Square Muffin Top

Saturday, December 1, 2012

31 Days of Christmas

Reflecting on Christmas seasons of years past...

Each year, when December rolls around, I have many thoughts and plans of how I want to spend the Christmas season. And each year, when I wake-up on January 1st and reflect on the holiday, I realize that my time wasn't spent doing as many of the quality family things that I wanted to do. There was certainly quantity (hustle and bustle) but not enough quality.

This year will be different.

I want to wake-up on January 1st, 2013 with the feeling that I was my best this Christmas season. I want to feel like I spent my time doing quality things with my family instead of feeling like I need to recuperate from the hustle and bustle.

How does this ~~shabby~~, ~~trashy~~, crafty Advent Calendar have anything to do with spending the Christmas season filled with quality family time?

...

Our advent calendar is filled with activities that we thought would give us quality time together ~ making the most of each day~ in the true spirit of Christmas.

Here is what we have on our calendar... We printed a few extra 'just in case'. The cards were put inside one of the containers and some of the them have a Hershey's Kiss inside.

Make a chain to count down the days to Christmas.

Learn about the Christmas Angel Tree and buy a gift to donate.

Have a pajama party and watch a Christmas movie while snuggled on the couch in Daddy’s blanket. Snuggle with Mommy and Daddy.

Roast marshmallows and sing Christmas songs while wrapped up in Daddy’s blanket by the chimnea.

Make cards for your Pre-school teachers.

Pick-up Grandma and drive around to look at Christmas lights. Everyone should wear their pajamas and bring a snuggly blanket to cuddle. We’ll bring hot (warm) cocoa to drink!

Call 1 family member and 1 friend to wish them a Merry Christmas!

Bundle up and watch for shooting stars. Snuggle up and cuddle with Mommy and Daddy!

Decorate a gingerbread house.

Go bowling and wear Christmas colors.

Read a Christmas book together.

Make paper snowflakes and hang them on the tree.

Have a pajama party and watch Polar Express. Eat buttery popcorn and drink hot cocoa! Ask if you can invite your cousins and a friend.

Make Christmas Cookies.

Paint or draw a Christmas picture for Grandma.

Send gifts to your cousins in Chicago.

Pick a few things from your collection of toys to donate to kids who are less fortunate.

Make handprint and footprint ornaments. Give one to each Grandparent.

Paint or draw a Christmas picture for grandparents.

Invite Cousins to drive through the Festival of Lights. Everyone should wear their pajamas and bring a snuggly blanket to cuddle. We’ll bring hot (warm) cocoa to drink!

Go grocery shopping to buy food to donate to the food bank.

Mail a Christmas card to a soldier.

Draw a Christmas picture for Grandparents.

Play music and dance with Mommy and Daddy. Get silly!

Make a Christmas picture for your neighbor and leave it on her door with a candy cane.

Get dressed-up, go to the mall and get your Christmas picture taken.

Get silly! Eat Christmas cookies first, and then have dinner!

Attend a special Christmas church service.

So why the 31 Days of Christmas?

Because this year will be different.

I'm not sure what we'll do after the 24 Days of Christmas on our advent calendar, but I do know we're going to create a countdown to the New Year~ 2013. This way, my family and I will send 2012 out with a true bang ~ we'll create our own new New Year's Countdown tradition ~ and I will wake-up on the first day of 2013 feeling fulfilled that we used our time in the name of family and love...quality.

What do you want to do different this Christmas? How will you make it happen?

Here we go...

On the day before the first day of Christmas,

my true love and I

made an Advent calendar for our man-cub.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving

Somehow, I volunteered to host Thanksgiving.

You know those conversations. You walk away squinting wondering if you just volunteered for something or if you were elected (elected without actually running for anything). Either way, ~~sick~~ excited and nervous butterflies fluttered in my belly at the ~~stress~~ anticipation of the big day.

Thanksgiving was beautiful no matter how it came about that we were hosting it at our house. From the beginning of the break from school on Wednesday to Saturday afternoon when we were still washing dishes, it was beautiful. And to be honest, as the hosts our job was rather limited compared to the actions and help of others. Chairs, tables, and other outdoor furniture made its way to our backyard with the efforts of loved ones. Beautifully starched table cloths made their way to the tables through no effort of mine. Pretty borrowed place settings didn't magically appear on the tables on their own, each was placed with care (although we did break two expensive butter dishes! Seems like an oxymoron, I know). Loved ones prepared food that overflowed the counters, tables, and refrigerator. Then in the ~~aftermath~~ after glow of the meal, dishes were washed by smiley faces chatting, filling the air with ~~overstuffed wallowing~~ glowing spirit.

~~It was a beautiful day even if I was elected~~.

It was a beautiful day filled with the people we love most.

Tables, outdoor couches, settees...Thanks Mom, Big Chris, Armon, and Andy.

Susanna ironed every table cloth.

Candace set the tables.

It was Andy's idea to try lining up all the tables to see if they'd actually fit. It worked! Dream set up!

Beautifully done.

The 'ideal' Thanksgiving wish for me has always been to have the tables lined up with everyone sitting at the same table. You know, the kind of set up you only see on tv or in the movies but nobody in real life has that kind of space to make it happen. 27 people is a lot of people to fit in any house. Thankfully, the southwest affords us the luxury of Thanksgiving outside.

The only thing that would have made my day better would have been warm food and more than a fleeting moment to sit down and relax and really be with my family. Either way, it went off without any major catastrophes. And besides, I have it planned out for next year if ~~I'm~~ ~~elected~~ I volunteer again.

Do you have a vision of what an 'ideal' gathering would look like if you hosted it? Be it Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or ? What do you envision? How will you make it happen?

I owe my niece Candace, a gargantuan THANK YOU for all the work she put into helping prepare for the family Thanksgiving. She chopped, she stirred, she mixed, she sprinkled, she boiled, she baked, and she did it all while smiling, laughing, and chatting away the day. Several times, she said, "I can't wait for tomorrow!" For me, it had become something to prepare for then clean up after. But after spending all day Wednesday (seriously all day, sun-up to long after sun-down) with her, I was feeling excited too. Not to mention, she kept me from wandering aimlessly into the street as we made our way to the store with our final 'list'...tired but accomplished. We made a good team. We made wonderful memories. Thank you Candace.