My kids think I don't like to decorate for Christmas. There is an evolution to this idea. When they were small Pete's approach to decorating was to drag every box into the house and let the three kids unpack everything and spread it all over. I'm not the world's tidiest person but that amount of chaos just did me in. Pete and the kids, however, had a wonderfully happy riot and I usually absented myself to the kitchen to do something like make Christmas cookies until the dust settled and I could start cleaning up and rearranging (just a little). I can't excuse such Scrooge-like behavior but in my defense I will say I was a working-full-time-outside-the-home mother. My capacity was stretched.
So this year when Pete told one of the girls that I actually wanted to put the tree up BEFORE Thanksgiving she was astonished. In fact, I do enjoy decorating. Just slowly and quietly. I enjoy it when someone helps me, too. Just don't rush or overwhelm me with the stuff. One small area at a time.
I usually have a big nativity display but I'm still struggling to find the right place for it in this house. Otherwise I think I'm done decorating for the year and we'll just enjoy the lights and colors as we reflect on the Light of the World coming into the world to save us. And as we look forward eagerly to His second coming.
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| Whit thinks this small tree is just for him. He's been sleeping by it all afternoon. Occasionally he'll get up and play with the ribbon or rip a couple ornaments off it. |
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| Hey - who turned off my lights? |
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| Side note: there is almost always something drying on the wood stove. Tonight it's onion skins. Great for dying wool or adding color and depth to broth. |
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Advent wreath. An old tradition from our years in Germany.
"Advent, Advent, ein Lichtlein brennt..." |
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