Christmas and other seasons

Well, friends. Things don't always go as planned.  You get your bags packed, cross of those lists, then BOOM, the kids get sick and your trip gets derailed. 

 

Three visits to the doctor in one week, five prescriptions, and at least a half a dozen breathing treatments later, I think we're on the mend.  

As sad as we were to miss our Thanksgiving with family out of town, we decided to make the most of our vacation at home.  Cleaned the house, put up the tree, made this year's ornaments, watched movies, did some gift shopping, went fishing, and managed a Thanksgiving meal here in 24-48 hours.  How's that for spontaneous?

Here are some of the highlights:

We were bummed about not going to Virginia, so we thought some Christmas cheer would help.

Thankfully, one set of grandparents were around for the holiday meal.

Zingle made a comeback.

My husband and oldest son love to make things out of sticks.

Each year we add an ornament.  This is our Charleston sweetgrass basket.

The kids put their rock, leaf, and shell collections into this year's ornaments...with glitter, of course!

As the family recovered from our shared illnesses, we enjoyed a slower pace this past week.  Laughing at each other, getting out of the house so we wouldn't slug each other, finding new places to eat with waterfront views (and no dishes) with each other. We even walked on the beach!

And now, it's my favorite, favorite time of year.  After nine years as a family, we discovered we officially had enough homemade and collected ornaments to almost fill the branches on our tree and packed away the nice, but not as special decorations.

There's nothing like Christmas music, tree lights, scented candles, and coffee to start your day.

 

This season meets us in a time of transition.  This is not our house. We have to seek out new traditions to begin.  A lot of Christmas cards need to be mailed with a new address.  Meanwhile, the kids are learning that the heart of Christmas is about giving and having fun doing it, and their mom is remembering that this is right where we are supposed to be, and we're all going to be just fine.  

It's also a season to shake off that serious, too busy, frustrated attitude and enjoy the witty comebacks, the messy craft projects, and random questions that kids bring- inviting them into your world and entering theirs. Everything else can wait.

By giving, not just gifts, but time, we win hearts in the process.