Join in the chorus, sing to the baby
Sleeping beneath the stars that he made
Light in the darkness, hope for the hopeless
His love will never fade away
Heaven came down to earth to bind our wounds and wipe away our tears
~JJ Heller (Christmas is Here)
If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
~Anne Bradstreet~
Winter entices us all to remain more in doors, and rewards us with a sense of courage when we go out.
Winter gives us all a good reason to slow down and enjoy solitude, while also giving us an opportunity to really feel loneliness if we aren’t careful how much we sit in silence.
Winter brings out child like joy at the arrival of the first snow fall, and can push the older hearts to grumble as it lingers on.
Christmas is in winter.
Christmas gives the darkest time of year a chance to shine.
The lights, the love, the community; when found Christmas warms one to the middle no matter what the thermometer reads.
Ah yes summer was had by all 🙂 It was warm and delightfully slow. We got a great big pool and the kids lived in a tent all summer long. The ‘not so annual’ ladies tea was back on after a summer off last year and all four kids got tanned and taller. This was also a summer of ‘not knowing’ in many areas of life. I will touch on the most personal one pertaining to our immediate family.
There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you.
In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other.
Only in the winter, in the country, can you have long, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself.
~Ruth Stout~
Our first winter here and so, of course, our first Christmas in the grand old house we call our new home. A winter of abundant and glorious hoarfrost and many power outages. Even Christmas morning was postponed till the power returned, after having been off most of the night, and so we started opening the presents much later in the day then children traditionally can handle.
In new years past I contemplated making a resolution, as is the cultural norm in my little part of the world. Each year I was struck with my short comings in using my personal resolve to change much of anything in my life. THIS year I continued my own tradition of being honest with myself and not making any personal promises. I realise I learn and grow more then I ever decide and change, and so I have embraced that.
Skating, tobogganing, family gathering around a turkey meal, gifts, laughs, sleep overs, board games, card games and so much more… all with a little flu mixed in.
Felt very clever this year. A day or two before December graced my calendar I did all the hard decorating and cleaning that comes with this holiday seasons arrival. Twinkling eyed children arrived home that day. I hadn’t warned them; it is always fun to gift your children a surprise, after all children treasure a good surprise far more then adults.
We have never pushed holiday celebration around here, but now our children are old enough to plan things. We have little choice but to let them spoil us on Mothers Day and Fathers Day.
Garnet surprised me with this valentines gift last night, right at midnight. It was a surprise because he doesn’t do this sort of thing. I giggled as he shared how a concerned coworker had took him under his wing and reminded him about Valentines. He spotted the perfect and unique gift for me last week in our favorite shop and had to share it.
It is a South American tea but also a style of tea drinking all its own so we are very excited to share it together. Drank with a metal straw, that works as the tea dispenser/filter, in a hollowed out gourd and shared from the same cup. It is packed with tea so should be good and strong.
This version of mate is supposed to taste like chocolate, have the kick of coffee but is a tea. It is said to have superior health benefits to other hot drinks and other teas specifically.
We are such a couple of crazy and dedicated tea drinkers!
To have a closer look, or to order you own, link HERE FOR MORE DETAILS!
TTFN
Christmas came and went, as it always does, and although we have another family celebration later this week I feel like writing about the actual day and getting my blog looking back to normal.
Christmas Eve was spent laughing and sipping tea. We had our ‘Scottish tea’ with Pop and Grams (Garnet’s folks), Mirelle and her daughter. There was Scottish shortbread, cakes of ginger bread, chocolates and bree with crackers. We enjoyed real china tea cups and a large selection of tea to choose from. After the eating came the game playing and we had a rip roaring good time playing ‘extreme uno’. What a lark! We laughed and cheered and a few screamed! It ended pretty early, which was good since we had last minute preparation for the morning yet.
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| (Tea time and cards anyone?) |
What a special year this was with my kids aunt and cousin sleeping over so they could be with us Christmas morning! I hope we can entertain loved ones like this again in the future.
I got up early and had my jog and by the time I got back the children where stirring. My sister and her girl came up the stairs and we worked together to get some cornflakes down the kids before they got into the gifts. Since we had worked so hard at making the stockings special this year I insisted they wake their Dad so he could enjoy them getting into the stockings too (usually we let them open them before breakfast or even before us parents are up). Each child (including my niece) got a hand made puppet. There was a pirate and a dragon, a princess and a king. It was very cute to see them get right at playing puppeteers. The oldest two got a new novel from their favorite series, signed with love from their Dad and I.
We work hard at only really getting them one gift so each gift opening was short and sweet. Everyone worked to help keep the unwrapping chaos pretty tidy and waited their turns politely. We laughed and talked and enjoyed a cozy morning.
Mirelle, my sister, then got busy making pancakes and I warmed up the ‘pigs in a blanket’ that I had prepared ahead of time. Whipped up a veggie frittatta and she brought out her mini quiches and a fresh fruit tray. In no time close family friends arrived with their two kids and their famous cinnamon french toast! We all dug into a fabulous Christmas brunch and long conversation over coffee once the meal was over.
A very tired three year old of mine went for nap soon after the brunch and my sister and I took the rest of the kids skating. With hardly any snow and plus 2 weather it was a perfect day to put on our skates and have our first turn around the rink this year.
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| (Our crew, heading to the neighbourhood rink!) |
After Mirelle and my niece headed over to the inlaws for supper we all crashed here. After we came too we rushed over to see my side of the family. There was desserts and tea and family fun. My daughters and I performed the two carols we have been preparing as our gift to their grandparents and it went so well. My heart glows with so much pleasure when I do music with them. Too many treats had my oldest boy a little yellow around the gills so we struck out for home pretty early.
Good thing though, none of us lasted long after arriving home. Bed time wasn’t fought about, as would be usual around here. Even boxing day was really a nap fest as we all tried to recover from the holidays.
It was lovely. Nuff said:)
TTFN
