Goodwill snowmen.

Beginners. This morning, I went into the kitchen and checked the outside thermometer; it was two degrees. Two degrees! Now that is cold! I made my coffee and looked out of the window. It was still dark, dark and freezing. It's a good job I have my coffee; otherwise I would stay in bed. But there are bright and pretty parts to Winter, even on a dark morning. As I walked around our quiet house, I saw our Christmas lights outside that twinkled all different colours/colors. I went into the lounge and plugged in the Christmas tree. I smiled to see all of its pretty details. As I walked past the stairs I looked up at the wreath that I put up yesterday. It is a length of artificial greenery, that goes all the way up the stairs. Every three feet or so, there is a red bow. Then, I realized that there were faces smiling at me. Lots of them. All up the stairs, in between the wood of the banister, are snowmen and Christmas bears, all looking out with big smiles. I collect them. Some of them are a few years old, and some are quite new. They are all different sizes and shapes, colors/colours and textures, but they are all cuddly and cute. I tell people that I decorate the house for the children because they love it, but of course, I do it for myself as well. I'm a child at heart. Grammar notes. Vocabulary: wreath, banister, to twinkle, otherwise. Exs: That lady makes wreaths for every season, but her Christmas wreaths are quite spectacular. Hold onto the banister; the stairs are slippery. We looked out over the cityscape and watched the lights twinkle. Use an oven mitt, otherwise you might burn yourself. Advanced. My yearly tradition of buying Christmas soft toys leads me to a place called Goodwill. It is a second hand shop that sells everything from clothes to televisions, furniture to ornaments. It has a large stock of the toys I look for. There is usuallly a huge wire box full of snowmen and bears, so you have to dig in and rummage through them until you find what you want. Each year, I buy two or three because, invariably, a snowman will get lost, and a couple will break. That is usually the result of my kids using them as footballs... It's a great place to shop if you want to save money. I have often bought Winter snow clothes for my children, such as boots, hats, gloves, and even snow pants in Goodwill, as well as other items during the year. Instead of spending two to three hundred dollars on their clothes for the season, I will spend only about fifty. Now that is a good deal! And, believe me, I don't buy the rubbish either. If you are willing to spend some time looking and searching, you can find clothes that are 'next to new' which means barely used. But yesterday when I went there, I wasn't looking for clothes; I was on a mission to find Christmas bears. After rummaging around for a few minutes in this huge box, I found four perfect individuals: two lady bears with pretty dresses, one tiny snowman, and a little, brown bear with a sweater and a hat who looked like he needed a good home. So, I brought them home, cleaned them, and put them up on the stairs where they will be for many Chrismases to come. Grammar notes. Vocabulary: to rummage (around), rubbish/ garbage, next to new. Exs: At these sales, you really have to rummage around to find anything good. I thought the film was rubbish; really, I was very disappointed. The car isn't brand new, but it is next to new.