It's December 28th. Are your Christmas decorations put away already? Our tree will stay up for a little while longer.
I am always amazed at those who can't wait to put the decorations up the day after Thanksgiving and take them down on December 26th. I am not in any hurry to leave Christmas behind. I want to linger.
When I was growing up, our family usually left the tree and decorations up until Epiphany, which is January 6th. We never made a big deal out of Epiphany and sometimes the tree came down before the 6th, depending when the weekend was. I was never ready to let go of the season.
Sometimes in our crazy, hectic lives, we are in such a hurry to get on to the next thing, that we forget to pause and reflect. Was this Christmas season all that you wanted it to be? Do you need to slow down next year and not expect so much of yourself during this busy season?
I've already decided on a few changes for next year. For one, we'll do a more structured, age-appropriate Advent calendar activity, even if I have to spend the time preparing it myself. We tried to use a generic reading/activity set, and it was too much for a 2 year old. We lasted three whole days before giving up. I also want to have a real Advent wreath on our table.
We did talk a lot about Baby Jesus and that Christmas is His birthday. Ladybug loved singing Happy Birthday to Jesus all through Advent. That was precious to this Mama's heart. (She even enjoyed "making" birthday cake for Jesus, we would sing, blow out the candles, and pretend to eat cake.)
I also want to stress less about gifts. Not only was there the whole Walmart debacle, but exchanging gifts with the extended family was too stressful for me. I'm making some changes for next year. (i.e. if you don't turn in a list, then you are getting whatever I want to give you. get over it.)
I want to sing more Christmas carols in our home. I could not find our Christmas CDs this year, so next year if I don't find them, we'll just have to sing all the time!
And even though we are being deliberate in teaching Ladybug the true meaning of Christmas, I want to reflect more on what that means TO ME. It's too easy to neglect my own spiritual walk when things are hectic.
Are you lingering at Christmas? Or have you already rushed on? Even if the decorations are already packed away, I challenge you to take some time and reflect on what Christmas truly means. God's own Son came to earth. Instead of fanfare or glitzy wrapping paper, our best Christmas present came wrapped in swaddling cloths.
I know I need less glitz and more swaddling. How about you?
We generally go with the tree from 1st Sat in Dec until the 1st Sat in Jan. So, I guess we are WAY still lingering. LOL
ReplyDeleteThe only thing that's really changed was that DaHubs had to head back to work today. Flicka's still off school for another week and DaHubs is off until Jan 11th. It's like a whole 5 weeks of wallowing and resting in the season! LOL
I'm not really lingering on Christmas...at least, not spiritually or mentally. I find my attention turning to the new year, and dedicating myself in 2010 to striving more to be the woman God would have me to be, instead of what I think I should be.
ReplyDeleteThe tree will probably stay up until this weekend. But that's more laziness on my part than anything. ;)
I would have liked to lingered on Christmas a little more but didn't this year. Hubby had a limited amount of time off and once he went back to work it was back to our normal schedule.
ReplyDeleteI do want to do some sort of a advent calendar next year and spend more time celebrating "Jesus' Birthday" instead of "Christmas".
christmas carols are too much fun! i took my girlies caroling at some older folks homes and that needs to be an annual tradition...and we'll def do icing cookies on christmas eve every year too. we read luke 2 while icing the cookies too!
ReplyDeleteWe actually did a lot more lingering this year...dining with friends, board games, reading, and watching lots of movies! We still have the tree up too! There are a few things we'd like to change too...like having an advent wreath and maybe doing a family study during advent. We will definitely invite people over more too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the thoughts.
Heather, I snuck over here via Jo-Lynne's blog and can I say I feel a bit guilty. I love Christmas and would linger over it forever if I could, but Jan 1st is my "packin'" day...my blog today is embarrassing (gulp) after reading your post, but humbling too! :)
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you, have a beautiful day!
We're lingering. I love having the tree up, even if the needles are all over the floor. This year I did something I have never done before and draped my whole family room with garland and wreaths, and honestly, it looks so pretty, I am not ready to let it go. Nor am I ready to put away the Christmas dishes and Santa coffee cups.
ReplyDeleteMy 5 yo daughter began saying "I miss Christmas" the afternoon of Dec. 25. I totally agree :(
We usually leave our tree up through Epiphany -- mostly because my husband's family is originally from Eastern Europe and they celebrate the Orthodox calendar, which means they celebrate Christmas on Jan 6th. Leaving our tree up is kind of homage to his heritage.
ReplyDeleteBut, I do have to admit, many times, I'm counting the days until that comes so we can get on with other stuff. My kids continue to ask for the Christmas lights and Christmas carols -- and I've said yes more than I've said no this year.
Great post -- very thought provoking
We're lingering and loving it. Glad to hear I'm not the only one.
ReplyDeleteJust found you thru the Musings of a Housewife link. I'm with you! We all probably need to slow down and enjoy the Season a little more.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the singing goes, I found a Christian radio station that plays all Christmas music/all the time after Thanksgiving. We had it on in our home and in the car whenever we went anywhere. None of us ever tired of hearing the music and it introduced us to some new Christmas music.
Happy New Year!
Great post! I'm new to your blog and really enjoyed it. I also want to handle advent differently next year, and plan on having a "Happy Birthday, Jesus" party for my girls' friends. For me the key seems to be pre-planning... not my strong suit!
ReplyDeleteBlessings on your New Year!