It has been a lovely few weeks of preparing for Christmas, in both quiet and chaotic ways, thinking through fun gifts to buy for people we love, and dreaming of cooler weather because hey schnikeys it was like eighty today, which, during December? No, North Carolina, just no. So while y'all were hanging on the edge of your seats wondering if I would ever blog again (just go with it, it's what I need to believe) here are the lovely things we have been up to:
1.) Gift shopping. This is at Crabtree, my favorite of the malls in Raleigh. I mean, I like them all! I do! I alllmost feel disloyal naming a favorite... but it's this one. Look how pretty! Dang I love a good December mall bustle.
2.) Tree shopping. The kids were helper elves at the farmer's market getting a tree with Another Nathan.
If you think they aren't actually helpful for tree choosing, you would be wrong. You see, Nathan "knows" how tall they all are and can add up their heights for you, if you're into random math talk on Christmas outings. And Anneliese can tell you which one smells the most like Christmas. ("Oh it smells like Christmas! No this one actually. No actually this one. #actually) And Charlotte is never not delighted by a good tree: "Christmas tree! Christmas tree! I found it!") (Repeat x1000 every time she sees a tree anywhere in town during the entire month of December, including every time she walks into our living room. "I found it!" I will hear it in my sleep.)
3.) Decorating outside. Mark loves me enough to hang lights on the house and wreaths on the dormers, in the drizzling rain, with a broke-ass shoulder (YES STILL, WITH THE SHOULDER, WITH THE REHAB), in gym shorts and an undershirt because that's the weather we are having.
We never did get the garland and lights on the porch bannister which makes me a little sad and fail-y but I am trying to be okay with it. It was a fast and crazy busy December this year. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay.
4.) Decorating inside. #nailedit
Kidding. We fixed it. And then decorated it.
5.) Drinking Starbucks holiday beverages. Look, my kids drink coffee now, when its flavored like gingerbread!
No I'm kidding again. They drink hot chocolate. Occasionally flavored like a candy cane. *I* drink coffee, flavored like egg nog and chocolate, because mocha egg nog is the most genius thing I have ever come up with that somehow never ends up on the Starbucks menu board in December, probably because they couldn't afford to pay me the royalties on every one they'd sell. (That's how it works, right?) (Another Nathan calls it meggnog, which makes it sound gross and he better chill with that or Starbucks will never see the brilliance in my idea and pay me my due.)
6.) Seeing the Raleigh Ringers. They are kind of a big deal around here. In certain circles. Like musicy people and churchy people and handbell people and FINE you don't have to believe me, but they really are one of the best handbell groups in the country and yes that is a real thing.
ANYWAY their Christmas concert is always about half serious, half tacky fun, and this years tacky part had... (HAND TO HEART, THIS HAPPENED)... the local weatherman, on stage playing tuba, with handbells, on White Christmas. Just. Okay. Close your eyes and imagine it. (He was exactly as good as any decent high school tuba player.) Oh mah werd. Y'all. The crowd was honest to God enthralled. Like, smartphones out in the air taking videos. I promise you, I PROMISE, nothing has ever been less paparazzi-worthy than our weatherman playing White Christmas on the tuba accompanied by handbell choir, in a tuxedo in a fancy concert hall.
But anyway it was a lovely night and we laughed a lot and heard good music, so.
7.) Making these hymnal ornaments. I saw the idea to repurpose the old blue hymnals (Presbyterians got a new hymnal this year, remember?) into crafts and such, including ornament ideas, and I loved it. I asked our music director for a few of the broken-binded ones too dilapidated to donate, and he gladly handed them over, and then what started as an idea for me and my kids sort of morphed into Nathan's whole children's choir, and it was so fun. I let them choose their favorite Advent and Christmas songs, and then circle stamped the pages, and the kids pained wooden shapes and glued their songs on. We decoupaged them and added glitter and a ribbon, and they came out legit pretty! Not just kid crafty, but pretty!
8.) Having our annual Old Fashioned Wrapping Party™ on the floor of the living room under the watchful eye of Captain von Trapp (they let me pick the movie) (obviously).
Then I tried to cram everything under the tree and gave up with several gifts for later gatherings because they just wouldn't fit, and I made wide eyes about my very large family and whoa y'all we have GOT to rein in Christmas, but for now isn't it all joyful and splendid and lovely, all the fun things we get to give people?
9.) Going to worship a lot. Some quiet peaceful services, some really musical magestic ones, some full of joyful chaos, and I kinda love them all.
10.) Santa's Cookie Worskhop™ -- five kinds of cookies, every year, planned and scheduled around doughs chilling and racks cooling.
Advent in one post. So much for not being wordy. Eh.
2 comments:
"I found it!" Best.
Ohhhh, LOVE the hymnal ornaments!
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