I love the idea of the Christmas newsletter! I love looking back over my year and reflecting on it. I also love decorating my home with familiar decorations. Two traditions I love! Every year for thirty-two years, I’ve written a Christmas newsletter to share with family and friends highlighting my previous year. Also I seriously enjoy Christmas decorations. So, enjoy Lin and my Christmas newsletter and decorations.
2020 Started Off Great!
Lin & Larada on carriage ride in Seville, Spain 
Quetzal bird, Costa Rica 
Lin & Larada in Costa Rica
Yes, 2020 started off with a bang! On January 7, 2020 Lin and I embarked on a trip of a lifetime—twelve days on a private tour of Costa Rica with Lin’s ex-wife, Victoria. She invited us and 7 friends on this delightful escapade. We invited two of our friends, so the “Dirty Dozen” was formed. Our tour guide, Enrique, led a square dance tour in 2001 that Lin and Victoria organized, so Lin was excited to reunite with his old friend.
We saw exotic animals—quetzal birds, iguanas, Jesus Christ lizards, monkeys and sloths—and spent time in gorgeous jungle areas. We sailed over the canopy of the rain forest on a zipline! What an experience! We ended our trip with some leisure time and a catamaran trip out to snorkel.
The majority of the people on this trip didn’t know each other when we started, but we became friends by the end!
After being home a few days, I squeezed in a trip to Branson, CO to do major revisions on my book project. We left on February 27 for Barcelona, Spain with a group of square dance friends. Lin and I fell in love with Barcelona! Our tour guide, Bradley Dick, entertained us with his extensive knowledge and humor. Again, I can only give you highlights of a jam-packed twelve days.
I loved La Sagrada Família in Barcelona, a cathedral beyond description—truly sensory overload—and Gaudi’s other amazing architecture throughout the city. We also visited Montserrat, an 11th century Benedictine monastery built on the side of a mountain. There we saw a fascinating black Madonna and Christ Child.
In Valencia we enjoyed delicious paella, the place of its origin. From there we headed to the Arabic Triangle of Spain: Granada, Seville and Toledo with Córdoba in the middle. In Granada, we visited the Alhambra and Generalife, marveling at the influence of the Arabic world on Spain.
In Seville, after dinner, we had a carriage ride with high-stepping Andalusian horses, stopping for photos in front of the Plaza America. In the evening, we saw Flamenco dancers, a much-awaited event for me! Dazzling sweeping costumes, taps on shoes and snapping castanets!
On our trip to Madrid, we toured a gigantic Mesquita (mosque) and Catedral (cathedral) at Córdoba. From Córdoba to Madrid, we drove through La Mancha, the land of Don Quixote! In Madrid, we explored a small section of The Prado then drove to Toledo and toured this scenic city built on a cliff.
We left Madrid on March 8, 2020 and Spain had 500 coronavirus cases. Our magical second trip of a lifetime ended abruptly on our arrival home.
Then the Lockdown!
On March 9, we woke up to Spain’s explosion of coronavirus cases to 1500 in one day, so Lin and I started a two-week quarantine. I was certain we would get sick because we spent the last two days in downtown Madrid and then at the airport, but thank God, we didn’t. And that’s the way spring, summer and fall went. All of our annual square dance events were canceled. Lin dedicated his extra time to his garden and he produced the most amazing explosions of color and foliage ever—hours upon hours of work.
Because of Lin’s work in the garden, he always has a gorgeous tan and is very wise about how he does it, so I adopted his method and did a lot of sunbathing and reading.
Immediately, I became a fan of Zoom and have used it weekly to connect with family and friends. I’ve lived here for nine years and finally cleaned out a storage shed Lin bought for my extra stuff when we married. I found some treasures I’d forgotten about!
We have watched lots of British TV series, and my cat, Jesse, assumes the position on the arm of the loveseat every night for our TV time—something so unusual at our house!
We had planned a square dance trip to Germany in September, but it was canceled too! We moved it to 2021!
And the Release of Flippo’s Book
I spent my time finishing up my newest book, Just Another Square Dance Caller: Authorized Biography of Marshall Flippo in the midst of the pandemic. I had planned to release it at CALLERLAB at the end of April, but that event was canceled, so I had more time to work on it. I released it May 8, 2020 and am so proud of the end product which took me nearly three years to complete. It was the project of a lifetime.
