I hope you thought this blog title was a typo. Alas, it is not. This year I'm having a messy Christmas. I'm not saying it won't be a happy Christmas, but it is messy, none the less.
Long long ago, when I was a sah-mom, I gloried in decorating my house, inside and out, for Christmas. I looked forward to cranking up the Kenny G and hanging ornaments on the tree. I loved switching out the everyday towels in the kitchen and bathroom with cute snowman and reindeer monogrammed towels. There would typically be an entire weekend devoted to baking Christmas cookies and sweet treats for teachers and babysitters and friends and church parties. I looked forward to setting out the lladro nativity set and telling the Christmas story to my son. Typically all worked stopped for a Charlie Brown Christmas or Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer or It's a Wonderful Life. It was Christmas for at least a month at our house and I loved it.
I have noticed the past few years, Christmas has been becoming a bit slapdash at my house. Eventually I get the tree up and decorated and get the Christmas cards written and sent. Eventually I get my husband to put up the outdoor lights and hang the wreaths on the windows. Eventually I bake a few cookies for my co-workers and neighbors. And on Christmas day I cook dinner for my family and whomever else is visiting. If I don't cook the dinner, then I must be on the road traveling to visit my family far and wide in this great nation.
This year, I believe is the year I don't eventually get much of this stuff done. This year, Christmas is going to be messy.
I did convince my husband to put up the outdoor lights during half-time of the Redskins game a couple weeks ago, but the wreaths did not make it out of the eaves. I did get the artificial tree dragged out of the attic. We hadn't used the artificial tree in so long we didn't remember how to put it together. After a few sharp words between my love and myself, and finding the reading glasses and an extension cord, the tree is assembled and lit. There are no ornaments hung on this tree. I have no idea when that is going to happen. There are gifts wrapped in logo-stamped plastic bags arranged around the base of the tree, which is in the "living room" we never use because we didn't feel like moving the grandfather clock out of the entryway and putting the tree where we usually put the tree. I can guarantee that no baking will be happening this year. This may be good for the waistline, but it's sad for the spirit. Neighbors and friends are getting wine. I hope they're good with that, 'cause that's the best I can do.
I'm attempting to write my Christmas cards during working hours. I know this is wrong, but this is when I can find a moment or two. I'm shopping for my mom and dad on line and even at that, I'm hoping I ordered early enough to get Christmas delivery.
I'm going to guess the very first Christmas was a Messy Christmas, too. There is just something about giving birth that is messy enough, but giving birth in a cow-stall sounds very messy. Thank goodness for the angels coming to the shepherds and giving them the news of Jesus birth. I always like to think they were glowing or radiating some form of heavenly light. I've never been to Israel, but I've been to other countries in the Mediterranean region, so I know there were evergreen bushes and trees. Who knows, maybe they had Christmas candles in the barn? They were probably made of tallow, so no sugar cookies scent, but candles.
Christmas will still come whether my decorations are up or not. The meaning of Christmas will not change because I haven't put out the nativity set. Christmas will still be Emmanuel and hope coming to Earth. And Christmas will be full of joy and family and love without a huge Christmas dinner. I'm crossing my fingers that Netflix streams a Charlie Brown Christmas, but if they don't it will still be Christmas.
By the way, if anyone wants to buy a nativity set, feel free to email me. I'm willing to let it go.
754. Photography bloggers with their Christmas pictures
755. Bakeries that sell Christmas cookies
756. Trader Joe's that sell wine (thank goodness I live near VA)
757. Off-site meetings my boss must attend :)
758. The magi Christmas stamps and a US Postal worker wishing me a Merry Christmas
759. Kenny G on Pandora
760. A sunny day in December after many gloomy days in a row
761. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (rent this!)
762. It's a good day in the market
763. Being invited to houses that are decorated for Christmas like a picture in a catalog
764. Almost everyone likes wine
765. Remembering good times with old friends when I write their Christmas cards
766. Children's Christmas pageants at church
767. Christmas carols
Long long ago, when I was a sah-mom, I gloried in decorating my house, inside and out, for Christmas. I looked forward to cranking up the Kenny G and hanging ornaments on the tree. I loved switching out the everyday towels in the kitchen and bathroom with cute snowman and reindeer monogrammed towels. There would typically be an entire weekend devoted to baking Christmas cookies and sweet treats for teachers and babysitters and friends and church parties. I looked forward to setting out the lladro nativity set and telling the Christmas story to my son. Typically all worked stopped for a Charlie Brown Christmas or Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer or It's a Wonderful Life. It was Christmas for at least a month at our house and I loved it.
I have noticed the past few years, Christmas has been becoming a bit slapdash at my house. Eventually I get the tree up and decorated and get the Christmas cards written and sent. Eventually I get my husband to put up the outdoor lights and hang the wreaths on the windows. Eventually I bake a few cookies for my co-workers and neighbors. And on Christmas day I cook dinner for my family and whomever else is visiting. If I don't cook the dinner, then I must be on the road traveling to visit my family far and wide in this great nation.
