Decking the Halls and other December Things

 Hello friends.

My attempts to get ahead at Christmas things felt a bit disingenuous with warm 50-60 degree weather even into December.  (How do Southerners get into the spirit of things, I wonder?)  

But now the snow is falling, the world is white and shadowed with shades of blue and gray... all seems as it should be.  Christmas is coming, indeed.  NEXT WEEK!

And so we beckon in the Light with lights.  And sparkle.  And Nog.  And forkless feasts.

Let the Tree Trimming party commence!

Our traditional Forkless Feast was filled with fewer (and cheaper) treats this year because grocery shopping these days leaves me speechless.  (I could not believe it when I spotted half gallons of eggnog on sale for over $16!!  Do people pay that price... for real?)

We passed on the elegant cheeses from Aldi and the nuts but managed to get some little smokies and rye dip on the table (the once a year treats saved especially for the Trim the Tree party).   

Mental note:  I need to learn how to make marbled rye bread successfully.  Paying over $4 for a loaf of the stuff is not something I love to do.

 I still teared up a bit.  Both in the savoring of this goodness and in the knowing this tradition may have to look different in the future. 

He that hath a merry heart has a continual feast.

Better is a dry morsel with quietness than a house full of feasting with strife. 

Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred within.

Do all teenage girls react this way to the antics of their father?

I took no pictures of Ineke because she was over in the corner doing what she always does when the Christmas decorations come out: playing with the angels and Godfather Drosselmeyer.  I do wish I had thought to get a picture of that though.

Do all teenage boys react this way to the antics of their mother?

Apparently Judah decides to just get 'er done and puts all his ornaments in the same spot.  Front and center.

We should keep a Christmas tree all the time...turns out they make marvelous camouflage for laundry covered chairs. 

The trim the tree party was just in the nick of time for Saint Nicholas Day.

Or should I say "nich"?  

har har

The basket to the left has Dutch treats in it that will be spread out across the year.  Hagel, Griotten, Dubblezout drop, Wilhelmina mints.  Not all are dubblezout fans in this house (more for me!) but no one would pass up on hagel.  

Dutch treats are usually passed out on Sundays.  Otherwise, that basket wouldn't last a week, let alone until next St. Nicholas.

Christmas card chaos.  Everyone wants to help and I love it.  Except when I discover (too late) that some of the newsletters did not print on the second side but have been sealed in envelopes and stamped.  Who knows how many people will only hear about half of the family...

Grandma and Grandpa wanted a picture with the grandkids for their Christmas cards so one afternoon we popped over and snapped a few.  This was my favorite, but came in second place for the cards.

Cinnamon rolls for neighbors, cinnamon rolls for co-workers, cinnamon rolls for parties and for gifts and for mailmen, librarians and church friends. Three triple batches of cinnamon rolls later and not done yet.  

Moses has a particularly interesting method of rolling...

I did not take the above four photos.  That would mean I would have to leave the warmth of the house and hike up the hill in winter.  And Mama HIBERNATES in winter, she doesn't hike.  These were taken by Adele'.  

Drinking hot cocoa in an igloo house at dusk.

And a few December bullets for you:  (bang bang!)

* Last Sunday we watched It's a Wonderful Life.  Corynn left before it was over because she couldn't stand George Bailey's screeching voice but Andrew marked it as one of his top 5 favorite movies.  It had been years since I saw it and I almost gave up watching when Old George Bailey was so mean and tantrum-y but was glad I saw it through to the end.  I really love old movies.  

* I now want to watch all the old black and white (or technicolor) Christmas movies.  Christmas in Connecticut may or may not be scheduled for this Sunday evening.  (White Christmas and Holiday Inn were watched practically in November.  They are favorites.)  Feel free to let me in on any recommendations...

* We are reading through both God Rest Ye Merry and G.K. Chesterton's Advent and Christmas Wisdom simultaneously and it is interesting and insightful to read both perspectives alongside one another.  

*  The Christmas Barn is our current read-aloud book.

* Other than foodstuffs, I am not doing any handmade gifts for anyone this year...which is both a relief and a bit mournful.  And very, very strange.

* All the children have beautiful handknit stockings (not made by me).  Matt and I have generic sewn stockings.  This year, I decided to ditch the dorky (but nostalgic) stocking I made Matt for our first year of marriage and the one I got on clearance for myself way back then and replace ours with knit stockings too.  Complete the aesthetic, as it were.  I don't know why it took years to do it but I am glad I finally made that decision.  Now- to find/make stockings...

* Speaking of knitting, I haven't knit anything in almost a year.  About the same time since I have written a handwritten letter.  Both things I hope to remedy in the new year.

* This is an incredibly uplifting article I read today.

*And if you haven't already seen it (and maybe even if you have), this is a fun movie to watch (free on Amazon Prime) before Christmas.

Happy Mid-December, everyone!