Merry December!

Here we are, into December and I feel like I’ve hardly written about Christmas. I’ve been playing music for weeks and have the house pretty much decorated (although there are a few places I have my eye on for some upgrades). I’ll warn you, I’m a little crazier about Christmas than about fall, so the posts are just starting!

I think Christmas starts earlier every year, which isn’t a problem for me. I start thinking about Christmas in September, gathering gift ideas and looking for new recipes. But I’m a planner, I like to take my time to prepare things, which is why I start so early.

I won’t lie, I’ve had a hard time finding gifts this year. And not because some shipping container got stuck or products are sold out. More because the idea I have in my head doesn’t exist anywhere or it costs too much money when I do find it. As I said, I like to put thought into gifts and find a few things that are meaningful or that people will really enjoy.

Of course Christmas isn’t just about the gifts, that’s just one aspect of it. It’s the time you spend with family and the memories that you make. As I said in my first advent post, I’m not doing anything special for the month with E. No Elf on the Shelf, Kindness Elves, Travelling Nativity Set etc. Part of me wanted to, but I know my kid and E is still a little young for these things. While he would enjoy them, doing them everyday for the month of December would be a little much for him. He’s got his chocolate advent calendar and a book advent calendar and I’ve got a few other tricks up my sleeve but I’ll save the big stuff for next year.

But I am looking forward to baking with him and doing other Christmas crafts. We’ve already decorated the tree(s). I have a little one set up for him although he still prefers playing with the big one. The ornaments are slowly migrating upwards as I keep having to move them!

And then there’s the music, baking, lights, decorations, wrapping gifts…it’s all apart of the season. I try desperately hard to take it all in every year and slow the month down. It truly is magical.

I also like to take time to reflect on the true meaning. I will talk more about this in my advent posts, but the real meaning is in the manger scene. And I love the peace it brings. All the things that happened before the trip to Bethlehem and all the wonderful things that happened after. That’s what makes Christmas the best season!