This year I wondered if our annual “Welcome to December” brunch would even happen. I was 1 week postpartum and very deprived of sleep.
But I couldn’t let the first week of the month pass without ringing in the season! So…we opted for an afternoon tea party instead.
Thankfully, my sweet mom was still here to help! Instead of breakfast cinnamon rolls, I rolled triangled crescents in sweetened cream cheese and chocolate chips. We made a Christmas tree out of our delicious concoction and the kids inhaled it!
Dusted with powdered sugar [read: snow] of course!
Coupled with hot chocolate in our favorite Christmas tree pitcher, a pair of matching fleece pajamas(with an additional matching set for their dolls)—it was a sweet time together.
While the kids munched on goodies, I read two of my favorite Christmas books.
This year’s picks were…
The Spirit of Christmas has beautifully illustrated the wonder of the season. Nancy Tillman has written several of my favorites, and she has such an artful way of capturing whimsy while also pointing back to its Creator. The girls loved this one.
The Crippled Lamb is a spin on the original Christmas narrative. Children are invited to follow the journey of a lamb named Joshua who isn’t the most beloved in the herd(due to his disability) but ultimately realizes what a blessing he can be, just the way God made him! This one provides a great opportunity to talk about how differences from God are good because He intended them that way! It’s a sweet reminder that everyone is “Gods workmanship, created in Christ to do good works which God prepared in advance that they should do”!
Of course we ended our time talking about the reason for the season—Jesus! We discussed how this entire month is a birthday party for Him! That everything we do—hanging lights, decorations, giving gifts, etc—is in celebration of the Incarnation!
Christmas is fast approaching, so I’m STILL sharing some of our favorites! This week I’m sharing a little bit of everything!
Does anyone else like to track memories? I DO! But I’m really not the scrapbook-ing type. I needed something that would let me keep a concise, yet thoughtful record of everything we did over the holiday season, and this book hit the spot! Each page features a section on what you ate, activities, pictures, etc. But it won’t take you hours to fill out! I fill this one out every year and it has been so fun to look back over the years! Someone was thoughtful enough to gift us this one with our name engraved, and I thought it was the most sentimental gift!
2. Santa Claus is coming to…[insert birthplace of your kid here]!
This one is a GEM! Even though my babies know he’s not real, they still enjoy reading books about him(for fun) and these books personalize the experience perfectly! I make a point to gift a copy of this book(featuring the birth state of each child) on the first Christmas they celebrate with us outside utero 😉 It’s always fun showing the pictures and reminiscing(if you can’t tell, I am HERE for the sentimental stuff!) about where we were when they were born! There are pictures featuring familiar landmarks on each page! Your child will love it! I think this is also a sweet gift they can pass down to their own children one day.
3. Okay, THIS CD has been a HUGE hit with my family this year. Actually, I should say there are several. We are ALL about the Christmas jams around here! Straight No Chaser has been around for a while, but Rosebud(my eldest) and I just discovered this song and it is one of our favorites for post-dinner dance parties! The whole album is festive, but their version of the “12 Days of Christmas” is particularly silly because it features a medley of Christmas tunes + [my FAVORITE] a nod to Toto’s “Africa” but with holiday lyrics. You guys have to check this out!
4. This next album is a timeless classic. You’ve probably heard it many times over, but I have to share it because when the craziness of the season gets overwhelming I just turn it on and it soothes my soul! It’s particularly perfect for days spent crafting at home on a lazy snowy day! We have the vinyl, which is one of my favorite ways to listen to music! Plus the record is bright green, and that just tickles me!
5. This last one came to us last Christmas, and it was a personal favorite. Alistair Begg takes several key characters at Christmas and does an in-depth analysis on each. But he does it using the songs they sand! It’s a simple, short read, but there is so much goodness there! It really encouraged my soul and helped prepare my heart for the Advent season.
What are some of your favorite resources or traditions? Thanks for stopping by and MERRY CHRISTMAS season! 🙂
Today I’m sharing a few more Christmas gems with you all. Hopefully you and your families can enjoy these resources together!
1. Rain for Roots
These guys have produced several fantastic albums. In the last few years they’ve released an advent album and we LOVE it! They melodies are filled with timeless truth and soft rhythms to facilitate a peaceful atmosphere while also reminding the kiddos of rich truths found in scripture. This album is one of our faves. BONUS: it looks like this year they’re doing a sing-a-long!
2. Christmas Uncut
This one breaks down the character and context of the Christmas story in a way that is fun and interactive. We like to read this one every so often to help the kids understand the “who, what, when, where and why” of Christmas.
3. One Wintry Night
We just started this one the other night and the girls are HOOKED! Each beautifully illustrated section(the artist took 4 years to complete the pictures!) captivates the listener with intricate details following a story of a boy named Jesse who learns about the history of the Christmas story. It is a picture book, but broken down into 1-2 page chapters to be read over dinner, sitting by the fire or snuggled up at bedtime.
4. Come Let Us Adore Him
This is what I chose for our family to read around the table for the advent season. Each day features a short meditation by the author as well as a section of questions and activities for the kids. It is a great resource for entire families!
Does productivity make anyone else feel valuable? It only seems fitting that every year December finds me waiting for something. This time last year, I was [quite possibly] bigger than a [tiny] house waiting on our littlest love. I prayed he would come early, but as he wasn’t due until the beginning of this year I wondered if he would. And he didn’t. I was restless, achey, wobbly and harried. The robust energy with which I embraced the Christmas season felt forced and insufficient, which made me feel insufficient. And God, in his grace, met me with peace from every anxiety and rest in the waiting.
