Christmas is once again drifting slowly into our home. I’d like to think it’s so I can ease myself into the holiday season, but really it’s because I’m busy yak shaving. And instead I often wait until the lastish minute to do “all the must-do but not really necessary things” before the big day arrives. Yes, even with 2020’s endless amounts of time at home. 🤷🏽♀️
So it’s no surprise that yesterday, while hubs had our trio up for their first ski/snowboard of the season, I cozied up with a still hot cup of coffee, the Seattle Times all to myself, and a jumble of ideas for what will go where this Christmas (ideas = yak shaving). I’m envisioning mini wreaths hung on the cabinets this year … what do you think? 🤔
I definitely had more than enough on my “weekend to-do” list, and based on the endless questioning from my brood, CHRISTMAS IS COMING and that list is about to unravel and roll across the living room floor. The 7-year-old especially this year seems to be keeping diligent track of our Christmas calendar. I’m guessing she’ll have us out choosing a good enough for 2020 evergreen this week – if not just to enjoy at least a couple silent nights.
The tree trip usually ushers in the customary stringing of lights, hanging of stockings and baking of cookies here. It also unleashes copious amounts of snowman decor I’ve collected over the years. I hold firm to the belief that snowmen – like corgis – help keep the Grinch away!
Our tree – once decorated – also marks the arrival of Snowy, our family’s Secret Service Santa Elf who seems to conjure both childhood delight and parental disdain in homes everywhere. But hey, the kids enjoy it – and hubs and I have a not-so unspoken challenge to one up the other on perfect elf placement each night – when we remember.
We actually held out for 11 years on this little tradition that got its start in 2005 with the publishing of children’s picture book, The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition, written by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chanda Bell, and illustrated by Coë Steinwart. I don’t recall what prompted us to cave, other than three kids underfoot had us willing to try anything to cajole patience, kindness and the often elusive on-time bedtime from them. I do confess, for Snowy to make his return trip to our home after the first year required an emergency purchase of a Snowy 2.0 … he hides SO well!
Thankfully, for now, Snowy and most of our holiday decorations remain snug in their respective Rubbermaids while visions of cookies and boozy lattes dance through my head. There’s plenty of time for late night decorating, right? Meanwhile, I got to bank some sanity reserves by snagging a little extra me time with a book, a run and even a shower!
Random Acts of Reality 