On Sunday night, I stayed up until 1:00 AM writing a new post about some things that I have been thankful for lately. What started out as a few thoughts about some events from the past few years of my life, and how I have overcome them, turned into a lengthy, journal-like personal essay. I was reluctant to post it because it delved into some very intimate emotional territory, so I have decided to put it on hold indefinitely. Just know that I am grateful for many things this holiday season.
Thanksgiving is over, so here comes Christmas! I got out all of our Christmas decorations the morning after Thanksgiving and our house (really just the living room) looks beautiful in all of its red and gold glory. I have a few more things that I want to do and I haven't gotten our Christmas dishes out yet, but I was so late decorating last year that I wanted to be sure to get our tree, stockings, nutcrackers, and nativity up early this year. I think Matilda has inherited my love of Christmas. She loves watching the classic cartoons, such as Rudolph and the Grinch, and we watched Elf last night and she loved it, especially the beginning at the North Pole. She also loves the Christmas tree. I put our 6 foot artificial tree on our coffee table in the corner of our living room (with a nonslip pad underneath, of course), so Matilda can get a nice and close look but her short little arms can't reach it. She loves the lights and her favorite ornament is an Ariel ornament that my parents got for me in 1992, when I was obsessed with the Little Mermaid. Like mother, like daughter.
Even though she loves the tree, I think her favorite decoration is a giant Nutcracker snowglobe that my parents gave me in high school. It plays the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and has different scenes from the story circling around a Christmas tree with glitter floating around. The base has characters such as Drosselmeyer, Clara (or Marie, whichever you prefer), the Mouse King, the Nutcracker, and the Sugar Plum Fairy situated beautifully among Victorian architecture. Matilda loves to watch the globe and dance to the music. In fact, Matilda came to me while I was typing to get me to wind it up. It makes me so happy watching Matilda dance, especially to Nutcracker music.
I admit that I totally love the non-religious parts of Christmas, but I also love the true meaning of Christmas centered around Christ's birth. My mom collects nativities and my favorite part of Christmas while growing up was setting them up around the house. We only have one nativity so far, which is Willow Tree so Tilly is not allowed to play with it, but I would love to have one that she can touch and play with, and that we can teach her the story of Christmas with. Any suggestions?
By the way, since I grew up in places where it didn't snow very much (except for one winter in Park City), I haven't had very many white Christmases. But ever since coming to BYU, snow has started to be a crucial part of Christmas for me, at least in Utah. I still don't need snow in Oregon to feel like Christmas is right around the corner. Anyway, there hasn't been a substantial snow in Provo yet. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope it snows soon.
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5 comments:
i also can't believe you just hoped for snow.......
if we get it, it's all your fault! just joking.
ah, i was going through all the things i was thankful for, and it's crazy to see how so many completely different unrelated facets of your life all of a sudden come together to form you, your gratitude, and your life. ah, this is such a good time of year!
Fisher Price has a Little People Nativity set that is great for little ones. I don't know where to buy it in a store, but if you do a search online you can find it. Good luck!
We have a finger puppet nativity that Lily gets to use during Sacrement meeting.
Brian and I were just talking about the lack of snow this year. Hopefully we will get some this weekend.
But I guess you wont be here this weekend.
Your wish is granted! I went to the First Presidency Devotional today and now it feels like the Christmas season can really be kicked off.
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