361 Days to Go

Well the wonderful day that has been so longed for has come and gone. The family has gathered, presents have been given, the feasts have been eaten, the carols have been sung…the sun has set on Christmas 2013. 

I have been putting off writing for fear of embracing the reality that the season is really coming to a close. A little case of denial I suppose. For two days after Christmas I didn’t change anything about my Christmasy routine. I didn’t have to work. I drank coffee, had family time, watched Christmas movies, and listened to Christmas music. 

But somewhere deep inside is the knowledge of the impending reality. Christmas is over. The time of eating cookies and eggnog is ending. The New Year is coming. A time to make plans, dreams, goals. A time to shake off the past year and think of how to better oneself. 

It is just a little reminder of how quickly the time goes by. You spend so much time looking forward to something, and by the time that day comes… it is suddenly a memory. 

Herein lies the beauty of anticipation. Look forward to something, yes, but in the meantime enjoy every single day. Man, I enjoyed every day of this blessed season.

 

And so Christmas has come and gone, but deep down inside I carry a little twinge of excitement at those things I have to look forward to. Not the least of these being the knowledge that Christmas is only three hundred and sixty one days away.

Confessions of a Christmas Hobo

My little sister coined the term "Christmas Hobo", and it gave me a little piece of inspiration. Only two days to Christmas and I am having to fight the feelings of sadness that the wonderful season is almost gone. A little wrong, I know.

On another note... here are some activities that make up the (seasonal) life of a Christmas hobo. 

1. I bought six boxes of maple cookies last week. I have almost gone through them all.... and I don't share.

2. I promised that I would not let my gym days wain to a measly two or three days a week... and I only made it in three times last week (and that is only because I had to work :)). Every night I went to bed I told myself, "I will go work out in the morning." and every morning I said, "nope, going to have 'Merry Christmas Coffee'" at the parents.

3. I went three full days without washing my hair. I am not even sure how much I brushed it. Every morning I would pop a Santa hat on and call it good.

4. I will not go into detail, for fear of shocking people, but the state of my happy Christmas house... oh my. The dishes, the clothes, the laundry.... it is a wee bit out of control.

5. I have not really been eating proper meals. I have been on an eggnog and cookie diet.

6. I spent one whole day last week in stretchy pants. I don't mean leggings with cute boots, and a shirt that goes below your booty like its supposed to. No.... I mean yoga pants, a frumpy shirt, Uggs (not that I am dissing uggs, I love those babies) and, of course, a Santa hat. And I went shopping, and to Starbucks, and the post office....

7. Tonight will be our forth Christmas party in a row (three consecutive nights, yes, we doubled up once). And at every party I ate and drank, ate and drank. From eggnog to mulled wine. It was splendid.

8. I always make my bed. I love having a nice, neatly made bed. Last week I went fiIve days straight without making my bed.... and I was okay with it.

So there you have it. A Christmas hobo. And you know.... I don't regret any of it. It has been a truly wonderful Christmas season. Even if I am a little softer than usual, my house is messy, my hair is unkempt... I have not missed out on a single opportunity of enjoying the season. 

Merry Christmas with Five on Friday

Only five days till Christmas! I have bitter sweet feelings at this point. I want time to slow down, and yet I can’t wait for everyone to open my gifts. Cory has been wishing Christmas upon us for days because he is so excited to give me my presents. Love this season of celebration and giving. So much fun. 

Anyway, today is going to be the last of my Christmas-y Five on Friday List… sad face. Christmasy things I have been up to or loving this week.

1.       Gingerbread house making. My parents and younger sister host a gingerbread (though actually we use graham crackers) house making party every year. This was the tenth annual or something. It has gotten more and more competitive the older we get. They even sent out invitations with rules and guidelines this year. It was so much fun. My sister blew us all out of the ball park with her gingerbread sleeping beauty castle. It was incredible.

2.       Blogathon! I am going to be hosting the New Years Blogathon! I am very excited about this. Ever feel like you want to write and yet you aren’t sure what to write about? Every week you are waiting for those brilliant things to occur so that you can write a brilliant blog post about it. To kick off the New Year, I thought I would kick off with my consistency in writing and host a link up. I will give a list of topics and their dates starting the Monday after New Years. It is just going to be fun and easy. Great way to make new blogging friends. I would love you to participate :) View the list of topics here. Hope you can join in the fun!

3.       Baking. I had my little nieces come and help me with Christmas baking this week. They are very good at licking the bowls and spatula clean. We made all sorts of Christmas yummies to put in the tins I will be giving to my neighbors, friends, and family. My husband was saddened by the fact that I wasn’t making him a tin, so I added his name to the list as well. 

