I get it. The hoopla of Christmas can make one so grouchy! There's all that shopping and spending money and stress. There's the issues of the family that always seem to come out right around the holidays. Decorating takes hours to put up and hours to take down. Between school parties and work parties and other parties, you feel as though you don't sit still for a minute. The DVR is clogged from children's Christmas movies starring the muppets and snoopy and elves. And that Christmas music! Geez ... two straight months of it is surely enough! Believe me .. I get it!
So I'd like to share with you some things I did today to try to help me get in the (at least secular) mood for Christmas. And, I have pictures.
First, I started with a clean slate. I picked up the house and took down all the fall decorations. (No pic, sorry).
Second, I put a pine cone, cloves and cinnamon on to simmer on the stove. I thought the smells of Christmas might help.
Third, I put on the Holly XM station 819 for some Christmas music (well, first I had on Holiday Traditions, but it was a little slow for me.) And I will say that at times the songs were so overly sentimental that I was crying ... I think it might have to do with the problems with my teenager this month and the prospects of a very different Christmas this year. But, I trudged on.
Then I decorated for two straight hours, and got about half done. Here's my pile of tubs now.
Putting the kids' little pre-decorated trees in their rooms, and allowing them each to choose a nativity set to display, did help to perk me up some.
Then I was starving, so I fixed lunch and took a break. Then I decided to go ahead and bake the cookies we plan to decorate tonight.
Through all of the decorating, the only real moments of peace were when I was putting out my many nativity sets. Not coincidentally it helped me focus on the true meaning of Christmas.
So, Mr. Grinch, I would encourage you to dust off your nativity sets and display them, thanking God while you do it for placing his precious Son in a dirty manger with an inexperienced and frightened set of parents on that Christmas morn. For that, you and I have hope.
Oh, and eat some Christmas cookie dough.
Sincerely,
Mmmm, cookie dough :-)
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking of you. I don't do well in waiting and wondering situations. I'd be a crabby, irritable mess. Hope you're doing better. Hope you can find peace that passes understanding.
Nicole!!! The first picture of the little tree... with Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus. . .WHERE CAN I GET ONE OF THOSE?! I love that!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe put little trees in the kids rooms too. Sophie's is all pink. Hunter's is a sports ornaments. They have such a great time putting them up every year. We just made our sugar cookies today. I forget every year what a mess it is.
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