Thanksgiving came and went beautifully. A nice long weekend with family and delicious food. Each year at our house we enjoy decorating for Christmas over this long weekend. It seems for a moment that we rush from one holiday to another. Putting away the fall decor, cleaning house and pulling out the Christmas decorations. But, in the rush is always excitement for Christmas and the start of the winter season. Oh, yes, and I am still young enough to thoroughly enjoy having my birthday during December.
To start with we are always sure to have the lights up outside before Thanksgiving arrives. Mostly because we want to be able to turn them on the night of Thanksgiving, but also because my husband's holiday work schedule is so packed full. With the backyard outlined in colored icicles and our front yard decorated in white we are ready for our indoor decor to go up.
We have the eggnog cold, the Christmas music on or a Christmas movie playing in the background and we begin transforming our home from its fall scene to the coziness of winter indoors. I enjoy decorating our Christmas trees, each with a different theme. Two trees in the living room, one with country decor ornaments and the other with snowmen I have collected and very special snowflakes that my grandma hand-crocheted for me years ago when my husband and I were first married. In the dining room is a 6ft tree with ribbon and candy canes on it. Each of our boys have a 3ft tree in their bedrooms to decorate themselves.
At some point during the hustle and bustle of decorating a feeling of tiredness comes over me and I just want to be done so we can enjoy the beauty and "simplicity" of the season. Finally, though, I come to the village that gets set out on our sofa table, between the living and dining rooms. I realized this year that for the past several years I have come to escape into that simple winter village. After the buildings are in place I arrange the people in a way that I imagine to be a caring, friendly village. People with packages coming and going, smiling and waving. Children playing in the snow and carolers singing.
What a good reminder for asking ourselves who we can be kind to and share the joy of the season with? Who is a part of your "small town"? Neighbors, co-workers, single parents, the homeless, foster children?
Over the span of my next few entries I will share some ideas with you on how we might enjoy that "small town" feeling of doing good for the sake of others and the blessing our own hearts will experience by doing so.
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