This year, I believe is the year I don't eventually get much of this stuff done. This year, Christmas is going to be messy.
I did convince my husband to put up the outdoor lights during half-time of the Redskins game a couple weeks ago, but the wreaths did not make it out of the eaves. I did get the artificial tree dragged out of the attic. We hadn't used the artificial tree in so long we didn't remember how to put it together. After a few sharp words between my love and myself, and finding the reading glasses and an extension cord, the tree is assembled and lit. There are no ornaments hung on this tree. I have no idea when that is going to happen. There are gifts wrapped in logo-stamped plastic bags arranged around the base of the tree, which is in the "living room" we never use because we didn't feel like moving the grandfather clock out of the entryway and putting the tree where we usually put the tree. I can guarantee that no baking will be happening this year. This may be good for the waistline, but it's sad for the spirit. Neighbors and friends are getting wine. I hope they're good with that, 'cause that's the best I can do.
I'm attempting to write my Christmas cards during working hours. I know this is wrong, but this is when I can find a moment or two. I'm shopping for my mom and dad on line and even at that, I'm hoping I ordered early enough to get Christmas delivery.
I'm going to guess the very first Christmas was a Messy Christmas, too. There is just something about giving birth that is messy enough, but giving birth in a cow-stall sounds very messy. Thank goodness for the angels coming to the shepherds and giving them the news of Jesus birth. I always like to think they were glowing or radiating some form of heavenly light. I've never been to Israel, but I've been to other countries in the Mediterranean region, so I know there were evergreen bushes and trees. Who knows, maybe they had Christmas candles in the barn? They were probably made of tallow, so no sugar cookies scent, but candles.
Christmas will still come whether my decorations are up or not. The meaning of Christmas will not change because I haven't put out the nativity set. Christmas will still be Emmanuel and hope coming to Earth. And Christmas will be full of joy and family and love without a huge Christmas dinner. I'm crossing my fingers that Netflix streams a Charlie Brown Christmas, but if they don't it will still be Christmas.
By the way, if anyone wants to buy a nativity set, feel free to email me. I'm willing to let it go.
754. Photography bloggers with their Christmas pictures
755. Bakeries that sell Christmas cookies
756. Trader Joe's that sell wine (thank goodness I live near VA)
757. Off-site meetings my boss must attend :)
758. The magi Christmas stamps and a US Postal worker wishing me a Merry Christmas
759. Kenny G on Pandora
760. A sunny day in December after many gloomy days in a row
761. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (rent this!)
762. It's a good day in the market
763. Being invited to houses that are decorated for Christmas like a picture in a catalog
764. Almost everyone likes wine
765. Remembering good times with old friends when I write their Christmas cards
766. Children's Christmas pageants at church
767. Christmas carols
Hehe....we are having the same kind of Christmas (and my parents too!). I wasn't going to put up a single thing and Evan kept talking about Christmas trees so I bought a 3 foot tree from target and took 5 minutes to put a couple ornaments on it. I haven't baked a single Christmas treat and when my mom asked me what I was planning for Christmas dinner, the first thing in my mind was a restaurant :)
ReplyDeleteMy mom said she was going to see if my dad noticed if she didn't do anything to decorate for Christmas :)
Congrats on your new home and good luck with the remodel. Next year Christmas will be spectacular. :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I started reading your post I thought of A Charlie Brown Christmas. That is the true meaning of Christmas, right? Not all the rest of it. Holding the true meaning in your heart and let the rest go is what I think it's all about and it sounds like you do too. Wishing you blessings for the week.
ReplyDeleteWe need less work on making Christmas "happen" and more time just being joyous that it did!
ReplyDeletesmiles...it def can be a messy christmas...there are many things we have just said no to to make room for christmas to happen and what is truly important...and if that means we dont do some of the traditional things then that is ok
ReplyDeleteIt's the cards I was tempted to not do this year, so time consuming, but I do love getting them, and there's something about writing and using snail mail that I don't want to give up entirely. I still have some to finish and mail, hopefully tomorrow. Tomorrow I hope to do some baking, too. I've heard the peppermint jo-jo cookies at Trader Joes are to die for, so maybe those would be a good replacement for your home baked treats.
ReplyDeleteI sprained my foot last week so am hobbling and not able to do my jog/walk, which is not good with the extra calories I've been eating due to the holiday get togethers and all. :(
I didn't get my Nativity set up this year either. Yes - Christmas still comes whether decorations are up or not. And I'll bet they'll all love the wine!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post. I quite like your laid-back attitude. I'm like that sometimes until my wife reminds me that she does like Christmas, unlike me who grew up without the celebration in Cuba.
ReplyDeleteI wish a Messy Christmas, too!
Greetings from London.