Christmas Mug

I am still testing negative for Covid, so Paul and William are still isolating. I don’t know what the guidelines are, since we seem to be working with old ones from a couple years ago, but my guess looking at the last missive from my workplace on the topic (from 2022) is that if I am negative on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I can then go to work wearing a mask on Monday—especially if I can work mostly in the stacks, and not be near other people. I will consult with my two bosses on that.

In the meantime, having Thursday and Friday off has been a tremendous boon. I am using almost all my time to work on Christmas things. I’m trying to focus on one giftee at a time; yesterday I focused mostly on William. When I was pretty much done with his shopping, I turned my attention to my niece, and spent some delightful time researching combat boots (it’s an item on her wish list) with the help of Henry who is a couple of years older than my niece and has friends who wear combat boots. It was QUITE fun: one of his friends was sending link after link, and we were sending links back, and now we have narrowed it down to…let’s see, eleven pairs. Today I will attempt to narrow that down further, and then pick another child to shop for—probably Elizabeth.

Whenever I get tired of paging through online shopping options, or when I start feeling chilly from not moving around enough, I go out to the barn and fetch a box of Christmas dishes, or the Melissa & Doug Countdown Tree, or a couple of decor items. Because of this effort, this morning I am drinking my coffee out of a Christmas mug and feeling happy about it. FURTHERMORE: it was a Christmas mug I have not seen for YEARS, because I had for some inexplicable reason tucked it down into the corner of the wreath box?? Probably what happened was that I was putting away the wreaths and noticed one more mug in the dishwasher, and just added it in—not knowing that the following years I wouldn’t bother with wreaths. (This new house doesn’t work with them the way the old house did.) I found it this year only in a last-ditch effort to find the Christmas tree skirt we apparently lost in the move. I dug my hand down into the wreath box feeling for velour, and found china.

The mug is a Stechcol (a brand I often find myself picking up admiringly when I’m at HomeGoods or Marshalls), and I remember choosing it on a shopping trip with my mom: there were four different designs, and we stood there for awhile ranking our favorites and deciding how many we would each buy. I think I bought two, but I’m not sure: I might have only bought one; I might have donated the other one if it seemed too similar (I am always TRYING to cut down on the number of mugs I have) (while also constantly buying new mugs); it might be tucked down into the corner of a DIFFERENT box of decor.

9 thoughts on “Christmas Mug

  1. Nicole MacPherson

    Eeek it’s so cute! This also gives me hope I will one day find my bookmarks.
    Swistle, you and I are just about the same age, so I feel like you also maybe embraced the following fashion trend: combat boots with floral babydoll dresses. That was a Signature Look for me back in the early 90s and honestly, I could get behind it now, given the babydoll dresses were loose and flowing. MAYBE I SHOULD DO THIS. I am not sure how it would suit my lifestyle (it wouldn’t) but it’s fun to think about.
    Did you also wear those little floral sundresses with tiny tees underneath? The year I’m thinking is probably 1995 or so?
    I know this is a Christmas mug themed post but now I’m obsessed with Looks We Sported In The 90s.

    Reply
    1. Swistle Post author

      I totally know and admire the style of which you speak (it was often worn with those necklaces that go around the neck like a collar), but I went the other path for young women in 1995: jeans, flannel shirts open over t-shirts, construction boots, giant hoop earrings. Truly one of my best eras, fashion-wise. I think I would have done the baby-doll dress thing if I hadn’t been so convinced I was Too Big to wear it (ridiculous) and, more importantly, if Doc Martens had fit my feet (I am right in between their sizes).

      TO THIS DAY I HOLD OUT HOPE THAT YOU WILL FIND THOSE BOOKMARKS

      Reply
  2. Gigi

    Cute Christmas mug! I started drinking from mine in early November in hopes of sparking some of that Christmas magic. It didn’t work. But I am beginning to power through my gift list; so there’s that.

    Reply
    1. Slim

      Maybe the Christmas Accomplishments will make you feel Christmassy?

      Don’t ask me; I’ve done some online shopping but so far the biggest thing I’ve bought is a folding exercise bike for me, following consultation with my PT. Festive!

      Tomorrow will be the day I get in the spirit. I can feel it!

      Reply
  3. StephLove

    Congrats on finding your mug.

    I have intermittent interest in the whole holiday endeavor. The only Christmas decor on display in our house is the cards we’ve received and a dish towel with a Christmas tree on it. I have only shopped for one person, but I am experimenting with a little Christmas music and Christmas socks.

    Reply
  4. HereWeGoAJen

    I like your plan of focusing on one person until they are done. I think I shall copy that and do it starting RIGHT NOW. First up, middlest niece, who is currently demographically aligned with Alex so I am planning to get her a lot of things that sparkle and can be applied to yourself. But I haven’t actually sat down and BOUGHT the things that sparkle or even gone farther to think about WHAT things that sparkle I need to buy.

    I’m also going to go put the Christmas decorations on the outside of the house. The inside is done but the outside is still sad and untouched.

    Reply
    1. HereWeGoAJen

      It worked. I finished shopping for middlest niece and babiest niece and onliest nephew so all the nieces are done (onliest nephew is only one month old so my brain still calls them all nieces, I will switch soon.) Tomorrow I will begin on the non related by blood but related by love children.

      I also put up the lights on the outside of the house but I cannot put a picture in your comment section. I will put one on my instagram stories and you (collective you of whoever is reading this) can look there if you’d like to see the proof that I actually did it.

      Reply
  5. Michelle G.

    Hooray for finding your mug! It’s so cute! I hope Covid passes you by! Good for you for being considerate of others and following the guidelines – so many people don’t do it these days.

    Reply

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