Playing With Our Food

That pretty much sums up where we're at right now.  The last couple days have been full of food--both crafting and eating.

 

There were the reindeer pancakes this morning (one kid doesn't like bacon, so she made a girl reindeer). 

 

Then someone branched into Santa pancakes.  Anything to get more whipped cream and chocolate chips.

And there was the cookie decorating yesterday with a few friends and more frosting, sprinkles, and candies than any respectable gingerbread man could need.

 

4 types of cookies and two parties later and I'd say we've got the food celebrating down, with plenty of time to keep practicing!

Christmas Town

It's been 4 years since we braved the lines of cars and went to see lights in McAdenville, NC.  The kids had been begging to go back, so we decided this was the year.

 

 

  We didn't make it quite as early in the season as we were hoping, but we headed out just as it got dark and the lines weren't too bad.  The weather would have made it a perfect night to walk.

It's fun to see so many houses and businesses all decorated in one area.

 

The area around the pond is one of our favorites.

Christmas Dinner

Christmas dinner isn't something that stands out in my memories.  I have lots of food memories of other meals--the eggnog in front of the fire Christmas Eve, cinnamon rolls and oranges for breakfast Christmas morning, snacking on nuts and chocolates from my stocking all day long, but dinner apparently didn't leave much of an impression on me.

 We didn't usually do a big formal feast, or even have a set-in-stone tradition of who would be around.  Some years, my grandparents were in town and came over, many years, it was just the 5 of us.  And I know some years we had a ham, or turkey, but I'm pretty sure most years we just enjoyed the afternoon, watching movies, playing with new toys, and reading new books, while no one spent the day in the kitchen, fixing food that honestly, none of us were all that hungry for.  Chocolate and cinnamon rolls don't leave a lot of room for real food.

Our family seems to be following in the tradition that there really isn't any tradition to our dinner.  We've done nice meals, we've done easy meals, and we've done in between.  While I love the idea of everyone dressed in their holiday best around a beautifully set table with multiple courses of special foods, that just isn't practical for enjoying the day, and I can't imagine anyone in my family (myself included!) wanting to get dressed up for dinner at home. 

And so, what we will eat is still to be determined, and I can almost guarantee that at least one of my children will still be in there pajamas at the dinner table, but we will have spent the day together, enjoying our family time, and that is the tradition I want to continue.

Still To Be Done

*bake Christmas cookies

*finish last 2 handmade gifts (I know, I know. . . hoping these get done!)

*all the wrapping

*delivery goodies to neighbors and a few friends

*help kids finish their gifts

*cookie decorating with a couple little friends

*winter solstice outdoor fun

*plan food for next week

Our Cultured Traditions

We've tried different things each year--sometimes we see a play at the Children's Theater, sometimes a musical performance.  Nativity festivals, tree lightings, parties, and movies are our favorites every year.  It's not all high culture, but it's part of what makes our Christmas season.

This year's fun:

The Nativity Festival at our church--hundreds of nativities from all over the world with live music performed each night--it's beautiful and adds a little spiritual celebration to our Christmas each year.

They also have crafts and a dress up area for the kids, which are a big hit each year.

 

 

Is it wrong to put our own neighborhood brunch we host on the list?  I wouldn't call it culture if it weren't for this special man who brings the music each year.  He's actually moved away from the neighborhood, but we wouldn't miss having him and his wife there with us--he makes the party.

 

Still to come:  Rudolph, Christmas Vacation, and It's a Wonderful Life on our movie lists, a couple parties with friends, and driving through "Christmas Town" to see the lights.

 

 

 

 

 

Nativity Dressing Up

 

Over the Years:

 

2008--our Mary and Joseph

2010

2011

2012--Church Nativity with friends

 

 

 2013 Church nativity with friends

List Making Time

At any time of year, I am a list making person.  I have a current notebook at all times, where I have my weekly lists of things to do, errands to run, and shopping lists.  In the back, there are more long term lists of projects, shopping wish lists and gift ideas, future craft I want to try, and parenting strategies to implement.  I'd be lost without that notebook.

