Christmas snuck up on us this year. At least it feels that way with Thanksgiving being so close to the end of November. Here we are, over a week away from Christmas day and I have bought two presents. Just two! Yes, you could say I am a little behind. Where did December go?!
This is my absolute favorite time of year and I feel like I cherish the holidays more now than when I was a child. When you’re little, the month seems like a year. You make a paper chain and count down the days yet the chain never seems to shrink. It’s hurry, hurry get here! I think I cherish them more now because the days move faster and instead of days only filled with Christmas baking, final school lessons and decorating; the days are full of lists, shopping, budgeting, decorating, maybe baking, maybe spending time with loved ones, errands, cards and post office lines. Then bam! it’s Christmas day and you still haven’t displayed all the wonderful cards from family and friends. Do I sound like I am complaining? I promise you, I’m not. It’s more a being aware of how precious time and memories are, especially now with William, when I want to make new memories with him. It’s his second Christmas but unlike last year, he is more aware this year and discovering so much about the “magic” of this holiday.
How do I slow it down? How do I be present? How do I truly focus and remember what and Who this season is really about? I think I ask that every year but this year it’s weighing heavily on me. I’ve made the decision to remove some things from my to do list, like the copious amounts of baking I usually do. Not putting out every single Christmas decoration. And making a gift budget and sticking to it. Reading Ann Voskamp’s The Greatest Gift has been added to my list and it’s something we are doing almost daily. It’s been a great reminder of what we are really celebrating and has caused me to desire less stuff this year.
I hope I don’t sound preachy, that’s not my intent. This is just a little of what’s in my heart right now and I hope I’ve expressed it well enough.
Spending time with family and friends is always high on my list and I really enjoyed spending a Monday morning with my mom and sister, decorating my mom’s tree.
William “helped” a bit and loved seeing all the ornaments and lights.
We decided to get our tree a little earlier than usual because of the wet and cold weather. We had to track down a tree two years ago that wasn’t soaked because of a wet December. Didn’t want to go through that again!
This time we had warmer weather and made quick work of finding our tree. It was the first one we chose! I think that made James happy. I usually have him pick up a dozen or so before I decide.
I think it’s even smaller than our tree from last year but I love it. We also went with a Douglas fir instead of Noble to save some money. I like how ‘fuzzy’ it is.
My job every year is the lights. It can be tedious but I enjoy the process of making sure the tree is well lit. Since it was different than our usual tree, I wasn’t as precise but I think it turned out beautifully. The tree glows from the inside. There are maybe 5 strands of lights? I lost count even after a trip to Wal-Mart to replace a few dead strands.
William liked the lights too and even tried helping with some clean up. I didn’t have the heart to tell him he’d probably be cleaning up needles until Valentine’s Day.
I finished most of the tree the day we brought it home and then left everything for the next day. It completely made a mess of the downstairs and took me ALL day to finish decorating but I think that’s the norm when you add a 2 year old in the mix. That may have been another reason I limited decorations this year. The less I put out the less I have to tell him, “no, don’t touch”. We’ll definitely keep presents hidden until he goes to bed on Christmas Eve. He loves to tear paper and peel things…
William’s job is to turn on the lights everyday. He is all over that job and loves to do it. It might have something to do with his wire and button obsession.
The garland I usually drape on the table with lights but decided to do something different that William couldn’t touch. I also didn’t want to put these vintage bulbs within his reach. I like how it came out.
We still have some lights to put up outside…but I won’t worry too much if that doesn’t happen. We have some great light displays in the neighborhood. I can’t wait to walk with William one night after dinner and check them all out. It’s one of my favorite things to do.
We have a week to go before James’ parents arrive and there is a lot to do. It’ll be a memorable year for sure especially with the arrival of my niece. Can’t wait to get my hands on her this week! I’ll definitely be marking things off my list in lieu of the more important activities this year.
I hope you all have a beautiful holiday surrounded by those you love. Merry Christmas!
Elizabeth Hafner 
