What???? Only 17 Days???

I truly cannot believe that Christmas is only seventeen days away! This happens every year. I wait anxiously, all through November, to officially "let" myself get into the Christmas spirit. I adore this time of year, and each year without fail, I long to recapture those December days from my youth....so, I promise myself that this year, it will be different. I will do something "Christmasy" with the kids each and every day. I will take time to sit and enjoy the smell of something yummy baking in the oven, without rushing around, moving onto the next thing--failing to really STOP and breathe it in. I long for the care-free days of sitting in the little white house I spent the first five years of my youth in on College Street. Making homemade rock candy in our cozy little kitchen with my mom...the smell of *almost* burning sugar wafting from the stove! :) Waking up early to sit by the Christmas tree, staring for what seemed to be hours at the hundreds of twinkling (colored) lights. Taking moonlit walks hand in hand with my daddy up to the Buxton Inn to see the grandoise display of lights--the fresh snow glistening under the magic cast of the street lights. Christmas eve at my grandparents beautiful house in Maplewood....the absolute majesty of hearing "Silent Night" sung accapella at the candlelight service at church.
As I type this, the snow/sleet is falling, while Harry Conick Jr. is belting "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow" in the background. It is Christmastime. I may not ever be able to recapture the magic of the season like I knew it to be as a child. But, what I forget is that right at this moment, we are spinning the webs of memories that our children will carry with them always. So, as busy as things might seem, as tired as I may be at the end of the day (or the start of the morning :), I will enjoy every minute possible of this holiday season, and we WILL make those paper chains, cinnamon ornaments, popcorn balls, and even go caroling! And instead of trying to recapture something that just might be impossible, I am trying to focus on the birth of our Lord and Savior this December, and teach our children to do so, too! ;) Merry Christmas, dear friends and family!!!!



Brookie was so sweet yesterday, in her little Christmas dress. We were playing dress-up, as she was ready to act as my "bow" model! ;) Now, why didn't I get this sweet picture BEFORE we had the Christmas cards designed? ;)