The Beauty of Christmas

I love the beauty of Christmas. In my house, everything is glittery, silver, and gold, with lots of twinkly lights. In my in-laws' house, there are lots of blue and green lights and fun Disney characters that play Christmas carols and my niece and I dance to them. In my parents' house, everything is classic Christmas for me: colorful tree with old ornaments that tell stories, and homemade cross-stitched stockings on the mantle.

I love the beauty of Christmas. Children are excited and the young ones feel a sense of wonder. Adults get giddy, picking out the perfect gifts. People are nicer and more generous. Miracles seem to happen.

I love the beauty of Christmas.
"Nails, spear shall pierce Him through;
The cross be borne for me for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary."
-- "What Child is This"

Merry Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, everyone. Enjoy the beauty of Christmas-- all of it.

xoxo, A

My Best Christmas Gift.

Have you ever wanted something really badly?  Maybe at Christmastime as a child there was a toy you had to have.  When I was young, I had to have Puppy and Kitty Surprise.  Do you remember those?  It was a stuffed animal literally stuffed with an unknown number of puppies/kitties inside her velcroed tummy.  Kind of macabre, since the whole party would count as you pulled the babies out of her belly.

But do you know what I mean?  Wanting something so badly, you can feel it?  That yearning, that hope?  Maybe you wanted to go home so badly you could taste it.  Maybe you wanted to go on vacation more than anything.  Or maybe, like me, you wanted a husband.

I didn't just want any old husband, or just a male to hang around so I wouldn't be lonely.  More than anything, I wanted that one man who God had picked out just for me.  I wanted a husband who would be godly, funny, attractive, and my best friend.  At times, I wanted it so badly it hurt.  Other times, it seemed it would be something I always wanted but would never receive.

Then suddenly, I had it.  And I am so, so thankful.  My husband is the best gift (other than salvation) I've ever received, because I wanted it so badly and for so long.  He is my favorite Christmas gift this year, and probably forever.  Here are some reasons why:

He's learning how to act around children, and he does a great job with our niece.  He puts on a good show, but I know his insides melt like butter. 

He got all dolled up and married me.  He chose me, for some reason.  And he choked up when we read our vows.  That means a lot to me.

He loves many of the same things I love (here, America :) ).

He also loves many of the foods I love (here, Chipotle).

He's really cute, and does really cute things, not even on purpose.  I mean, look at him.

He lost 40 pounds.  I liked him with his extra 40 pounds, but he was so dedicated to getting healthy.  I'm proud of him.

He hams it up and is so handsome, too.  Observe my funny, handsome, husband.

He's a great travel companion.

He is just so adorable.  And he loves our puppy.

Thank you, God, for my favorite Christmas gift ever.

xoxo, A

A Moment to Breathe!

I'm shocked.  Here it is, 8 days before Christmas, and do you know what I'm doing?  I'm sitting in my pajamas on the couch, watching TV as my puppy gnaws happily on a bone on the floor.

My Christmas shopping is done, everything is wrapped, the cookies are made and have been passed out.  My house is a little cluttered, as it is often is, but is essentially cleaned.  All my grocery shopping for the three desserts (pumpkin cheesecake, double chocolate cake, and apple pie) I'm making for Christmas Eve and the massive Christmas Day brunch are bought and planned.  Reviews of these will show up later, trust me.  

The fact that I have an evening to myself to relax is an astonishing blessing from the Lord.  He is so good to me.  After an extremely tumultuous last couple of weeks, my voice is finally on the mend, we bought a car (hallelujah!), and Christmas joy is in the air!!

I know it will get crazy soon, as Saturday we're doing Disney (YAY!!!), Sunday is the last Bucs game with a concert, and then WHAM!  Christmas Eve and Christmas Day-- then my parents come for a visit!  But for now, here's a moment I'm allowing myself to enjoy.  I'm doing nothing, I'm breathing, and I'm relaxing.  Aaaahhh.

I hope you get a moment to yourself to do the same!
xoxo, A

The Christmas Spirit

There's a whole lot working against me in my fight for "the Christmas spirit" this year. 
1.  I'm staying in Florida, not Chicago, which means:

• missing family
• no cold
• no snow
• no Nutcracker Ballet
• no traditions I've built for the last 28 years

2.  I have added stress, both financial and logistical, because we are down to one car.
3.  I have entirely lost my voice.  It's not scratchy, hoarse, or even, as Hband calls it, "Rusty."  It is gone and I am mute but for whispers, which means:

• no Christmas singing Christmas carols, something I wait until after Thanksgiving to do and relish for a whole month
• no reading Christmas stories to my classes

4. I have abandoned traditions because my heart isn't in it, such as:

• Playing "A Muppet Christmas Carol" for my students
• Having an "It's a Wonderful Life" party
• Cranking up "The Nutcracker Suite"

To be perfectly honest, I don't feel Christmas-y at all.  The usual joy and anticipation I feel are pretty much gone.  It's not that I'm not happy to be here.  I have a wonderful husband, and his family (which is now my family) and I will have some wonderful celebrations-- anyone ever heard of the Italian tradition of a seafood Christmas Eve dinner smorgasbord?!  But I look outside and it's warm and tropical.  I haven't been listening to my Christmas music because it makes me sad that I can't sing along.  I think about Christmas morning and it makes me sad that my parents won't be there.

