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!