But at Christmas time, I suddenly find myself at the store with my notebook full of cryptic notes in case anyone else happens to glance at the page, and at least 2 or 3 other lists I'm consulting as I peruse the aisles.  There's the party list for the annual brunch we host, the kids' wish lists, my gifts idea list, and my master gifts list of what we have actually planned to buy/have already bought.  Sometimes I feel like I'm juggling all my thoughts on paper, and then wonder if it really is easier to keep track of the papers than keep track of the ideas in my head.  But I love the making of the lists, even if they do possibly make my life even more complicated.

This year, the kids have added a new twist to it all--separate lists for Santa and family, and they've been changing their lists every week for the last month.  In the beginning, I was grateful for all the ideas, but now that the shopping is pretty much done, I'm don't really like the declaration, "This is what I want, more than anything!" attached to a new list of items that we are pretty sure Santa isn't going to bring them.

O, Christmas Tree

While I do admire the beautiful, coordinated trees that are in every catalog, magazine, and even some homes we know, our Christmas tree is always a hodgepodge of sentimental ornaments that no one can bear to leave off, and I really like it that way. 

 

 

Almost all of them have a story or memory of a time, trip, or friend attached.  We have reminders of our trips to Hilton Head, D.C., Michigan, San Francisco, the Bahamas.  Various friends, from all over the world, have sent us ornaments over the years.  And the kids have picked out their own for the last several years, including some that are truly garish, but seeing their face light up when they pull "their" ornaments out is worth more than having a coordinated tree in the colors of my picking.

Which is why it was a little devastating to find mold on the cookie ornaments that the kids and I made 2 years ago.  Each year, the kids get an ornament, either one they pick out or we make together, and 2011's all had to be trashed this year.  I guess storing them in the garage when we live somewhere that is so hot and humid in the summers wasn't very smart.  At least we do have pictures!

Christmas Senses

Sights:  Lights, greenery, wrapping paper, kids' smiles

Sounds:  jingle bells, carols playing, the music ball, whispered secrets

Smells:  pine, wood burning fires, cinnamon rolls, mulled cider

Touch:  snuggly blankets and pajamas, scratchy tree branches, cards for addressing, warm hugs

Taste:  cookies and candies, peppermint everything, egg nog, sweet breads

Christmas Cozy

This Christmas, I'm all about taking the simple route and keeping focused on family, friends, and the religious side of Christmas.  But the "keeping focused part" really is work!  There are things distracting me from all sides and trying to tell me that I need to do X:

The email comes from the room mom for the kids' classes with the teachers favorites, and immediately I feel my stress level rise a little as I start to add trips to 4 different stores/restaurants to my list until I step back and remind myself that even though a gift card to their favorite restaurant would probably be more fun, they will also appreciate the Target card and I can get 4 in one stop (and I'm driving right by Target several times in the next week.)

Party invites start rolling in and I'm trying to figure out how to get kids to 2 different places at once, but stop!  We can say no to some that just really don't fit in and the kids will be fine.  There's plenty of party and festive-ness going on, even just in our own home.

My Pinterest craft list beckons to me, "Do this fun decoration now, it will only take an hour."   When shopping, I get ideas of more gifts, even though I'm just about done with the shopping I'd planned.  That one hard-to-shop-for person still alludes me, and I panic a little as the clock ticks. 

But each day, I'm trying to take a few minutes.  To sit by the glowing tree.  To read a book with my kids.  To do a small act of service for someone else.  To look at the lights that are popping up around our neighborhood as I drive home from errands.  To read my scriptures and reflect on the life and teaching of my Savior.  And each day, I feel a little of the Christmas calm that can make this time of year so beautiful.

Season's Greetings

I find it funny that I'm writing about Christmas cards today, and we just got our first two cards in the mail today, AND I just picked up our cards at Costco this morning.  So holiday cards are on my mind.

We don't end up sending cards every year.  Every 2 or 3 years, the stars don't align in time and we skip the mass mailing to all our friends and family.  And these days, with facebook and blogging, I don't feel as guilty when we skip it because the majority of our Christmas card recipients already know what we've been up to all year, and what we look like. 

