And just like that we've made it to December. I brought the kids back to school this morning after an extended Thanksgiving break, bookended by some online learning days at home to give our schools some extra days to slow another COVID spike in our county. It was funny and sweet to have a window into their classrooms, and it felt right to keep them cozy at home (without masks) for a few extra days. But once again we found ourselves in a new routine calling us to adapt, go with the flow, ride through the bumps, and look for the silver lining. That is indeed the rollercoaster we've been on this year, and will continue to be as we gear up for the holiday season.
My vision for ushering in the holidays had less to do with Home Goods and more to do with what we really just love about being home. And while there's disappointed when it comes to not taking part in some of our favorite community traditions, bundled up trolley rides or sitting on Santa's lap, I'm mostly inspired about the open space left behind and the opportunity to peel it all away and make this season what it should be... a thrill of hope the weary world rejoices.
Because when everything changes and few things are guaranteed, you find yourselves re-prioritizing. And these people under my roof, my family who has thankfully stayed safe amidst a global pandemic, close friends and community who continue to show up and stay connected, and most of all, a God who has shown us since the beginning of time that he makes all things work together for good, are what I'll be rejoicing in season. This year has been hard, yet there is so much to be grateful for.
Home for the holidays...
Mila's newfound passion for writing notes and letters has stolen her English-teaching mama's heart. I find her writing everywhere - sweet letters for teachers, notes for Daddy, grateful tags hung on our November grateful tree, and yes, a few sticky notes on my headboard after I was caught saying the "s-word." Her invented spelling is spot-on and just as I'll miss when she loses her little mousy voice, I'll also miss translating her writing.
A letter for Mr. Berns, her guidance counselor.
Crafting those letters to Santa, the first year I didn't have to write one for one of them!
Decorating bit by bit is the only way to do it around here. Mila did her tree start to finish and we added twinkle lights in her window and on her spindle bed. It looks like a blanket fort in there at night.
This basket sits by our dining room table and my plan is to change it out every week or so. Filled with things like puzzles, activity books, board games, or printables from the web, I hope it invites impromptu nights around the table or Sunday afternoons stewing over a puzzle.
So much reading happening over here these days! Cruz and I finished another Harry Potter, Beau and Mila started the first one, and I just buzzed through my 22nd book of the year. It's been an easy way to escape when we're not traveling much these days.
Bring on weekend baking. Cruz has been showing an interest in learning to bake and I'm here for it. We had the most fun Saturday morning in the kitchen last weekend. I made a yummy cheeseburger soup and Cruz made a pan of brownies, with just a little bit of guidance. I ordered him a couple of cookbooks for Christmas and plan to encourage this little spark while it's there.
After ten years, I finally figured out a stress-free way to decorate our Christmas tree. Usually while I'm fumbling with lights or fluffing the smooshed up branches, the kids are tearing through tissue paper and eagerly impatient to get on with it. Curious George's head has to be hot glued, there's a fight brewing over who gets to hang the most beloved ornaments, and Beau is secretly hanging all my least favorite ornaments (ahem, Daryl from the Walking Dead) right front and center to annoy me. You get the picture. So this year, I did everything ahead of time except the ornaments. Game changer! We listed to some classic rock Christmas, opened the ornaments one by one and did it all together.
Our tree is a mix of ornaments from our childhoods, ornaments the kids get every year, and ornaments we've collected from our trips. And nearly every one of them has a story. Unwrapping those stories together, like the year after my Grandma Gail died and my cousin secretly sent all the a handmade ornament just like she used to make, or the little shopping bag ornament that plays "Santa Baby, forgot to mention one little thing, a ring..." the year Beau proposed, or the little ruby red slippers I got Mila the year she was the cutest Dorothy for Halloween, our magical little time machines that take us back to some of our sweetest memories of each other.
Cocoa hikes in the woods started a few years back and are one of the best ways to reset us when we need it the most. Fresh air and a walk in the woods has been a refuge for us throughout this entire pandemic, and adding a red plaid blanket and a thermos of cocoa gives us just the right amount of Christmas magic.
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