4 hours ago
I had all kinds of ideas for December blog posts, but the last couple of weeks have been a flurry of craziness around here, mostly in a good way. I've barely had time to sit down, but everything we've been busy with has been fun memory-making!
Everything We've Been Up To
We kicked off December with a trip to a local "trial of lights" for my dad's birthday. My parents take the whole family every year and it's a highlight of December for all of us. There is one huge tree that they somehow manage to light up from the trunk to the top of it's branches, about 100 feet up, and we always stand under it and just stare. The kids aren't nearly as impressed with it as the adults - we know the amount of work that went into that!
My kids also participated in a unique field trip where they got to run a miniature town for a day, as well as manage their own bank accounts, checkbooks, and debit cards. Wyatt was the accountant for Town Hall, Gwendolyn was a mail carrier, and Clyde was an auto mechanic. They each were so happy with the positions they got, and they all took their jobs so seriously. Our cousins and various friends were able to go the same day we did, so that was fun for everyone too! I'm also proud to say that none of my kids overdrew their bank accounts. They are on their way to being financially responsible adults.
Another big event of the last couple weeks was a 10th birthday party for Gwendolyn. Her birthday is at the end of December, but we wanted to do a party for her while our good friends were in town from Kentucky. We invited close family and a few of her friends from church for an art themed party - it turned out really fun! I'm sure I'll get a post up about it at some point.
While our dear friends were in town we also took the opportunity to spend as much time with them as we could, and we had an outing to the railroad museum and a couple fun visits at our house. Of course the hardest part was having to say goodbye when they left the last night they were here. There are always tears when they leave, but it's one of those friendships that is strong enough to survive a little distance, and we are already looking forward to zoom visits and making plans for the next time we can see them.
Our family also fit in a visit to our local aquarium...we are not close to the ocean, so any aquarium here is going to be expensive and a rare treat. The kids got free tickets for completing the library reading challenge this summer, and Derek took a day off so we could go as a family. The kids loved it, and Georgie especially wanted to see the sharks! We topped off the day with a trip to the mall for some final Christmas shopping, and a Christmas movie night at home.
Speaking of the mall, we had to swing by there again on Sunday because I realized I needed to even out one of the kids' Christmas presents a bit. It is very difficult to shop for Christmas for five kids of all different ages - they want such different things, but I have to still keep the cost and number of the presents as similar as possible. It requires alot of planning and I often end up having to make adjustments once I get all the presents laid out on the floor.
So to the mall we went again, and I have to say, it warmed my heart to see how very busy the mall was. For the past couple years it's been quiet every time I've been to the mall, but perhaps the retail business is finally picking up again after 2020 (or maybe people are trying to avoid the finicky postal system). I'm happy to see it.
Amid all this we also had several other Christmas and birthday parties to attend, and we somehow fit some school in there. I'm tired just thinking about it now.
But it's finally the week before Christmas, we are on break from homeschooling, and it's time to get those presents wrapped and cookies baked! That's the agenda for today, and before I go to it, I'll just include one more thought that I've been mulling over this week.
A Thought On Christmas Busyness
As I've been going about our business this month, I've been listening to some Christmas sermons on the Canon+ app. I subscribed a while back for a webinar I wanted to watch, but it's been pretty worthwhile overall. I don't agree with everything they teach (I'm not a post millennialist), but I've found alot of the practical resources to be incredibly encouraging.
I was listening to a sermon called "A Theology Of Christmas Gifts" (or it might have been "Celebrating Christmas Like A Puritan", I can't remember), and Douglas Wilson made a point that it is actually NOT an unbiblical idea to work hard - even until you are rather exhausted - in order to bless others.
I think we are often, as wives and mothers, tempted to get a little bitter about the December rush and the Christmas stress. We think in order to do Christmas "right", we should not be so busy. I've certainly fallen victim to "Christmas stress" before, and often that stress is the result of procrastination or poor planning on my part. I don't think that's a good thing, and the solution to that is to plan better so I don't have a million things to do all at once December.
However, as I've been mulling it over, I agree that the problem is not the amount of work that Christmas entails. Work is not a bad thing. We don't have to be sitting around contemplating all the time in order to be blessed during the season of Christmas preparation. We are working hard to make Christmas special for our loved ones, to bless others and love them in a tangible way, and isn't that service toward others a kind of offering to the Lord? We ARE honoring Christmas in all the busyness of our Christmas work if we keep in mind that we are doing it for Him, that we are serving Christ by serving others well.
We don't always have to be still with perfect peace to celebrate and enjoy Christmas. We can keep Christmas well. by tackling our to-do list to bless others during all the hustle and bustle of celebrating the birth of our King! In it's own way, that is just as beautiful as sitting in silence and contemplating His birth, maybe even more beautiful if in the busyness we are giving of ourselves for the good of others, reflecting in an imperfect way how Christ gave Himself for us, and pointing others to the purpose of all this which is Christ Himself.