But I still love every card that we get in the mail.  I love the fact that for one month every year, there might be something a little more exciting in the mailbox than a bill or catalog.  I love reading people's holiday letters, sometimes clever, sometimes funny, sometimes just heartfelt and sincere.  I love that we will get 2 or 3 cards each year that we were completely not expecting--from someone who just hasn't done cards before, or from friends we haven't even heard from in several years.

Every year, I worry that our cardholder isn't going to fill up because so many people have resorted to e-greetings and physical cards are no longer popular.  But every year, the cards eventually come and I'm grateful that people are still willing to send old fashioned greetings.  This year, we will also be carrying on the tradition.

Gifting

I have always enjoyed planning and shopping for gifts for people.  I even like wrapping all of them (and would happily wrap for anyone else who doesn't enjoy it.)  In fact, I've learned that I really can't do my Christmas shopping too early because if I do, I'll just go out in December to buy more gifts once it starts feeling Christmasy.  There's just something fun about coming up with that perfect gift that you know will make them smile.  And even though I'm typically not a fan of crowds of people, or shopping, for that matter, I do like to make a trip to the mall at some point during December to get that feeling of holiday madness.

This year, I think I've struck a pretty good balance of not leaving the shopping to the last minute, but also being on top of it.  At this point, I don't think there will be any frantic Christmas Eve trips to the mall.  I've got almost everything figured out, and may even be ready to mail things off early next week for our long distance family, which just may be a personal record for me.

I'm hoping the early preparations will leave me plenty of time to do fun crafts with the kids that week they are out of school--I may finally get to make that Christmas garland I started 2 years ago!

Best Laid Plans

It seems like our December calendar fills up faster and faster each year.  I suppose because we are a family who likes to hold on to tradition, and also enjoys trying out new things, it's hard to not just keep adding more events we want to attend, more parties to host.

It's December 3rd, and so far, we've attended an 1860's Civil War Christmas at Latta Plantation, decorated most of our house, started 3 different advent activities, and have just about finished the Christmas shopping.  We have plans for Nativity Festivals, tree lightings, parties with friends, neighbors, and church groups.

But, in the midst of all the busy-ness, I'm really trying to not lose sight of what is truly important this year.  Because no amount of Christmas partying and celebrating will mean much if I don't get to enjoy the people I love most.  I sometimes get caught up in the planning fun surprises, but then snap at these little people with their constant needs.  This year, I'm planing to give the gift of peace, calm, and happiness to our family.  The parties will have to fit in around that.

Christmas Countdown

 

It's been a couple years since I made our advent calendar, and I still love it. In the past, along with the scripture and song that are in each little matchbox, I included a fun Christmas activity--make cards, have some hot cocoa, watch a Christmas movie, go to a Christmas pageant.  There were big and small ideas (to go with our super busy, and normal busy, days.)

 

Well, this year, I pulled those little slips out and we decided to do something a little different for the activity part.  It has felt like our family has gotten too comfortable with the idea of fun and play and those things are no longer special, or appreciated many times.  We've been trying to find ways to appreciate what we have and how blessed we are and help the kids change their expectations.  So this year, we are counting down to Christmas with service. 

 

We once again have big and small activities planned, but each morning, we read what our service challenge for the day is, and then talk about how it went that evening.  So far, we have given a compliment to someone, smiled and said hi to as many people as we could, and held a door open for someone.  I thought we'd ease into this idea and make it things that should be easy for the kids to do while at school this week.  We have some future trips planned to buy gifts for the church angel tree, make goodies to deliver to our neighbors, and do a secret service act for a family member.

 

I'm excited that we're incorporating service into our plans this year.  We end up busy and over scheduled every year, but it feels important to me to make time each day for someone else, even if it's only for a minute.  Just one more way I'm trying to take back Christmas this year.

This Christmas

This year I will . . .

 give fewer presents, but more time;
 
let the small things go, and focus on the big things;

stop the hunt for bigger and better, and give thanks for all I have;

 yell less, and laugh more;

say no to the things that I don't care about, and find ways to serve;

forget the worrying, and seek out joy;

turn off some of the noise, so I can enjoy the peace of the season;

and fill my heart with the true spirit of Christmas.