Around the 'net and around the neighborhood, people are in varying degrees of Christmas preparations.I know. I'm hardly in the Thanksgiving mindset yet and that's next week!
I'm not feeling particularly festive at the moment. Uncertainty does that to me.
I don't want to hear Christmas carols yet. It's a reminder that the year is nearly over and there's so much I planned but haven't accomplished.
I don't want to see Christmas decorations because I don't know whether I'll be unpacking ours to 'deck the halls,' or if I'll be packing them and everything else we own to move to who-knows-where.
And I don't really like the way Thanksgiving gets lost in between Halloween and Christmas and has been reduced to a day of 'carb loading' so people can get up (or stay up) in the middle of the night to begin a marathon day of shopping.
So no one would be more surprised than I when I visited the Christian bookstore, shopping for writing inspiration, and I didn't get past the children's Christmas book display.
As part of our Advent Nativitree tradition, I like to have a Christmas book to read to the boys each night. I'm trying to build a collection of books so I have one that corresponds to each aspect of our custom. So I had fun choosing some new books to fill some of the gaps (and right now some of last years books are still on clearance!).
I got excited thinking about adding to the experience this year now that Bug is old enough to read the scripture each night.
And I realized that I don't have embrace the commercial aspects of the season to have a heart that's ready to be filled with the anticipation of celebrating the coming of our Savior. In fact, maybe one is easier without the other.
So, ready or not, Merry Christmas! From my heart to yours.
.
Thanks, Mary! The choir has been rehearsing Christmas music for a month so I am hoping that, yes, so far, no feeling of hurried-ness. I am making a "countdown to Christmas" craft for my granddaughter, and I have been having so much fun getting the little "goodies" for each day. We have also given each of our grandchildren a hands-on Nativity.
ReplyDeleteThat is such an AWESOME idea and one that I'm going to copy (that is allowed, is it not?). When my older two were younger, I began the tradition of "advent jars" with them; there were 24 slips of paper in each of their jars; they drew out a slip a day. On the slip was something special they got to do or treat they enjoyed. Tons of fun, but tons of work.
ReplyDeleteNow that they're in college, I don't think we'll continue theirs any further, but the book idea is completely doable! Off to the local store to add to my collection. Thanks for this...
peace`elaine
Hi there! I hoped over from Elaine's Peace for the Journey.
ReplyDeleteI totally love this idea! Would you please explain what your Advent Nativitree tradition is? It sounds intriguing!
Prayers and blessings,
Rebecca