"It's the Most...Wonderful Time....of the Year....!!"
Dear Lord, please help me remember this as I look at my December calendar and begin to feel anxiety welling up within me. I long for a Christmas season full of evenings building puzzles with my family, apple cider brewing on the stove, calm moments lovingly wrapping gifts (not frantically searching for a gift bag as we dash out the door to a party), and sipping egg nog while watching old Christmas movies.
I look forward to slowly unwrapping our ceramic Nativity Scene, pausing to study each lamb, shepherd and wise man as we remember the holiness of Christ's birth.
Thursday our tree made its debut, and Christmas time officially began at the Coon household. We decided to place it in a different spot this year: the middle of our living/kitchen/dining area.
Were told by the original owners/builders when we purchased this house that they installed an outlet in the middle of the living room floor for the sole purpose of placing a Christmas tree there. Well, why not?
It took a little furniture rearranging ~
and ditching one of our slipcovered wing chairs to the entry way.
Then, of course, a quick fueling-up before hauling all the boxes upstairs ~
Let the work begin!
Such cheerful elves.
Fluffing the branches somehow always falls to me. By this point, the kids have had it with work~
...and are ready for the fun part: the hanging of the ornaments.
Our kids select a new ornament each year which we then label with their names and year of purchase. My favorite part of tree decorating is pulling out each ornament one by one (they insist I do this) and call out each name and year, then hand it over for them to hang. We love this part.
We also rediscover several ornaments family members have fashioned or purchased for us over the years, a wonderfully meaningful reminder of Christmases past and the true meaning of the season.
We still need to add finishing touches to the ribbon and bead garlands since we ran out of both (Amaya loves to help with this part), yet even unfinished it's still a beautiful sight to behold each morning as I stumble out to brew my coffee.
Truly the most wonderful time of the year ~
Jaimee
Labels: Holidays, Living Room
