'Tis the Season!

Just little remnants of turkey left of Thanksgiving.  The kids are diving into the Christmas mode, and I'm happy to let them.  It's such an uplifting time, and it goes by so fast!  There is no time to waste, and I want to absorb and appreciate every minute.   I am glad to hear the Christmas music almost 24/7, and to start planning the gifts to make and give.  There are 4 traditions specific to this early part of the Season in our home:


1) Start the Christmas letter...It's great to look back and be thankful for all the growth, progress, and activities. I usually get it about 95% done by the 1st of December and feel SO ahead of the game!  But then time flies before I think of it again... So I end up doing the finishing touches at the last minute, and finally print it out about December 22nd ...or 23rd.  ;-)


2) Watch the movie "White Christmas." I love the part where the men lip sync and dance to the girls' song.  It always gets me when the General walks in and sees all the soldiers there to honor him, and, of course, when it snows.  Laughter and tears...and of course, the falling in love.  Just right for an incurable romantic.  Not only do I watch it soon after Thanksgiving (Princess Artiste is already asking for it), but I watch it whenever I wrap gifts, so usually at least 2 more times.  The kids love hearing it play through my bedroom door, because they know what that means!


3) Put up the lights and set up my beloved ceramic Nativity set, bought for Hubby's and my first Christmas.  This sets our hearts on the Real Reason for celebrating Christmas.  Last year a raccoon ransacked our outdoor storage room, knocking the Nativity set to the floor, breaking parts into pieces.  A very sad sight.  It served us beautifully for 25 years, but it's time to find a new one - A headless Mary will not do!


4) Dig out our favorite Christmastime book, "One Wintry Night." It starts in a cabin in a snowstorm (the descriptive writing is so great, you can feel the chill outside, and the warmth of the cabin), and has the Christmas story from the beginning, as in "In the beginnning..." from Genesis.  It not only tells us about the night Jesus was born, but the generations and years that led up to it, and why we needed a Savior.  The story is told within a story in such a wonderful way and the illustrations are so exquisite.  Each one a work of art. They're amazing.  It's in chapters, so we can spread it over several days.  




P.S.  If you can't see the images for the book or the movie, please disable your ad-blocker for this blog.  I had to for my own PC using Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, or Firefox.