Apparently, Santa loves my family the most because according to Alex, Santa already came to our house and hid boxes and boxes of Christmas decorations and ornaments for us to find.
This weekend as I unpacked each box of sentimental bobbles, stockings & ornaments, Alex would exclaim with utter glee, "Look what Santa brought us!" She'd screech, pick it up and run around looking for a place to set it. After the 3rd or 4th box, and the 3rd or 4th time explaining that Santa won't come until Christmas Eve and all of these precious mementos are those than I'd been collecting over the years and OH, 'Alex, this one has your name on it', and 'This is the ornament we bought when you were in my tummy' were exhausted without comprehension, I gave up. And along with her, I began to thank Santa for the amazing boxes filled with 'never before' seen surprises.
I love decorating the house for Christmas. I love listening to Christmas music, and transforming my house into something different for a month. I love the memories that come with each ornament. Some hand made by myself as a wee tot, some given to us by those lost, and others purchased to capture a particular time in our life. A Portland Trailblazers ball from the 90's (Go Blazers!), A Linfield College keepsake from where Sean and I met, Baby's first Christmas rattles for each of the kids, and for each year we've been married a hand painted ball with all our names on it given to us by Sean's parents. I was having a grand ole time until Mr. Demolition himself crushed my Linfield College ornament AND within minutes pulled his stocking, followed by the heavy stocking holder off the mantle.
It was then I knew that THIS Christmas I would be practicing mucho patience and would be forced to relinquish some ahem....control. This house will NOT be resembling any photo found in Martha Stewart Living.
I spent hours turning and adjusting the tree, making sure no bald spots were in the front. I took an hour to string the lights and another to place my ribbon and bows. And now, all my hard work is garnished with the help of Alex & Ian's ornament placements which have all the non-breakable ornaments front and center in a hap-hazard cluster. Some ornaments weren't even 'hung' but set on the branches.
Halfway through the 'decorating', Sean asked me how I was doing. He said, 'You okay? This has to be difficult for you'. I laughed because it was a big inner struggle and I was doing my best to be 'okay' about it all. He knows me so well. I have to say this tree is not the most meticulous, and the spacial arrangements of ornaments by size and color is not exact. But it's my favorite tree of all because to see these two kids place the ornaments this year, and really for the first time enjoy the process was such an amazing gift I will never forget. And who knows, maybe nobody will notice that each day I take one from here, and put it over there and although all the Santa's and Snowmen started out 'napping', by Christmas they all be in their proper erect positions.
This weekend as I unpacked each box of sentimental bobbles, stockings & ornaments, Alex would exclaim with utter glee, "Look what Santa brought us!" She'd screech, pick it up and run around looking for a place to set it. After the 3rd or 4th box, and the 3rd or 4th time explaining that Santa won't come until Christmas Eve and all of these precious mementos are those than I'd been collecting over the years and OH, 'Alex, this one has your name on it', and 'This is the ornament we bought when you were in my tummy' were exhausted without comprehension, I gave up. And along with her, I began to thank Santa for the amazing boxes filled with 'never before' seen surprises.
I love decorating the house for Christmas. I love listening to Christmas music, and transforming my house into something different for a month. I love the memories that come with each ornament. Some hand made by myself as a wee tot, some given to us by those lost, and others purchased to capture a particular time in our life. A Portland Trailblazers ball from the 90's (Go Blazers!), A Linfield College keepsake from where Sean and I met, Baby's first Christmas rattles for each of the kids, and for each year we've been married a hand painted ball with all our names on it given to us by Sean's parents. I was having a grand ole time until Mr. Demolition himself crushed my Linfield College ornament AND within minutes pulled his stocking, followed by the heavy stocking holder off the mantle.
It was then I knew that THIS Christmas I would be practicing mucho patience and would be forced to relinquish some ahem....control. This house will NOT be resembling any photo found in Martha Stewart Living.
I spent hours turning and adjusting the tree, making sure no bald spots were in the front. I took an hour to string the lights and another to place my ribbon and bows. And now, all my hard work is garnished with the help of Alex & Ian's ornament placements which have all the non-breakable ornaments front and center in a hap-hazard cluster. Some ornaments weren't even 'hung' but set on the branches.
Halfway through the 'decorating', Sean asked me how I was doing. He said, 'You okay? This has to be difficult for you'. I laughed because it was a big inner struggle and I was doing my best to be 'okay' about it all. He knows me so well. I have to say this tree is not the most meticulous, and the spacial arrangements of ornaments by size and color is not exact. But it's my favorite tree of all because to see these two kids place the ornaments this year, and really for the first time enjoy the process was such an amazing gift I will never forget. And who knows, maybe nobody will notice that each day I take one from here, and put it over there and although all the Santa's and Snowmen started out 'napping', by Christmas they all be in their proper erect positions.
2 comments:
This made me smile. A lot. And feel bad that because I didn't want to exercise Mucho Patience...we didn't get a tree this year for Addie to eat. You showed me that I might have missed out on a lil something too though. We'll have one at my mom's. You know, things are always good enough. Go YOU!
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