig and no he is not a big drinker) with two Rebel fighters seeming to be ready for a brawl in the street.


Outside the same pub, we have Han Solo and Indiana Jones (ha ha, get it, both of them were played by Harrison Ford, so they are seeing each other at the same time!)


This is how the entire village looks. I have to decide what I am going to put on the bare shelf above. Something less "busy" I imagine.


Husband, by the way, built that piece of furniture after we saw similar ones in P.E.I. one summer. 


Onto the physical effort part of the post. As part of making my chronic back crap feel better, I roll around on the floor and do physio stretches and strengthening exercises. I also decided some overall increase in activity would be good now that most of my recovery is behind me. I'm not the only one in the family with an expanding middle:


When I unroll my yoga mat to prepare to do my stretches, this happens:


Not helpful, Murph. 

The first time I decided to use the treadmill for walking because "outside" was too cold/snowy/wet/windy, this is what I found:


Again, not helpful, Scooter. (Excuse the two Christmas storage boxes... it's that time of year).


Do any of you have a Christmas village? Do any of you have pets who thwart your exercise efforts? Do any of you have a treadmill that just doesn't get the same attention is used to get?

Have a great weekend, all. 

44 comments:

  1. Oh, I LOVE the Star Wars mixed in with the Christmas village! 😂 That is so fun! The kitties sure are cute, even if they aren’t very helpful!

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  2. How adorable! I love all those mini figs mixed into the village! My dog Poppy acts like a cat--positioning herself on top of whatever I need to use at the moment. So I can relate!

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  3. Love your whimsical village! Yes, we used to have the Dickens village pieces... but have divided them up and given them to our kids... as we never had a large enough place to display them all together. Love your cupboard and shelves!
    And yes, our cats used to exercise with me... and we gave our (hardly used) treadmill to the Salvation Army this year.

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  4. Glad to read that your recovery is mostly behind you. Your village looks inviting ... full of characters; duck pond? Is Rosa in residence? I don't have a village but a Santa collection that is never put out in the same order. I would like a village but I think I'd model mine as Three Pines (wink wink) complete with victims. My two fur girls HAVE TO be the centre of any activity, whether it's me reading or walking on the treadmill & sometimes it's darn annoying, but mostly it is adorable. Your two are in the adorable camp (col). ... Mary-Lou =^[..]^=

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    1. Totally got the Rosa reference before even reading the rest of your comment! Great idea, but I’d be the only one in on the theme as nobody else has read Penny’s books.

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  5. What fun with the village! I don't have one, and I know that it takes up a lot of room to store, so I won't likely ever start collecting. I love the idea of the Lego figurines. I'll have to mention it to my daughter...maybe some of Eli's can join the creche. :)
    My daughter and I have been stretching together (virtually) for a few weeks. My cat, Saku is usually napping at the time, but her two, Stanley and Sheldon, sometimes come to visit her.

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    1. Cats love it when a human is on the floor with them! When you mentioned the crèche, i immediately thought of the scene in Mr. Bean’s Christmas!! Don’t know if you are familiar.

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  6. Your village take on Christmas is creative genius. The Star Wars figures add great unsuspected humor. Your Murph and Scooter are priceless, they want to help/hinder your exercise routine. My dog can take up my entire yoga mat when he wants to. At 120 pounds, moving him aside is exercise all by itself. Your cabinet is beautiful. I'd be tempted to have a stand of forest pine trees on the top shelf. Maybe add some snow.

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    1. I was thinking of just some fake evergreen garland all bunched up with mini plain lights tucked into it. The idea of a forest is great! Wish I had a ton of bottle brush trees, except on a bigger scale.

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  7. I just LOVE your idea of using minifigs to populate your Christmas Village! That's the kind of creative but goofy whimsy that speaks to me! But your village is missing two key Canadian commercial buildings -- the Tim Hortons and the Cannabis Store -- which of course, in the real world, are on every bloody street corner!

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    1. OMG, every freaking town( small town) has anywhere from one to three cannabis stores!!!! But that would be hilarious! Now, I know this will get me kicked out of the country, but I actually really dislike Timmie’s coffee. I prefer McDonalds! ( or my own basic instant because I’m such a connoisseur!)