May you point your loved ones to Jesus through the cookie decorating, present wrapping, house cleaning, turkey baking, visiting, opening, singing, and celebrating this week!
Happy Christmas break, friends!
I'm sure I'll be back again this week.
I finally have some space for all of the above,
and a little blogging too.
This year our first real snow - with three inches and snow left in patches on the ground after several days - happened in October. We've had several more snows so far, and spots of snow that don’t melt in the shade for over a month now.
That might be shocking if you live in warmer parts of the country, but October is actually pretty late for a first snow where I live. We have gotten a "first snow" in September before! Our snow season usually lasts somewhere from October to May, and things don't start to green up in the mountains until at least May.
After living here my whole life, you could say I'm used to long winters, and I have come to enjoy them. In recent years I have heard alot of people bemoaning the long winter season in my state, and I find it a little surprising especially when it comes from people who have grown up here as I have. It's good to adapt to where you live, to look at the weather and climate where you are right now and find the good things about it, instead of pining for one favorite season or other destinations. Learning to become content with the climate where you currently live is important for your general happiness, and necessary to keep a sense of gratitude in your heart. God made these seasons - there are special things about all of them, if we take a minute to look for them.
All that said, I thought I'd give a few of my tips for learning how to love the winter season.
1. Dress for the weather.
As someone somewhere once said, there is no bad weather, just bad clothes. Cold weather is going to seem worse than it is if you aren't dressed properly for it. That might mean investing in some good snow or sub-zero clothes for when you have to spend time outside, but it also might mean a trip to the department store for some interesting sweaters that make you excited to wear them. In my book, fall/winter clothes are some of the most fun when it comes to fashion! There is only so much you can do with shorts and shirts in the summer, but there are endless layering combinations and textures to explore in the fall and winter, not to mention all the gorgeous coat options, which you would never get to explore unless you lived somewhere cold.
"When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet."
Proverbs 31:21
2. Practice looking for the beauty that a true winter brings.
There are many parts of the country and world where they never have snow, and some people wish they would get a little snow, especially around Christmas time! Take a winter walk and look at the beautiful way the frost decorates the bare branches, or the way the ice looks on a river as it grows thicker. The colors of winter are so muted and calming when you look at them through the lens of a photographic or artistic eye - try to look at a landscape and identify all the different shades you can (deep blue, dove grey, ice blue, muted brown, lilac, blush pink).
3. Take up a winter hobby.
There are all kinds of cold-weather activities that likewise are not available in the same way in warmer climates - sledding, skiing, ice-skating, snow-shoeing, snowmobiling, sleighing, snow forts and fights and snowmen. Why not appreciate the snow (instead of complaining about it), and branch out by trying one of these wintery activities?
“'For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.'"
Isaiah 55:10-11 NKJV
4. Lean into winter food.
You can't convince me that a hot beef stew tastes as good anywhere else but in the deep of a cold winter season. There are so many wonderful soups and stews, breads and pies, that taste especially wonderful because they are contrasted with the sharp cold and howling winds of winter. Lean into it and add some cozy winter recipes to the rotation.
5. Make your house cozier.
Winter is so much more charming if you have a cozy home to enjoy it in. I wrote a whole post analyzing coziness here, but I think there are a few elements that will bring up the coziness of any space - warm lighting scattered through the room (lamps, candles, fireplace, etc), more textured pillows and blankets (that faux fur throw you spotted at the store? Buy it), and something that smells spicy or warm (scented candles, essential oils, hot cider mulling, bread in the oven).
“He sends out His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly. He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes; He casts out His hail like morsels; Who can stand before His cold? He sends out His word and melts them; He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.”
Psalms 147:15-18 NKJV
6. Consider the textile arts.
With all those hours where you might rather be inside, winter seems the perfect time to learn how to make something tangible. Why not pick up a new skill, like knitting, crocheting, embroidery, or sewing? You can make some of those blankets or pillows with interesting textures yourself to add that coziness I just mentioned to your home. And is there a cozier picture for wintertime than sitting in a cozy room, wearing a cute sweater and socks, with something good-smelling coming from the kitchen, while knitting or embroidering a project, with your family gathered around? I think not.
7. Build relationships with friends and family.
Yes, you can and should build up your family and friendships all year long! But winter seems an especially nice time to practice hospitality, to those outside your home and within your home. Why not change up your habits a bit over the winter and make a weekly game night, or add in a new read-aloud routine with your kids all snuggled under blankets, or start singing some Christmas songs or hymns together on a regular basis? Why not invite over someone new to share your cozy home and wintery food together during those months that feel drab to some? Winter is a great time to be together.
"From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind,
And cold from the scattering winds of the north.
10 By the breath of God ice is given,
And the broad waters are frozen.
11 Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds;
He scatters His bright clouds.
12 And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance,
That they may do whatever He commands them
On the face of the whole earth.
13 He causes it to come,
Whether for correction,
Or for His land,
Or for mercy."Job 37:9-13
What is your favorite part of the winter season? Do you have any tips for learning to enjoy the winter?
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