Friday, November 07, 2008

holiday bug

yesterday i was reading to the children from a snowy, xmas type book and we started talking about the holidays. it was so super exciting because advent and xmastime are full of anticipation, joyous festivity, cold weather (hopefully) and of course, the "reason for the season" (oh, i just did). the children and i were giddy with excitement and kept thinking of the things that come with this time of year. i am going to post a list and if anyone has something that they know i wouldn't want to miss, please let me know! but, as a new and hopefully lasting tradition, this one will get it's own couple of sentences. we are going to see the nutcracker at bass performance hall. lord-willing. i cannot fully explain what it means to me, and we are going to take whit and norah catherine with us. the ticket prices range from not bad to oh my goodness and i am hoping we settle on somewhere in the middle. ballet is my favorite thing that people do in front of others. i guess that is a weird description, but i want to include sports, performances, arts, etc as my pool from which i am drawing. pretty recently we watched a sermon of john piper's and he talked about the ways that we know there is a God in the Rom. 1:20 way, the incontrovertible visions of creation or abilities of creatures that could only be given by a Creator. his thing was gymnastics, he described it and was so excited, it was hard for me to fully enter into it as he can, but i know what he means b/c for me that is (amongst other things and maybe this should be another post) ballet. when i watch it (which i have only done live once or twice) it takes my breath away. it is glorious, impossibly beautiful and impossibly skillful, exhilarating, congruous, fluid, and overwhelmingly moving (for me). i get some of that when i watch men's soccer, but ballet is above all the rest in this area. okay sorry. so i am really excited about this and the children are also delirious with excitement about it and we have been reading our nutcracker book (such a weird story, kind of goofy, i think) and we cannot wait. dec. 19th at 8 pm. okay onto other holiday joys.

1. advent readings and calendar. we go to crivoice.org and print out the appropriate year's book of common prayer readings for advent (we try to do the readings for the whole year, but after easter we get kind of spotty on following the calendar, but i am ready to try again!) we have a little calendar on the fridge and each nite after reading/singing, etc the children each get to put a star on the day and see how long until baby Jesus' birth. they love it.

2. i am not sure about age, but i would love to take the older children ice skating at the galleria and to see the infinitely tall xmas tree they have there.

3. i want to volunteer with the children. we should do this always, but we have not been faithful in this area. our small group is providing a way to do this and we will start working with a children's place and do xmas and birthday parties for the children there, and our family can do it all together, and the children will learn some valuable and hard truths, lord-willing.

4. wade and i have always enjoyed reading a long book out loud together sitting next to a cozy fire. also, we will do this with the children, i think we are going to read the hobbit.

5. decorating the house and tree together. last year nc caught our floor on fire but it was exciting and steph and i were able to put it out.

6. xmas movies and epic movies. these are on all the time during this season, we own LOTR and Harry Potter, but it seems so much more exciting to catch them on tv. something about the season makes usually shrewd movie-viewers excited to watch cheesy, goofy dribble. home alone, elf, xmas vacation (all time fave), etc.

7. wrapping gifts together and watching aforementioned movies.

8. making and having on hand: puppy chow, chex mix, real hot cocoa with endless marshmallows, smores, hot cider with red hots, texas sheet cake, sugar cookies with frosting, gingerbread men, pecan pie, etc. this list could probably go on and on. but if it weren't for this aspect, for what would new year's resolutions be?

9. sending and receiving xmas cards. such a great way to connect with people with whom you haven't in a while (okay facebook might take away some of this novelty), to put their happy faces up in your home and think of them a little bit more during this time.

10. advent candles. crivoice.org also has great info about this part of xmas and it is so great for the children (and us, really).

11. singing, listening to xmas carols on the radio and to xmas pieces on the classical station. SUFJAN XMAS!!! SUFJAN XMAS!!!

12. going to look at xmas lights. we aren't sure where we will do this, being in a new place, but it is an exciting prospect.

13. xmas eve service. meditating on God Incarnate, candles, voices united, cozy pews snuggled with wiggly, sleepy children. the Church, the gospel...ineffably good stuff.

14. well, i would say our annual xmas party, but that might or might not happen at some other yule season. so sad. but somehow we will see our friends and family and it will be so good.

15. giving and receiving (you know you like to get) gifts and knowing why you are doing these things...capitalism? it doesn't have to be, just being intentional in your heart and as you explain to the tykes, that can go a long way, with God's grace.

well, what am i forgetting?

2 Comments:

Blogger Jake Spencer said...

I eagerly await the day Logan will sit and listen to me read The Hobbit to him. This is the one book that I am ultraexcited about.

7:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i know, right? so exciting. i am hopeful that sitting and listening will be a part of the equation!

courtney

2:44 PM  

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