Advent - Waiting
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| Baker Tree '14 |
We broke with tradition a little and bought a tree from the Boy Scouts this year. Yesterday, was so cold, dark and rainy that I was not in the mood to tromp through icy mud to find a tree, and be chilled to the bone for the rest of the day. So, since my window of "getting all this done" is so short we decided to go a couple of blocks to the Village and get a pre-cut. It's pretty nice, but I expect we'll have more need dropping since it was probably cut a while ago.
It remains a little weird to do all this without the kids home. It reminds so much of the years when it was just Mark, the cats, and I except now it's Mark, me and Jasper decorating (but mostly me!). Every year it seems I gain more decorations (and stuff), and I really only put out a a small portion of it. It reminds me of all the stuff we went through at my Mother's and how it all adds up from year to year. I'm a bit of a minimalist, but I can certainly appreciate those whose homes are really "decked" in every corner and every surface space. For me, though, less is more.
I think I'm in a different place with these weeks leading up to Christmas than I was a year ago. I think having faced one of life's greatest threats this year has made me feel Advent in a deeper, more meaningful, more grateful way. I hate to be cliche but this year has really been a wake up call in so many ways. With the bad, though, came so many blessings that make this year's preparations even more special.
On Friday, Annalisse will be home from her first semester at SU, and her brother will be home the week after that. Then the house will be bustling again!
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