So this is Christmas...

and what have we done?

We made things
(To-and-from tags painted made from an old Cheerios box)

Gingerbread people, of course

We decorated and blessed our tree on the morning of Christmas Eve
(as is our tradition)

Who doesn't love the bottom-heavy tree decor style of a child?


... our very, very large tree

(An evergreen Leviathan)



We dressed our kids in snappy outfits


(He was so proud of himself to have a suit on, "JUST LIKE DADDY!")

(And you can't really see Isaiah's super-cute sweater vest here...
But I wanted you to enjoy the beautiful big eyes of a Babe on his First Christmas.)

We gave our children modest (but thoughtful) gifts and got tears in our eyes seeing how grateful they were. Seriously, Noah's beautiful sing-songy voice saying "You made this for me?" when we gave him his scrapbook ("The Story of Baby Noah") made us melt.



How holy a feast day can be when you do things with a mind to celebrating and merry-making but also simplicity!


And one of my favourite memories that I intentionally chose not to photograph (it somehow seemed like I could enjoy the moment more fully that way) was our Christmas bell walk.

Thinking it seemed very Dickensian, we walked up and down our little seaside lane singing Christmas carols and ringing bells on Christmas morning. Our hope was to start a tradition that was exciting for the children that wasn't about opening gifts. It was simply wonderful to take the children out, before Christmas Day Mass, before presents, before family-busy-ness and sing merrily with them.

{Now we're enjoying the last of the Days of Christmas, and our last days with my sister and her beautiful family.

And one quick reminder -- tomorrow is Epiphany in the Universal Church, and Sunday is Epiphany in Canada. Please take the time to celebrate Epiphany. It's what our parish priest back in the day called "a second-chance to make it a Christ-centred Christmas". So even if your kids were whining because they wanted more gifts, you were whining because you needed to vacuum up pine needles again (I would never do that! ...ahem), or you ate too much Ferrero Rocher and got a chocolate hangover (or even, a real hangover), Christmas is not over yet. Give yourself the really awe-inspiring chance to one more time worship a Baby who is God.}

And read this.
Merry Christmas!

Comments

  1. MelissaJanuary 6, 2012 at 5:23 PM

    You're a beautiful wife and mama - this is beautiful! Your family is beautiful... wow! Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2012 at 8:55 AM

    Awww, we have those Christmas jammies :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. katiemamaJanuary 8, 2012 at 12:52 PM

    Happy Epiphany to you and the family! What a big, beautiful Christmas tree you have :) I always love when you share pictures of crafts and baking you are doing with Noah, so simple and totally things I would do with my girls! Enjoy your feast tonight!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. ElenaJanuary 8, 2012 at 8:32 PM

    I remember taking Benjamin to a wedding wearing a sweater vest when he was 5 months old. An older man kept laughing every time that he saw Ben; finally he said, "He's a baby banker!" I recall this remark each time I put a little boy in a sweater vest.

    ReplyDelete

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