Just a Little Bit of Christmas

The Thanksgiving dishes have been washed, dried, and put away or just tossed in the trash and the sound of the Advent calendar clock is tick, tick, stocking, oops I mean tocking!  I don't know when it started, but I get stressed out this time of year.  I can even remember not sleeping for the whole Advent season one year.  I think I was pregnant but I can't remember with whom!

What presents shall we buy?  Will we get a tree this year?  Will I actually bake for the neighbors this year?  How many lights will I put up outside?  How about that family photo?  EEEkkk!

When we came back from our Thanksgiving trip from the desert I had Isaac take down all two of our Christmas decor boxes from the attic in the garage.  I did get rid of a lot of "stuff" before we moved.  Last Christmas I purged the non-essentials before I put the boxes back in the garage.  When I opened the boxes I felt overwhelmed.  What am I going to do with all of this?

You see, at our last home I had a set place for everything, but now there are not set places, no traditions.  So I did what any rational woman would do, I got out even more boxes.  I brought in the rest of the framed art and photographs and decided that they should be hung first and then I could handle the Christmas bric-a-brac.

It took about a week of trial and error and some major grumpiness on my part, but pictures did get hung.  I managed to hang most of them myself, even though Corey is the official picture hanger.  He is just so good at it, and I really don't like to take the time to do it right.  But I decided to grow up, and do it myself and, yes, I did pound some nails in the wrong places but that is O.K. because Corey filled them :)

Front door entry way

It was actually nice to see all our "wall art" with fresh eyes and to make different combinations with objects from our old house and new things that we have picked up or made since living here.  The wooden board above the entry way shelf was salvaged by me from one of Corey's demolition projects on our property.  I hot-glued different varieties of pine cones that the kids found or that I picked up on my walks with Willa.  The holes in the wood board where already there so it seemed appropriate that it should be hung somewhere.

pine cone plaque

As you can see, I did finally put up some Christmas trappings.  I decided not to find a place for everything, so I asked Corey and the kids what they really wanted to have up.  Asa mentioned the "three men with beards star" that Greta gave me years and years ago.  He wanted to make sure it had a place.  There was also some major interest about the Advent blocks so the kids and I settled on placing them on top of the piano.  Eleanor mentioned the nativity set and we decided to arrange baby Jesus and his entourage on the book shelf in the dining room.  

Last but not least we settled on a place for the stockings.  They are actually quite special.  I started making them about 14 years ago.  I made the first three for Corey, Esther, and I.  I made up a pattern, chose and cut out different colors of felt and ribbons, and sewed each stocking together.  Then I decided on a theme for each one except Corey's.  He chose the Star of Bethlehem.  I have enjoyed coming up with a new stocking for each new member of our family.  When I was making Asa's stocking I new it would be the last, but it also meant that we as a family were entering a new stage and that was exciting.