Pinching Myself

I have to say, and not to gloat or anything, but I am amazingly well prepared for Christmas this year. I always try to be on top of things, but I usually never fail to have stuff to take care of at the last minute. But, this year I may have actually done it.

I must confess that 50% of my current condition is related to the fact that I determined to give up in November on any gifts that involved sewing or creation on my part. (See, I did learn something from last December.) I determined that the hand knit scarves or embroidered pillows or photo albums or fabric tepees or fabric playhouse front that I REALLY want to make for my girls would make EXCELLENT gifts for Valentine's Day, or even Independence Day. This year I was putting sanity over sentimentality.

And, it is paying off.

Last week was a bit crazy after returning for a whirlwind trip to Utah over Thanksgiving I had to do a bunch of wash, unpack, clean house, grocery shop, and decorate for Christmas. But, now, on the first full week of December I am pleased to report that I have:
Finished all decorating,
Finished all shopping for Christmas,
Sent out Christmas cards and letters,
Mailed all packages,
Stuffed the advent calendars,
Made my first batch of Christmas cookies -- ginger snaps, yum,
Commenced reading Christmas stories with the girls (halfway through A Christmas Carol already-- we may actually finish it this year!),
Wrapped all my gifts,
Watched my first Christmas movie,
and compiled a list of holiday activities to try out in Boise.

(This weekend we went to "Claus and Paws" at the zoo. The kids had fun seeing animals and riding the carousel; the weather was not too bad, and we got in for free. But, since we refused to stand in line and pay $3 to see Santa, Mia did observe on the way out that she was "Not sure what the trip to the zoo had to do with Christmas."

We also attended the BSU Music Department Christmas Concert. It was a fun event, with a great performance by my second-cousin-in-law, who is the Department Chair, on the piano. Mark was amazing. The girls did quite well sitting through it, and we really enjoyed the evening, which, of course, included the BSU marching band earning the biggest applause. This one is worth doing again.

I am looking forward to the Nutcracker this weekend with the girls and our community Christmas Party.)

All in all, given how behind I feel in life, I am amazed at how prepared I am this year. My hope is to have more time for the fun things I always want to do with the kids and the simple things that really let me pause and soak in the season. I'll see if that works out.

In the meantime, I thought I would provide a sneak peak of Christmas at our house (although the pics aren't the best since I took them with my phone). As usual, I love using natural and simple elements in my decorating. It is always fun to figure out how it will all work in a new house. We have a lot less space here and I had to really strategize on how to fit the trees. But, it the end it feels so warm and inviting. I am loving all the festivity of Christmas here. It helps it feel more like home.