The Heart Of The Matter

This season there have been many festivities to participate in. There has been a lot of food to partake of. There has been a lot of family and friends to visit with. And there have been many traditions to uphold.

Here my very dapper son waits to go to the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at church.

But amidst all of the the wrapping paper and half-eaten sweets, my daughter reminded us of the one true thing that Christmas is all about.

A tiny wrapped package was place under the tree. There was no name on it, but my daughter indicated that it was from her to Baby Jesus. As her little hands tore at the paper we all waited to see what was inside. Then she revealed a small red paper heart for her to give to Baby Jesus! She then carried the heart and laid it in the nativity scene, a humble but meaningful offering for The Gift.

My own heart is so blessed. Happy Birthday Jesus and Merry Christmas to you all!

Pretty House

My heart is filled with joy every time my two and a half year-old son gasps and yells, "Peeety house!" when we pass by a home decked out with Christmas lights. Oh the simple, untainted enthusiasm of a little boy - what a wonderful gift!

The Village

For years I have admired my in-law's Christmas display in their front window. Having collected the Charles Dickens Village over time, they now have quite a collection. Every year I look forward to seeing the arrangement of street lights, miniature trees and twinkling lights. I have longed to attend a service in the church on the hill and to walk along the cobblestone streets.

This year my daughter had the opportunity to see the village in all its glory. She too was enchanted by the glowing windows and tiny figurines. It is so idyllic, I wish I could live there from now until December 26th.

Stripes of Sweetness

There have been claims that the Candy Cane has religious origins and symbolism. Most of those claims have been found to be false. Religious or not, they are sweet, delicious, and the mint ones are perfect with hot chocolate.

And in my opinion, mint is the only acceptable flavor!

Fall On Your Knees

A favorite annual tradition. Family Christmas Tree Hunt 2009: Horizon Nursery

That Christmas feeling is finally here. It seems every year I wait for that moment where I surrender to the bliss of this wonderful season. It finally came yesterday as we were decorating our tree. Snow was falling outside, candy canes were being enjoyed, the kids were squealing with delight, and Bing Crosby was singing O Holy Night.

There is just something about that song that brings tears to my eyes - I get emotional while singing it at church or hearing it on the radio. I'm not the most charismatic person, but even I want to fall on my knees when I hear it. Especially as it goes:

'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth

My heart sinks in my chest when I hear these words.

It's so easy to forget why we celebrate Christmas. I admit to getting caught up in the fretting about shopping or making sure I get all of the "Christmasy" things checked off my list. Sometimes it takes a song like that to bring me back to the true meaning.

This year I have made plans to not stress. To be more relaxed about things like decorating the tree or finding the "perfect" gift for someone. I choose to focus on family, tradition and making time to fall on my knees.

That Christmas Feeling

I'm hoping this charming toadstool snowman ornament will get me into the Yuletide mood.

I returned from my Thanksgiving trip to find that many of my friends have already found and put up their Christmas tree. Feeling a little behind everyone else, I am trying to get into the Christmas spirit. I am no Scrooge, I am just finding it difficult to get there.

Of course, it WAS still November.

Last week I bought a couple of ornaments to go on our tree this year and it is our plan to get our tree this coming weekend. Perhaps pulling out all of the fun ornaments we have collected over the years and smelling the familiar scent of our Noble fir will make the visions sugar plums start to dance in my head.

A visit from ol' Jack Frost might help too. After all, what good is it to live in a snowy town if it doesn't snow at Christmastime!?

KidBits

Ahh, kids. They really do say the funniest things. My daughter talks a lot and had some interesting comments:

"Ooh, I need something special!"

"Is it a WALL-E movie?" This was referring to a present under the tree on Christmas Eve. She mischievously smiled as her eyebrows went up and down.

"I'm getting ready Mom. Yeah, I don't need a scarf anyway because I'm nice and toasty in the car." Apparently she doesn't really like the scarf I made and insisted she didn't need it as we were heading out the door.

"I've never been to Bethlehem before." Well, that's true!

My son, who is not yet two years old, does not quite have the verbal skills that my daughter does. He still had a few things to say on Christmas:

I asked him "What did Santa bring you?" and he said "Cars!" It's true, there were so many Hot Wheels this year.

When opening presents, he would either say "Trucks!" (sounds like 'tucks') or "Whoa!"

After picking up a Hot Wheel car, he sniffed it and yelled "Trucks!" He LOVES anything with wheels, and apparently they smell good too.

I love having children, life is never boring!

