So it occurs to me that I didn't show you any photos from our annual trip to the State Fair (come on, you know you were dying to see them...), which feels a bit wrong, as it's one of our favorite activities of the entire year, and I share lesser outings with you all the time.I'm sorry fair. It won't happen again.
But the oversight got me thinking how the holiday season has pretty much completely snuck up on me and seems to be blowing by at warp-speed. For us, the fair marks the formal start of fall ...the official (hopefully) adieu to blistering summer days, the preamble to Halloween and Thanksgiving and of course...Christmas. And yet, I can barely remember going this year. And then Halloween came and went in a blink, and now Thanksgiving is knocking at my door.
It's all going by too fast friends. I need a pause.
To that end, I'm setting aside some time this weekend to make a little list with Bryan and the girlies of the things we want to be sure to do during the holiday season. Looking at the calendar now, I worry we'll get so caught up in the obligations and pre-scheduled activities that we won't make time to do the things we really treasure, and I tend to think that when you're more mindful of how you spend your time, well it seems to go by a little more slowly.
I'll try to be (somewhat) democratic when we're pulling the list together so Bryan and girlies don't feel like I'm bossy McChristmasmerson, but here are a few of the things likely to make the cut based on how much fun we had doing them last year.
fondue / the windows at Neimans downtown / fireplace s'mores / a carriage ride + christmas lights / gingerbread house decorating / the nutcracker (although this year we'll go to Audrey's performance) / "adopting" a family from the women's shelter to buy gifts for...
I'd love to add a couple of new traditions to our list. Any ideas? What do you guys love to do to celebrate the holidays?
15 comments:
Christmas cookies, Christmas tea (black tea spiced like the holidays) with real cream, quiet moments staring at the tree. Maybe not totally adaptable for kids, though! Those are my personal ones.
We always drive up to the ski resort to go tubing with the kids--it's their favorite. Hot chocolate in the lodge afterwards. Ice skating is fun, too. My brother's birthday is on Christmas Eve, so we open gifts with my side of the family then. First we have a big Ukrainian meal of vareniki made by my mom, then we do my brother's gifts, then everyone opens. We do Secret Santa every year so we don't have to buy a million things, which I love (a wishlist gets you what you really want every time).
This is too funny as my husband and I were on the same topic this morning. I feel the plans (and obligations) creeping in and I have been known to overplan (too often!). Some things on my list are viewing the lights, christmas train, maybe a play with my husband. Keep us posted how it goes for your family :-)
I'm always astonished to see what happens the day after Halloween. Our neighbors put up a Christmas tree, like clockwork, on Veterans Day every year. I try not to look at it until at least the close of November.
This year we plan to make some new ornaments and a gingerbread creation of some sort, ice skate as a family a couple of times and find children/or a family for whom we can buy some gifts this year - the kids using their "share" money from their save-spend-share banks.
I enjoy your blog and posted about one of your recent posts today, the one motivated by Terry Gross's interview with Jason Schwartzman. Your post has been in my head ever since.
http://theaccidentalfrock.blogspot.com/2010/11/parenting-do-what-you-love.html
...one of my favorites to do during the season is load the children in the car after dinner, drive thru starbucks for hot chocolates and coffees and then spend the evening driving around looking at the wonders of all the Christmas lights...one can never be too old for glittery dancing lights...
rebecca
Oh you are so smart. That is exactly what you should do, make a list and savor each one! Dude, I need to do that, like right now. I especially love the ginger bread house making, I think grown ups should do that too!
Oh my word, I KNOW!! It's going by way way too fast. Well, we really like the Gaylord at Christmas and are excited for the ICE and SNOW events this year...we go looking at lights of course and love that. Our favorite thing is probably going and cutting down our tree and all the fun decorating...oh and holiday music of course - LOVE! I can't wait to do the carriage ride and the nutcracker (which my sisters, mom, and I always did growing up) some day once our gal is older. I also want to do some cookies with her this year so that should be fun!
can i say, your pictures are getting better and better? i can and will. great pix.
also, apropos of nothing, my daughter has that land's end dress! man do they have some great things mixed in with some frump. i bought the sailor shirt in navy, yellow and red and my daughter isn't even a francophile like audrey! i felt a little validated seeing that you hit the land's end, too.
Fun! Great photos;)
for a few years in a row we would save all the gifts which were, um...not our favorites. the sweater with a bear applique, hand towels with satin lace trim, set of crystal & silver coasters, lighted make up mirror, etc. things that were not OUR style, but someone else might LOVE!!
the following year we would wrap each gift, pile in the car & spend the the next few hours delivering them to the folks who were stuck working on christmas eve. stops were made at the toll booth(remember when humans worked there?) 24 hour emergency animal hospital, fast food drive through, grocery store, tow truck driver, etc. it was SO fun to see their expression change when one of us explained the gift was for them as a thank you for being there for us!!
sadly we tried this again recently & were met with suspicious looks, locked doors & one outright refusal.
times have certainly changed.
Bossy McChristmasmerson ;) *lol* i love it!
Tuba Christmas! You've never heard Christmas carols until you've heard them played by 200 tubas. We go almost every year.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24 - TIME: 12:00 noon
LOCATION: Thanks-Giving Square, corner of Bryan, Ervay & Pacific Streets, Downtown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzXe97qn4rc&playnext=1&list=PLDD02DFCB5E51597E&index=83
patti - love it! on the list!!
celine - my MIL loves land's end. she gets the girlies things from there all the time and i have to say i'm kinda hooked now too. their stuff is really well made. good basics ;-)
When I was younger my mom and I used to count down the days to Christmas on our wooden spiral advent calender, which you can find here: http://thewoodenwagon.com/woodentoy/birthday-ring/BRSH320.html
The memory of the smell of the beeswax candles and the feeling I used to get when we would light them each night has stayed with me. I recommend it to anyone and every one with young kids.
I'm putting together my own list now....I have a rule as well, but it's the day after Thanksgiving. I know - Thanksgiving doesn't get much time, although I do fully appreciate that wonderful day! But the following day, I bust out the Christmas carols and don't look back!
Things on my list so far: make a paper chain for our tree with my son, bake something yummy to bring to the neighbors, watch a charlie brown christmas while we decorate the tree, cut paper snowflakes, celebrate St. Nicholas Day (12/6)......'tis the season!
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