First-- thanks for the compliments on the hair. Lesley, I was just trying to do the "Stepford Wives" smile (as Julia Roberts calls it) because I have a tendency to smile too wide and then you can see my gums and I hate it so I just did it that way. I wasn't cranky, I promise.
Now -- the enjoying part. The last few years I have not really enjoyed the holiday season. Starting at the end of November my family has a ton of sad anniversaries that continue until just before Christmas. I just don't enjoy myself as much anymore. Couple that with tight finances and a general feeling of malaise what with winter, cold weather and snow, and you have a recipe for a curmudgeonly me.
This year Rob started a Christmas account, so we have a little extra ... which is all we need. We aren't crazy extravagant gift-givers anyway, but it is nice to have that little cushion.
The fake tree (from Freecycle last year) is up in the basement family room. It looks great. The kids are itching to get it decorated, but I'm not quite ready for that yet. We'll get a real Scotch Pine for the formal living room this year. That one usually has gold, burgundy and purple ornaments on it, but this year I'm going with blue and silver with some seashells sprinkled in. I have a few crafty ideas and I plan on doing a few ornaments today.
I also have a large fake wreath that has a bunch of dove ornaments wired to it. When I was 15 my family joined Peace Lutheran Church. We were charter members. Every year they hold a fundraising bazaar and for many years it was the most popular bazaar for miles around. Each year since 1985 they have made a dove ornament. Some are crocheted, some are wood, others are ceramic and each one has the year on it. I have an ornament from every year. A couple of years ago I bought the wreath and added some wire-edged ribbon to it; this year I bought a gold-toned ornament that says "Peace" with a dove and an olive branch on it and added that to the bottom of the wreath. It's hanging in the living room and really is quite pretty.
My mom cleaned out her Christmas stuff earlier in the year and gave me a bunch of it. I was so excited that she gave me a set of ceramic bells in graduated sizes that have been in her house at Christmas ever since I can remember. This year I will set them out here and take a picture and make a scrapbook page so my kids always remember how special they are to me.
So, yep, I am enjoying it this year. November 29, December 11 and December 17 and the sad dates associated with them will all come and go and I suppose I'll still be sad, at least a little. But I owe it to myself and my kids to try to have a good time and to let the sadness go a little bit. At this point I feel better and more excited about it than I have in years, and for that I am very thankful.
Mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend. Scrapbooker, family historian, reader, cook, photographer. Volunteer. Political junkie. Springsteen fan. Loves deeply, strives daily to be a cheerful, kind and generous person. Fails regularly. Snarky, judgy and more than a little blunt. Some people don't appreciate my style. If you're one of them, that's ok. Get your own blog.
I have some sad anniversaries too. Three of my four grandparents died between November 30th and Christmas Eve. Three years ago I got the call on Christmas morning that my grandfather had died. Fun, fun. But, you are right. We have to keep it together for the children and remember that they are all in a better place that doesn't have crowded stores or snow to shovel!!
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