History Repeats Itself

I remember getting an Easy Bake Oven from my uncle when I was seven years old. I was in Santa Fe, New Mexico visiting relatives and when I was at my great aunt Nana's house, there was a very large gift under the tree with my name on it.

1983 Easy Bake Oven. This is just about how I remember it.

It's funny how large boxes are so exciting when you are a kid and small boxes are more appealing when you are an adult.

Of course it was so thrilling to receive such a large and impressive gift. In fact, of all the gifts I received for Christmas as a child, that was probably one of the most memorable. It's not that I used it much or even really knew my uncle. I think it was the gathering of family, the snow, and being in the town in which I was born that made me remember it so much.

This year my daughter received an Easy Bake Oven from "Santa". She will have different memories associated with it - if any. It has been updated significantly since my model back in 1983, but still produces the same little cakes and brownies.

My little domestic diva, checking on her muffins.

Word to the wise: if a child offers you some blueberry muffins from the EBO, kindly except it, take a bite or two, then say you are pretty full and suggest that the baker enjoy the fruits of their hard labor ... they are really very disgusting!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow

Do I idealize Christmas. You betcha! But really not in a bad way because with kids and unpredictable weather I have learned not to set my expectations too high.

Today, however, was almost one of those ideal December days. We took the kids sledding and didn't have to go too far since our neighborhood is covered in snow. Here are some fun shots from our day in the white stuff:

After sledding we headed back to the house for some hot cocoa and chocolate chip cookies. What could be better than that? Well, perhaps that I got to wear my newly finished scarf ... that made it pretty great. Plus, I was having a good hair day and those should always be celebrated!

Oh, and listening to the Children's Introduction to the Nutcracker Suite on our record player.

So why was this day only almost perfect? Well, a trip out into the wintry weather to go grocery shopping wasn't exactly ideal. However, it did give me the great idea of inventing snow chains for shopping carts!

The Show Did Go On

One of the things I looked forward to most about having a child in school (besides a few moments of peace) is the school Christmas program. Last night my daughter joined her peers to perform a fun filled evening of songs, the Pledge of Allegiance, and many, many laughs.

Being the fashionista that she is, she picked out a tasteful black and white dress for her appearance. All weekend long she begged to wear it but we were firm in that it wasn't to be worn until her program. And for a while, I was uncertain as to whether the weather would permit the show to go on. With temperatures in the teens and recent snowfall, it was quite frightful outside. But we made it! And we were surprised by Boppa and Meemaw who decided to come down for the night to see their granddaughter in her first school program. How wonderful!

It was fun to see other parents anticipating the nights events. The staff at the preschool were all dressed so nicely and there was a slide show featuring the kids before the performance began. And when the kids lined up on the stage, there was no denying that we were in for quite a treat.

Before the show begins, my son is fascinated by the lights.

One girl sneezed so hard a big strand of snot shot out of her nose. When the kids started to sing The B-I-B-L-E song, they were singing it so loud, oblivious of how the audience was reacting, we all started laughing. I was laughing so hard I was crying! With great gusto the kids used their hands to resemble reindeer antlers. There was dancing. One girl lifted two of the three layers of her dress up. And one kid was singing as if he were a drill sergeant giving orders. It was a great night!

My daughter is going on stage with the rest of her class. In no time she was waving like a beauty queen and soaking up the spotlight.

I remember singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as a kid. I wonder if it was just as hilarious.

My daughter was in the front and got to dance. Here she is groovin'.

My boy, watching his sister on stage.

He's a dapper man. I think there is nothing cuter than a tie on a little boy ... even if it is a clip-on.

Dear Santa ...

This is my letter to Santa Clause this Christmas:

Dear Santa,

You know I don't ask for much. I have my needs pretty well met and I am satisfied with life right now. But, just because it's Christmas - and because I have been a good girl this year - I have a few requests that I would like to humbly make.

1. Santa, would you please talk to your "elves" in various major shopping venues about placing anything that has Disney Princesses or Disney Cars directly in the line of sight of my children. I can't walk through a store without hearing a "Mommmmmyyyyyyyyy" or a loud gasp followed by a high-pitched whine from my offspring. Thanks, that would be most helpful.

2. Since Father Time is one of your good friends, would you please ask him to provide a few more hours a day. Especially this time of year a little more time would be most useful in getting the shopping done, the Christmas cards sent, the decorating completed, the blog posts written, the holiday crafts crafted, the cookies baked ... and a few moments of peace and quiet would be well received too.

