For weeks now I’ve muttered about the advertisements on television — you know, the ones that start promoting Christmas shopping before Halloween arrives, and the ones that display brightly decorated homes before our friends in the USA get to celebrate their Thanksgiving. But suddenly Christmas is less than a month away!
This is the weekend we’ll unpack our nativity scene and direct our thoughts to the new church year that’s just beginning. (Advent is the first season, so this Sunday it will all begin again — Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost.)
It’s also the weekend when our family’s Christmas traditions begin to emerge. Besides our Nativity, a miniature ceramic village will be unpacked. It’s a nod to my childlike nostalgia… a fascination with tiny figures in an old-fashioned snowy ‘Currier & Ives’ kind of setting. An evergreen tree will be next, followed during the week by an assortment of decorations accumulated from many different sources.
A friend posted on Facebook this evening that it was snowing at her home on Vancouver Island, and I was instantly envious. I know envy is a sin, but what can I say? Nothing quite beats a bit of drifting snow when it comes to putting me in a let’s-start-getting-ready-for-Christmas mood. A half hour ago I happened to turn on the back deck light (checking for the bear, of course!) and whoa!!! there’s snow here, too — an inch, and it’s coming down steadily!
So I’m all set… ready to begin again this weekend. My NaNoWriMo efforts have run down. (I accumulated 14,000 words… a far cry from the goal of 50,000 but still more than I would have had without the month-long focus.) (UPDATE: Looks like I’m finishing up the month with 19,707 words.) I’ll continue my daily writing, but there will be other priorities during December.
After all, it’s beginning again… “the most wonderful time of the year!”
I’d love it if you would share how your Christmas preparations begin. 🙂
~
The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
in readiness for God from day one.
Everything was created through him;
nothing—not one thing!—
came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
the darkness couldn’t put it out.
[John 1:1-5, MSG]
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MUSINGS 
There will be no snow in Spain but I´m OK with that. Tonight we will watch the lighting of the tree in the square and listen to the carollers and I will feel the spirit of Christmas.
JAYNE has found a rental in Lynden so we may be moving back there again (a bigger place I hope!) so we probably will not be doing much decorating … Altho there are a few things I hope I can find to get into the spirit of it. Congratulations on your word count…our TV & Computer went on the fritz so I’ve been more reading than NANO altho I’ve been doing a lot of think/plotting, if that counts ??? You two take care & I agree it is the most wonderful time of the year!!! J J&mE
My outdoor lights are up & will be turned on for the first time tomorrow (first day of Advent). And preparations will be underway! (Although I’ve been baking early this year–already several things in my freezer!)
We have snow on the ground, and I’ve started my Christmas shopping. At the rate I’m going, maybe I’ll be ready for Christmas by May.
Life hit pretty hard this year, delaying everything including a book release. I’m yearning to bake, put up a small tree, and soak in the Christmas bubble. Maybe I’ll get a chance to do a few of the things that I remember from childhood.
A little shopping done, decorating started – including outdoor lights and things (my husband’s contribution) – and getting into the frame of mind to welcome the special season … that’s at my house. I’ve started my dad’s shopping for him but we have everything else to do yet at his house. It’s a busy time for our families.
Now that December is underway, I can see I’m not the only one immersed in preparations. Amidst the decorating and baking I’m taking time for daily readings in a little Advent booklet I have, too… preparing my heart along with my home. 🙂