 4.     Watch this Video (displayed below as well). I stole this from my sister’s blog, Admissions of a Superhero. But you HAVE to watch it. This is the cutest most poignantly Christmasy thing ever. My niece was only four in this video quoting the whole of the true Christmas story straight from the Bible.

5.       And finally, Cory and I have been making it a point to sit by the tree (oftentimes in my Christmas socks!) and just talk for a few minutes in the evenings or before work in the morning. It is important to take a little time to think about the wonder of what Christ did for us, and to reflect on the blessings he has given us. What a wonderful life!

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have a wonderful time filled with all of the magic of the season. 

Get Some Perspective

 Happy Monday everyone! Last week was a crazy week. Full of the magic of Disneyland, Christmas shopping, Christmas parties, Christmas baking, a women’s study, even a baby shower, present wrapping and of course those necessary elements in life… working, cleaning, cooking, laundry. Why can’t life just stand a little more still this month so I can do the proper thing – sit by the dim light of the fire and Christmas tree listening to “O Holy Night” and reflecting on the wonder of our savior. 

But alas, time marches on relentlessly. Only eight more days to go. 

I determined that Cory and I would dedicate our evenings this week to do just that, in addition to watching a few of the Christmas movies that we have not gotten to yet. We always seem to put off “It’s a Wonderful Life” to the last few days. This is due to the fact that the older one is, the harder and more real that story becomes. We just sit there, cuddled on the couch, and cry together. But you have to do that. It makes you all the more grateful for the blessings you have, the one who is holding your tight, and the grace of our Lord.

There are some things in life that may seem silly or frivolous, but they should be seen as a discipline. If you are one of those who have not watched this movie in a long time, do it this season.  Thankfulness and happiness will well up inside of you. And then when Harry lifts his glass to toast his brother, “the richest man in town” you may just burst out crying like I do. 

There are many ways of being rich, and financially is the least of these. I am rich in so many other ways that I wouldn’t trade for all the money in the world. Seeing George Bailey’s journey and feeling his pain is a great reminder of your own personal wealth. It’s a matter of looking past the small house, the mediocre car, last year’s style of shoes, and realizing that what you have is worth far more than any of those things. 

Five Christmas Movies on Friday

Well apparently it is link up week for me. Either I am not inspired on my own or perhaps I've been deriving such inspiration from others that it cannot be ignored. It could go either way.

Here goes five things I am loving this week in the form of must see Christmas movies. there are definitely other great Christmas movies  that I do watch every year (i.e. both versions of Miracle on 34th Street and Christmas in Connecticut) but I had to narrow it down to the top five (if for no other reason than we are running out of time!). I'm afraid that "A Christmas Story" is not on the list, much the chagrin of my husband.

1. It's a Wonderful Life. It's a classic. It's painful and beautiful at once. This will give you some real perspective on the difficulties you are facing in your life and about what truly matters. 

2. A Christmas Carol. Nobody speaks of the heart of Christmas as well as Dickens. The next best thing to reading his brilliant work is watching a brilliant portrayal of it. 

3 The Santa Clause. This is such a fun one. A modern classic. I laugh every time. You just gotta watch it. And for a bonus watch Santa Claus 2... good, clean hilarity.

4. Family Man. This one always leaves me with a little tinge of sadness. Sadness that we could always wish for the greener grass and then miss out on the blessings of the moment. Yet another wonderful story which demonstrates what is truly important in life.

5. White Christmas. I love this musical. I always assume everyone in the world has seen this movie but I'm continually shocked by how few really have. This is such a fun and touching Christmas story. Plus, great music. Watch it.

Make yourself some peppermint hot chocolate and snuggle up with your hubby for a Christmas movie night. Now that is a fun holiday date.

The Things You See at Disney

Many of you must think I am a little over the top with Disney lately… but it really is a big part of our family this time of year. I have been cheating on these wordless Wednesday link-ups. Obviously, this is not so wordless. 

As I have already ruined the wordless bit, I will point something out about Disney love. I was just commenting to my sister this morning, as we were walking through the Disney gates for a little shopping and coffee on Main Street, how happy the place makes me feel. I know that sounds cheesy… but really, the thousands of people having fun, the Christmas music, the ambiance, the cheery employees, it is just a wonderfully happy place. If you don’t agree, just go there sometime with the anticipation of being happy (at Christmas time preferably), get yourself an eggnog latte (or whatever beverage you prefer), sit in central park and watch the castle, the Christmas tree, the happy people, the characters… you will understand. 

End of my little soap box moment.

Today’s theme is Christmas character encounters; a perfect theme to have after our trip to Disney this week. Now… onto the wordless bit.