52 Weeks in Small World

Dec. 9, 2007 - Project 365 Week 49: Dec. 3-9

This has been a week of Christmas preparation for us, starting with getting the tree last Saturday. After putting up the tree, we get to open up the big tubs of decorations and greet them like old friends. Below are just a few of our favorites.

The Advent Stockings and Mittens
Each one contains a Scripture verse, and, some years, three pieces of candy. The kids take turns removing a stocking or mitten and sharing the verse. This year we are short on candy but not on enthusiasm.

Mr. and Mrs. Egg-Head Claus
They are possibly my most cherished heirloom. I am not sure if these came from my grandparents or my Great-Aunt Flossie, but I treasure their cheery chipped faces.

The Choir Boys
When I was growing up, my mother decorated the mantle the same way each year. To alter the arrangement would have been a terrible thing. On one end stood the choir boys. Every year my mother would say they were her four boys: James and John together, then Peter and Stephen. I was never offended that I wasn't represented in this quartet. Behind the Boys is the book of Christmas Carols that my mother and I played from throughout the season. I am honored to have it at my own house now, and playing those songs from this particular book makes me melt with happiness.

The Christmas Fairies
The Fairies stood at the other end of the mantle, far away from the Choir Boys. The two foursomes did not keep company, as these fairies are obviously too ethereal to consort with the likes of common boys. I suppose I fancied myself one of these fairies (the one in pink, to be exact), and I loved them all. Even the short, strict one. I suppose the Fairies kept me from feeling left out that I wasn't a choir boy.

The Nativity
And in the middle of the mantle was the Nativity Scene. But not this one. My mother still puts up the creche every year over at her house. The manger remains empty until Christmas morning, when Baby Jesus arrive wrapped in gauze. I am happy that my mother still puts up the family creche each year. I have never found a scene that please me as much as my mother's, but I do love this simple one that my friend Suzie made for us years and years ago.

Noel Noel
This is a countdown tree I made years ago, when Laurel was just born. The kids add a tiny ornament to the tree each day until Christmas. The verse below is part of an e.e. cummings poem: "And my little sister and I will take hands and looking up at our beautiful tree we'll dance and sing 'Noel Noel.'" I love that poem.

The Books
The Christmas book collection is an essential part of the season. With Jesse's first Christmas came A Wish for Wings that Work and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and we've added a few every year since. We know each one intimately, having read them over and over for the past 14 years. My very favorite: The Tale of the Three Trees.

And it's also been a week of performances for all three kids.

I'll post more about the performances on my regular blog, but here's Laurel dressed in her hip-hop outfit for "Annie."

And in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, we didn't forget the birthday of our sweet Daisy. Her bark may be sharp and dreadful, but she is a precious part of our family.

And at the end of it all, I have a bad cold and I am thankful to be able to curl up with a good book and nap, while Randy tackles the grocery list, the meals, and the dishes.

Dec. 9, 2007 - wow

Posted by onfire

your home is beautiful. the nostalgia touches my heart, and I am so blessed to know the corners of your home like I do.
I almost think I should pinch myself ... I've really been there, haven't I.

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