A whole box of pretty yarn makes me happy! It will become a bunch of these for birthday gifts. I just finished one tonight, a pretty red one (Julia made one too) and they're so soft and warm, and are fast because the pattern is so simple (you really only have to count stitches on your first chained row) and the yarn is so thick. Julia and I agreed we might have to make two of each color so we can keep one AND give one away. They are an excellent last-minute gift idea.
We made these last week for the girl cousins on my side of the family:
We are not always crafty at Christmas, but the girls are old enough to help with a few projects and it's been fun.
Kate has been doing a lot of this:
We had one of these we'd forgotten about from her birthday last March and it kept her occupied literally all day. She asked for another one and I actually ran down to the local toy store and bought one because it has kept her so happily busy! It's the best $5 I've spent this month.
Last year we started a new tradition of a service advent (like here). We like to incorporate giving and serving in our family traditions but sometimes got stuck knowing what service project to tackle with a family our size and spread. So I had this idea to fill the month with a bunch of little service acts. At the beginning of December we made a list of a bunch of little things we could do, and set a goal to do one each day. We tried to think specifically of people in our neighborhood and ward and also family who needed a little extra Christmas cheer. We did things like taking flowers or cards to people living alone, leaving something for the mailman, depositing some cash in the Salvation Army can, bringing in garbage cans, taking someone dinner, and so on. We didn't do one every single day, but we did do all the things on our list that month. For me, it made a big difference in keeping my focus in the right place all month. But by January I was exhausted! So when December rolled around this year, the kids asked if we were going to do our service advent, and I almost cringed. Things were even busier this year than last and I didn't have the energy to do anything extra. So, I put it off.
Finally last Sunday, we decided it was time to make it happen, and put up our calendar (my sister-in-law gave us this simple advent calendar and that's what we use). The kids wrote down little sticky notes of all our ideas and this week we finally started our service advent. And you know, I really have had more Christmas spirit all week! Imagine that! (also I should mention that we rearrange the little acts to the days where they make most sense, and sometimes we double up. And, we do the little things with whoever is available, which might just be a few of us. The bigger things we do together)
Of course we agreed that we should actually be doing this ALL year. And we are, sort of, but with less focus and energy. And sometimes kids are sick and the schedule's hairy and there's just no extra time. But really, to go about every day with the question in your mind "what could I do for someone else today?" is not that hard, and we could all do better.
Talmage completed his Eagle project this month, so that was one cool thing we were involved in, and our ward has had several other projects that families and youth could participate in. Overall it's been great for our family and the kids have been pretty outward focused all month.
Christmas cards are arriving. They go on a big wall in our kitchen that gets filled up by the end of the month.
The tree is up!
When we put up the tree we make wassail and get some "party food" and spend the afternoon or evening decorating the tree and putting out other Christmas decorations -- and eating.
Other favorite traditions:
- reading Christmas stories by the tree
- going to the Nutcracker (we go to a good local performance that is not so costly. This year we have a cousin performing in it too!)
- seeing the lights on Temple Square -- and sometimes catching a free concert in the Assembly Hall
- performing Christmas music (this year we joined up with a family of violinists and they're taking our simple performances up a notch!)
- gingerbread pancakes - will try to post the recipe
- Christmas Eve dinner and nativity
- gingerbread houses - got nixed this year in favor of the simpler gingerbread men!
- watching Christmas movies
In all of this I hope our kids will truly come to know of Christ. I hope they will feel the good spirit of giving, and good music, and good service. I hope they will enjoy the season too, because it is pretty magical to be a child at Christmastime. The older I get, the more I understand and appreciate the significance of the holiday myself, and I want for them to experience even just the beginning of that good, warm feeling growing in their hearts -- and to know its source.
No comments:
Post a Comment