Have any other newlyweds felt a twinge of sadness at this change?  I think I might have even felt it if I were living in Chicago with Hband in our own place, because I still wouldn't be waking up at my parents' house and clambering down the stairs to enjoy the bounty under the tree and in the kitchen.  It's just a lot all at once, I guess.

And so I don't have the Christmas spirit, as they say.

Then I hear Charlie Brown say, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is really about?"  Followed shortly thereafter by Linus' reply: "Sure Charlie Brown.  I'll tell you what Christmas is all about."  And he recites from Luke 2.

So maybe this year needn't be about the snow, the cold, the Christmas carols, the traditions-- but rather about what it's REALLY about anyway.  Maybe if I focus on why we celebrate this day: the birth of God made flesh-- Jesus Christ, I will feel Christmas-y, in the best kind of way. 

It's so easy to let everything else (good things, even) become more important than the most important thing ever: Jesus Christ, the Savior of my sins.

So that's my goal this year: I want to enjoy Christmas for what it really is, and then maybe the other stuff will fall in line.  I have much to be thankful for and enjoy this Christmas; not the least of which is my salvation.  I pray that will be what puts me in the Christmas spirit this year.  I pray that for you, too.

Meanwhile, here are some kind of cruddy pictures of my holiday trimmings.  I promise they look better in person.

 our Christmas Dachshund train, from Mike's mom, and my sparkly pine cone lights from Bestie :)

  

 our DIY sparkly Christmas banner in the dining room

 A close up of the garland.

 Above the desk

My DIY canvases... didn't turn out as planned, but sufficient

 Above the e-center

 Hahahaha... watching "Seinfeld, of course

Notice we have our stockings hung here, including Lucia's little one!

Our living room-- not fancy, but Christmasy

 our little tree

 some special ornaments :)

our new sparkly sign

xoxo, A

Christmas Brunch Inspiration

I saw my first Christmas TV commercial two days before Halloween.  I heard Christmas music playing the Saturday after Halloween.  As excited as I always am for the holiday season, I am simply not ready for all that.

And in complete and utter opposition to that last statement, I've been thinking about this upcoming Christmas a lot.  This will be the first Christmas in my entire 28 years that I'll be spending away from my family I grew up with.  I phrase it that way because technically Florida is my home and Hband is my family.  But you know what I mean.  This is going to be rough.  But I have some plans to help me through it.

1.  Go around and look at Christmas lights and listen to Christmas music, perhaphs with Bestie Jr. & Co.
2.  Pick out a real, live Christmas tree with Hband and set it up together, complete with all my ornaments from my parents' house, and all of his, too.
3.  Traditional Christmas Eve seafood dinner at my in-laws.  They also open gifts on Christmas Eve.
4.  Christmas day brunch.  Technically my family has always done this, but not on purpose, and it was only ever just our immediate family.  This year, this is my way of trying to invest myself here during the holiday.  Here is my plan:

I will invite all family and friends in the vicinity, plus those within facebook reach who may have nowhere to go on Christmas.  We will feast like we've never feasted before.  We will sit in a veritable winter wonderland.

Along with coffee, hot chocolate, and fruit juice, here is the projected menu:

Pumpkin French Toast Bake

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Crockpot Breakfast Casserole

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Banana Bread Scones

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Quiche Lorraine

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Cinnamon Rolls

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Slow Cooker Oatmeal

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Bacon 

 

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Winter Fruit Salad

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Roasted Potatoes or maybe even SWEET POTATOES!!

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Baked Egg Boats

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Cinnamon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

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Spinach and Cheese Strata

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We will view this:

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We will look at these:

I think I will write the menu on mine.
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I'm going to spray paint tin cans with rose gold, gold, and silver paint and fill them with white poinsettias!
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And we may have one of these:

Hot chocolate bar!!
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These aren't necessarily links to recipes.  I'm going to try to make all of these, so if I have some real winners, I'll come back and add the recipes.  So if you're going to be in my neck of the woods on Christmas day, please pop by to taste and see that this smorgasbord is good!

xoxo, A