This year I find myself waiting, yet again. And there is a sense of goodness in it. At the beginning of the holiday season( literally ON Thanksgiving) I became ill. Not the 24- hour bug kind of ill, the virus kind. Which meant scary things like isolation and quarantine. Even for an introvert, nothing about staying inside appealed to me. I planned to go full-throttle Christmas Queen with my girls, and I was excited to not be pregnant so I could have crazy-mom-at-Christmas energy to go and do all of the things. But then it hit hard. And I was down for almost two weeks. Nothing about that felt productive. I couldn’t even hold my children. I could barely shower, and my fatigue left me feeling useless every hour. Yes, it was that bad. The Monday after resting for what seemed like an eternity(over 2 weeks, people!), I tried to resume normal duties. I couldn’t. I spent the day in bed trying to work on things I had put off, trying to clean, trying to do something–anything! But I just. couldn’t. do it. And I didn’t just feel crummy physically, I felt emotionally depleted. Nothing I did worked. Nothing was accomplished. I felt SO invaluable and SO defeated.
But I’m learning that sometimes the most productive thing I can do is allow myself to rest.
Redeemingthemundane
What is going on, Lord? Why doesn my heart feel this way? I wondered quietly. It wasn’t until yesterday, when I described my emotions to a new friend that something clicked. It was something she mentioned in passing, but as I listened I realized my heart needed it: “Susanna, I’m not enough. And I just needed to admit that. I need help. I need Jesus”.
There’s a sweet song by Rain for Roots that paraphrases Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28-30:
Come to me. Walk with me. Learn the rhythms of my grace. Come to me --I have all you need. Learn to rest even while you are awake. Are you tired? Are you worried? Worn out from the day? Have you been in a hurry?
I will slow the pace.
The words kept running over and over in my mind like a gently babbling brook. And as I pondered my friend’s words, I made the same admission: I cannot do this. I cannot be enough. I need Jesus.
The lie were told as women is that we are enough. And in that, we can do it all. In fact, we can HAVE it all. We can juggle a million and one things. And shouldn’t we? This is the age of women! This is OUR time! What I’m realizing more and more-what God continues to impress upon my heart—is the truth that I am imperfect, flawed and fragile. The sobering truth for me—for us all-is that our bodies were designed to need rest. To be quiet. To weaken over time.
We’re restless, aimless people ever seeking fulfillment in our own pursuits. We need people. We need to do. But more importantly, we need to know that our neediness can only be met with peace by the One ordained it.
Redeemingthemundane
Last night I sat down with my mental “to do” list for today streaming through my mind. That same friend who was kind enough to let me see her imperfections suggested giving myself one goal a day. She said that it was something she had begun to do and it caused her to measure her days without feeling overwhelmed. So, today I tried it. And it worked! Less because of more and more because of perspective. It just happened to be a more productive day than the others. And I was tempted to glory in my flesh until I remembered this lesson.
And so this season, even though I’m humbled to be learning something I (in my pride) feel I should already know, I’m thankful. Thankful for the reminder to slow down and rest. Thankful for the grace given to remain steadfast(even if it’s only breath-by-breath). Thankful for the gift of waiting.
Dear friend, wherever you are, whoever you are, remember the freedom in admitting you are not, in fact enough. Run to the Faithful Savior who always is.
Well, I’m writing from the comfort of my bed this afternoon. This is not something I had planned. In fact, since it is the day after Thanksgiving, I had every intention of letting the Christmas festivities commence. You’re going to laugh…but since 2020 has been a heck of a year I took the opportunity last week to put up my beloved Christmas village and sprinkle bits and pieces of Christmas all around the house. I was careful to preserve the dining room(the center of Thanksgiving dinner), and I tried desperately to save the Christmas music I knew so well for my quiet, solo moments (I didn’t want to exhaust the melodies of Christmas for the rest of my family)! And so today was reserved for indoor Christmas lights(because I put the outdoor lights up last week…when in Vermont one must seize the opportunity during warmer days!) , ornaments and the rest of the house. But…here I am, sniffling my way through a very drowsy morning-turned-afternoon.
It is this kind of day that could make the more productive(or, I should say productivity-seeking) personalities among us(like myself) frustrated. Gosh, I am so thankful that our God is not this way.
HE doesn’t see these rest-filled moments(that masquerade as laziness in my own heart) as wasteful, but rather a necessary reprieve. And isn’t that needed perspective?
I have been camping out in Psalm 119 the past week, and—let me tell you—it has been a balm for my soul! I’m learning that as a mama to three little bitties, my very forgetful brain meditates better when I’m chewing on the same passage weeks at a time. The Psalmist continually speaks of life found in the Word(17, 25, 37,50, 88, 93, 107, 116, 149, 154, 156, 159). Today my physical body is failing me(only in a minor way, but I am still hindered by how weakened this cold has made me). It reminds me of the truth that this life—this body, this world—is not my home. The Lord is ever-refining that I may daily be brought to that remembrance. And there is such goodness in that!
But I wouldn’t have noticed(not today, at least) if my mind was consumed by the Christmas chaos I had planned. No; because my schedule changed entirely, my mind has remembered the source of true rest—found in Christ alone. And that(however frustrated I am, and however foiled I found my plans) is exactly what I needed.
It seems so fitting that the Lord has given me pause before my very favorite(and always busy) time of year. It is His gentle reminder to stop, fixing my eyes on Him, and rest in WHO He is. As we near the Advent season, I’m so grateful He has hushed my restless heart; so humbled that He’s not exasperated to correct me(yet again) but peaceably calls me to quiet reflection. It is a perfect faithfulness of which I am undeserving.
This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts. ~ Psalm 119:56
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! ~ Psalm 27:14
Redeeming the Mundane 