Because all square dance events were canceled, I have spent time promoting this book online and have enjoyed the connections I’ve made with Flippo fans all over the world.
If you are interested, visit my website: https://www.laradasbooks.com
Lin’s Wildlife Habitat Certification
In planning his garden, Lin plants flowers that attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, and we’ve seen the increase of visitations from these creatures over the years. He also puts out bird food that attracts birds at twenty-five feeders. The culmination of his efforts resulted in meeting the qualifications for certification by the Wildlife Habitat, and he received his certification in October.
Miller’s Christmas Decorations
I’d like to feature our decorations at our home. You can’t come visit our house because of the pandemic, so I’d like to bring my home to you!
Our Christmas Tree 2020 
Mickey & Minnie 
Charlie Brown’s Tree 
Our Animations 
More Stuffed Toys 
Our Bedroom Decorated
A Miller Christmas Eve tradition is Lin reads a Christmas poem, “A Cowboy’s Christmas Prayer,” from Tombstone Epitaph. Enjoy!
Christmas newsletters, decorations, the magic of this holiday! Yes, I do believe!
~Visit my Christmas blog posts:
- Christmas Shopping During the Pandemic?https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/13/christmas-shopping-during-the-pandemic/
- When Do You Put Up Your Christmas Tree? https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/10/when-do-you-put-up-your-christmas-tree/
- Holiday Greetings from the Flippos’ and Who Else? https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/06/holiday-greetings-from-the-flippos-and-who-else/
- Enjoy Three New Mexico Christmas Traditions! https://laradasbooks.com/2020/12/02/enjoy-three-new-mexico-christmas-traditions/
~HAVE YOU ORDERED A PERSONALLY AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF THE FLIPPO BIOGRAPHY FOR A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR A LOVED ONE OR YOURSELF? AVAILABLE NOW! Go to the homepage on my website & pay for it there: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~Here’s Christmas greetings from Flippo & Neeca, featuring his song, “When Its Christmas Time in Texas”: https://youtu.be/mpJCUGffU3A
ALL FOUR E-BOOK FORMATS OF FLIPPO’S BIOGRAPHY AVAILABLE NOW:
- Apple Books (US) – https://books.apple.com/us/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164203
- Kobo (US) – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/just-another-square-dance-caller
- Apple Books (CA) – https://books.apple.com/ca/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036
- Apple Books (UK) – https://books.apple.com/gb/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id1511642036
- Apple Books (AU) – https://books.apple.com/au/book/just-another-square-dance-caller/id151164(US)
- Amazon Kindle (US) – https://www.amazon.com/Just-Another-Square-Dance-Caller-ebook/dp/B088QS9RH8
- Amazon Kindle (UK) – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B088QS9RH8
- Amazon Kindle (CA) – https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B088QS9RH8
- Barnes & Noble Nook (US) – https://www.barnes&noble.com/s/just%20another%20square%20dance%20caller
~Visit my web site for all the information you need about me & my books: https://www.laradasbooks.com
~ Visit my Etsy Shop for 25% off individual paperback titles. Good until December 20, 2020. Here’s the coupon link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaradasReadingLoft?coupon=25OFFS&IA1220INDIV
During this season I am reading “Origin” by Dan Brown. One of the novel’s settings is La Sagrada Família. My childhood ambition was to be an architect, I grew up in fantastic Episcopal churches in Seattle, Colorado Springs, and Denver. And, married in Shove Chapel. However, my high school in Branson, Missouri, didn’t offer enough math courses to prepare me for that occupation. Instead, I took pre-journalism courses at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Even without earning a BA degree, writing has served me well during my life. I love visiting cathedrals. I saw the National Cathedral in DC two years ago. I watched all of John McCain’s funeral just for the visual tour of the building. So, at tonight’s bedtime, I’ll be reading “Origin” and think of you having been at the scene. ~Joy
Thanks so much. Our childhood dreams sometimes get sidetracked.
I love cathedrals. We saw so many on the Spain trip & one of my favorites was La Sagrada Familia. It’s sensory overload! Merry Christmas!
Thank you Larada, enjoyed every word and all the pictures. Keep it coming. Love you girl!!!
Thank you so much for your comments. Appreciate it! Love you too!💋