3. The Muter 2008. I would love nothing more than the newest model of this remote control. Not only will being able to mute my constantly talking daughter, my crying son, and barking dog bring me some element of sanity, it will greatly improve my marriage and relationship with my family.

4. Would you please see if your workshop can develop a hat that my son can't take off in frigid, cold weather; and a pair of glasses that my daughter will love to wear all the time.

5. If you are looking for any last minute stocking stuffers for me. A collection of immune boosters and cold remedies would be great. Better yet, the cure for the common cold and Fibromyalgia! It would be nice not to feel so miserable all the time.

Thank you Santa!

Humbly yours,
Kelly

The Ghosts of Christmas Past

It is definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas ... around our house anyway. This last weekend we decorated for the season, pulling out our favorite ornaments and illuminating our home with white twinkle lights. This year my daughter is starting to "get" Christmas and was so excited to get a tree she could hardly contain herself. She kept shouting "This is going to be the BEST Christmas EVER!"

We went to our favorite nursery to get our tree this year. Sure it is cheaper to buy a $5 permit to tromp out into the woods to find a tree, but as I have been sick with a sore throat and Fibromyalgia - and we have two kids with very short attention spans - it made more sense to go to a local place. Besides, it is tradition to get our photo taken by the nursery owner, in front of an inflatable Grinch!

Here are some photos of that tradition:

2008: Horizon Nursery

Our daughter is 4 1/2 years old and our son is 20 months old.

2007: Horizon Nursery

Our daughter was 3 1/2 and our son was only 8 months old - our son's first Christmas!

2005: Horizon Nursery

Our daughter was 19 months old.

2004: Horizon Nursery

Our daughter was 7 months old - her first Christmas!

Wow, I change my hair a lot! I don't have a photo for 2006, we went somewhere else that year and I was miserably pregnant with my son so unfortunately we didn't get a shot of our tree hunting.

This year we got a 10 foot noble fir. It is tall and skinny and it hold all of the ornaments we have collected over the years. I am always looking for fun ornaments to add every year, but my favorite will always be one from my childhood.

I know, it seems silly that I would like a bell with Cookie Monster on it so much. But I am sentimental and this goes way back to when I was very little girl. I always wrap it with extra special care and put it high up on the tree. I would be a bit devastated if anything happened to it.

And while there are many finer and more expensive Christmas decorations out there, I tend to cherish the Nativity scene I bought back in 2001. It was my third Christmas with my husband and we didn't have very much money. I went to Rite Aid and found THE most hideous Nativity scene imaginable. The skin tones were painted in bright orange and the cloaks on the people were in day glow colors. But, it was 50% off of $12.99. I couldn't resist that price! So I brought it home and repainted all of the figurines. Now my daughter plays with them as if they were dolls and it is fun to see her enjoying the set many years later.

Our cheap, but if I may say elegant looking, Nativity scene.

What are your favorite Christmas traditions?

Five Christmas Songs That I Love the Most

1. O Holy Night - Nat King Cole

Originally this song was a poem written by French poet Placide Cappeau. I love it not only because of the quiet and dramatic moments of the score, but the words are truly beautiful. With lyrics like''Til He appear'd and the soul felt its worth." and "Fall on your knees! O, hear the angels' voices!" I can't help but be moved. It places emphasis on the birth of Jesus and the meaning of that miraculous event for sinners of the world. Nat King Cole's voice is smooth and sweet, making it my favorite song of the season.


2. Carol of the Bells - George Winston

I love this song when a choir performs it, but my favorite version is done in piano. George Winston is a pianist that I have had the privilege of seeing perform live. He is a staple in my household and this version of the Ukrainian Bell Carol is energetic and conjures us so many memories for me.


3. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee

This song is so much fun. I think I like it so much because it has that classic 1950s sound - it was recorded in 1958 - and just makes me want to dance. In fact as I listen to it in the car you might find me bopping along to it. It also makes me want to go ice skating for some inexplicable reason.


4. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Judy Garland

This song was introduced in the film Meet Me in St. Louis - a film I haven't actually seen. There is something comforting about hearing "Dorothy" singing a sentimental Christmas tune. Her voice is legend and in my opinion this is the best version of this song.


5. I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas - Bing Crosby

Bing Crosby is a Christmas must in our house. To me he sounds like Christmas. His voice is rich and comforting and it just makes me want to curl up by the fire and knit when I hear it. Of course this song is performed in the classic film, White Christmas, and epitomizes that old Christmas feeling.

Bing Crosby