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  8. You surely did put some whimsy in your Christmas decorating! It got several giggles from me! We don't have a dog or cat currently to assist us in any indoor exercise but seeing your kitties lounging in your space reminded me of a quilting friend whose kitty would plop down on the table where she had her sewing machine (on the opposite side of the machine) and sit for hours fascinating with the fabric pieces coming toward her as my friend pieced a quilt. When the kitty died (natural causes, old age) my friend found it was a couple of months before she could sit at the machine and quilt without crying. We get so attached to our animals that are always "in the way."

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    1. Yes, indeed. We had a cat called Nellie. Sometimes she was called Nellie the bathroom cat because she could not abide with a closed bathroom door and had to accompany you. She lived a long happy life but after she died it was very strange to not have company in the bathroom!

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  9. What a terrific idea! I have a small village of just 6 houses that fit on top of the piano but my grown kids would love mixing the Lego people in! My brother and his wife have a huge Christmas village that takes up their entire living room. Here is a link to their video on Facebook if you want to check it out: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=856595342455130

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    1. Wow, that must be huge! Sorry, I'm one of the few people who does not use Facebook.

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  10. I definitely have to supervise the exercises. Sometimes you humans simply aren't foing your cat stretches properly... and what is downwards about dogs? Regards Mr T

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  11. I love your village Jenn. I always have cats wanting to do what I am doing!

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  12. Love the village.. brilliant!!
    My eldest two had Helpful Cats twenty odd years ago!!
    I always remember son coming out of the bathroom, with just a towel around his waist, and daughter's cat leaped up to be caught..to see the cat's realisation that This Human Has No Fur!!!!!....he sheathed his claws and was safely caught!!
    He loved to be carried around on a shoulder, looking back, his elbows over your shoulder and your hand under his butt!!

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  13. Monster of Frankenstein is too cute! Great fun.

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    1. Yes, we tried to mix it up with various little Lego figures.

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    2. That's the best. Makes things fun. Happy Holidays!

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  14. That's a big, beautiful village. I love the lego figures, made me smile. As for animals, mine don't interfere thank goodness but I sleep in the cat's bed now and it's definitely her bed that she lets me sleep in.

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    1. That's where I do draw the line - can't sleep with a cat in the bed.

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  15. Hilarious, adding Legos to the village Love the idea

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  16. this is one of the best funny joyfull christmas villages I've seen ! smiling from early sunday morning :-)

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  17. How very FUN and creative! So nice that the 'grown' kids are involved.
    I just want to pet that furry belly...Murph has a lot of markings similar to my beloved tabby, Boots, who is long gone.

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    1. We had a cat named Boots, about thirty years ago - he was a long haired tabby with four white "boots" and acted more like a dog than a cat. He was great, but didn't live a long life unfortunately.

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  18. I love the lego figures in your village. Such a great idea. I also love the furniture it is on and of course the helpful cats too. My chickens do like to "help" whenever I do anything in the run.

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  19. I love your whimsical additions to the village; your family is so funny. I had a giggle at the Two Harrison Fords!
    I don't have a village, but Know people who do and they are so darn cool.
    CATS! They always want to be where we don't want them. Years ago when I would lay on the floor to do ab exercises, I'd have a cat and/or dog in my face wondering what I was doing.

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  20. I don't have a Christmas village, but I love the way you set up yours this year. Our cat always used to try and help me cut out patterns or pin quilts together on our floor.... Not at all helpful.

    God bless.

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  21. Lovely! I liked the alligator most.

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  22. No treadmill but if I get out the mat and Lizzie is around, she's there. I can do most of my stretches with one hand on a cat so we co-exist! No village either -- I love them (and applaud your wonderful whimsy with the Lego people -- that's great!). But I'd have no place. I wish I did.... and am relieved I don't! I have enough trouble getting everything out and back, especially with the back issues this year. I literally have brought all that has come up (including trees) one step at a time from the basement. It's taking a lot longer!

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  23. I would love to shrink down and play with your toys. Seriously.

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  24. Your village reminds me of Calamityware! I have never had a village but yours sounds like such fun, I am almost tempted.

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  25. Oh, I just LOVE that creative goofiness with the village! That's something we would do. And I'm with you on McDonald's coffee. I prefer that over Tim Hortons. So much better!

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