"o come all ye..."

we finally did it. one week before christmas and we finally got the decorations up. in a hurry and a flurry the boys and i suddenly got inspired and we just did it.

a couple of times during the hustle and the bustle of frantic inspiration i heard j say, with great emotion in his voice," i have a feeling it's going to be a great christmas!" now, i'll let you in on a little secret about my beautiful boys, they NEVER lack enthusiasm. EVER! they carry it with them into everything they do, everywhere they go. indefatigable it is! and not only is it one of the things i absolutely adore about them, but i'm also trying to let myself get caught up in it more and more. it is a lovely thing to be enthusiastic like a child, don't you think. nothing compares to it.

a wee christmas village by e

for various reasons we've decided to not have a tree this year. in some ways i feel like we're somehow cheating the boys by not having one, but on the other hand it's not what's most important. atleast not for me. yes, the tradition of a tree is lovely, but the time we spent together before bed and bath creating these few holiday scenes and then afterward when we sat together on the sofa, them in their pj's with a cup of warm rice milk with honey and cinnamon and me reading our selection of christmas books while taking in and admiring our meager but festive decorations, that is what truly fills me up with the Spirit of christmas. as most of you mothers out there know, that is what fills the maternal heart to burstin' with so much love and joy, the slow, happy moments together, connecting. and i wasn't the only one being "filled up". as i read, with j on one side and e on the other, i felt the boys move in closer and closer until they were snuggled down deep into me each one resting a hand on my arm. we were sated.

reindeer, doe and fawn. fawn nibbling grass "peeking" up from the snow

the reindeer scene above was a collaborative effort by j and e. they had fun imagining the two deer alone in a wood, perhaps a bit hungry as it's winter, and then suddenly finding a few small spikes of grass in a clearing(a piece of green felt courtesy of j). of course the doe let her fawn have first nibbles, as any mother would. this little scene, i suppose, is our "tree" because we've decided that here is where the presents will rest while waiting to be devoured christmas morning, in a quiet, snowy wood with two reindeer, a doe and her fawn, standing watch. very fitting. and i find it all very comforting

lights and ornaments strung across the hearth

if i seem a bit hesitant about joining in the christmas festivities this year, well, i suppose it's because i am. i still haven't gotten used to the summery christmas yet. i know, i know. boohoo!sob!wail!sniffsniff! get over it, right. we've been here 2 1/2 years! i should be over it, used to it, and willing to accept it. i'm afraid that's just not the case. you can take the girl out of the northern hemisphere, but...you'll have to do it with her kicking and screaming all the while:)

there is also the horrible economy that's putting quite a damper on things this year. for several weeks i've been hearing the same story from so many people. they fret, worry, lament and hem and haw because they can't afford to get their kids as many presents as last year. what will they do? i told myself i wouldn't be like that. i reassured myself that it's not quantity, but quality that matters and that we try to give our children a quality life. we play together, cook together, laugh, run, hike, draw, read, imagine, create....but here i am, making the list and checking it twice. is it a quality life? will they be disappointed christmas morning when they wake to find the doe and her fawn standing watch over their meager scene?

it's not winter here, but it's bare, sparse. simple yet beautiful, like a quiet, snowy wood.