Christmas Decor and Children

Christmas

Much as I love beautiful Christmas decorations, I strongly believe that Christmas should be a hands-on experience for children.  The last thing I want is for my children to get the message that Christmas is a “don’t touch” event.  Most Christmas celebrations center, really, in childhood and all it’s magic.

Every December I know that my Christmas tree will be un-decorated and re-decorated dozens of times.  I know I’ll find random toys in stockings and that Christmas quilts will be forever on the floor.  I know that dolls and playmobil toys will be hidden in the tree and among the gifts, that some gifts will be torn open by babies, and that generally it will be almost impossible to keep the house clean for a month.

But it’s totally worth it.  They’ll only be little for a short while and then I’ll have my perfect tree and will miss finding the ornaments in the bathroom or strewn about the house.  No one will want to use the advent calendar anymore or fight over my lap for our bedtime Christmas story.

Because I feel this way about the holiday, most of what I provide for my little ones is centered in the story of Christ’s birth.

Years ago I purchased the Little People Nativity Set from Fisher Price.
I clear off a table in the family room and set it up there for the younger crowd to play with it.  This year it has been especially popular with my one year old who climbs up on the table to sit with all the pieces.  It warms my heart to see them play with these toys with such fascination and to listen to my baby try to say the names of all the pieces.


Over the years our Mary has gone missing, but it doesn’t seem to inhibit their play at all.  As I watch moments like this unfold, I tell myself, “THIS is Christmas.”


Another purchase I made a few years ago was a rough hewn manger that stands about 18 inches high.  It is large enough for a doll.  We fill this manger with soft blankets and place it at the foot of our Christmas tree, a reminder of the true gift of Christmas.


This year I was impressed by the excitement the manger caused when I carried it upstairs.  I watched all my children gather around it excitedly as we placed the baby in it.


There was so much excitement, in fact, that I had to get out a second baby Jesus to pacify everyone.  I know the next two pictures are a bit blurry, but their sweetness induced me to include them anyway.




And so the manger sits with two babies in it this year, babies who are loved and carried around and played with dozens of times each day.


As I tried to express here , all I really want this Christmas is for our family to have experiences that draw our hearts to the Savior of the World.  Everything else I am willing to do without, if necessary, for none of it has meaning unless we’re spending time in the stable.  I hope that the time spent cuddling little dolls and playing out the manger scene with little plastic figures can help fix in the hearts of my little ones a love for the real meaning of this holiday.  I also think it’s healthy for my older children to see the little ones so captivated by the story.  We all smile with joy as the one year old runs across the room to hold “bebe seeses.”  I am grateful, once again, for little ones in my life.

Jennifer

One comment

90 Years

Musings on Life and Beauty



What does it mean to leave a legacy?

How do you go about building one?

Sometimes I think about questions like this, hoping that somehow my day to day living might add up to a legacy of worth that my children and grandchildren will appreciate years from now.

Ninety years ago my Grandpa Gill was born.  He remembers things that I never saw.

He remembers moving from Texas to California as a boy when the road was so narrow that cars had to pull off to the side so oncoming traffic could pass.

He remembers trying out for the football team without any cleats to wear.

He remembers his father abandoning his family.  He remembers poverty.  He remembers war.

He remembers my Mom as a little girl.

I am grateful beyond words for the gift of his life, for the privilege of having him still with us, for the blessing of having my children know him.  He lives in a beach house in Newport Beach California, just a few yards from the sand.  Each summer he opens his home to his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren so they can come and visit.  It means the world to me that my children get to have the same summer vacation that I enjoyed as a little girl, in the same house, visiting the same beach, playing the same games, eating off the same dishes.  It is awesome.

I’ve been thinking about the legacy my Grandpa has built for us.

He’s given us the gift of the ocean.

He’s given me the gift of sunsets.  He pauses each day to walk out on the sand and watch the sun set.  I love that.  I’m learning to do it, too.  I can’t remember the last time I didn’t catch a glimpse of the sunset.

He’s given us a legacy of hard work.  He had nothing, but has worked hard all his life.  He has been a good steward, taking good care of everything he owns, making it last and keeping it functional.  He’s learned to live within his means.  He is, in a word, a classic example of many of the qualities his generation developed.  Born in 1920, he lived through the Great Depression as a boy.  Ninety years later, he still maintains his property meticulously.

He’s given us a legacy of service.  His service in the Navy during World War II was marked by bravery and a willingness to do his duty.  I love listening to his stories.  It’s fun to have a war hero for a Grandpa.

He is generous.  I love that about him.

He and I share a love of history.  We’ve read many of the same books and had some great discussions.  He calls me his Abigail Adams.

Two years ago I came home from Church when we were visiting him.  He had recently had surgery and wasn’t able to attend with us.  I went upstairs and shared with him some of the stories that were told.  I’ll always remember the tears trickling down his face as he listened.  They spoke volumes to me about his heart.

I could go on and on.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa. I wish I was with you in California today to celebrate.  You’re the best.

Love, Jennifer His favorite game is Aggravation and we love to play it with him when we’re in town.

2 comments

DIY Cedar Wreath

Christmas, Decorating

Sometime last year I saw a picture of a huge but very simple wreath hanging in a kitchen window for Christmas.  I loved it and for the past year contemplated how I could do something similar this year.  I didn’t want to just buy a wreath because 1.  they’re so expensive, 2.  I’ve never seen one as big as I wanted and 3. they look so… predictable.  There’s a pinecone wired in the same place on all of them.  (Not that I mind this, but it doesn’t induce me to spend money on them.)

And then the idea hit me.  I went to Costco for 25 feet of fresh cedar garland ($14.99) and then to WalMart for two 32 inch hula hoops ($5 each) A little bit of wire and here it is…




You’d never know there’s a yellow hula hoop beneath this beautiful wreath!


To make it, I simply laid the hula hoop on my table and put the garland on top of it.  I wired the garland to the hula hoop every 8 inches or so.  When it had come full circle I wired the ends together carefully and cut the garland.

I had enough garland to make two of them.  One is hanging in my kitchen window.


In the kitchen I tied a simple red bow around the wreath, then hung a mirrored bird hook from the wall and hung the hula hoop on the hook.


The second wreath is a bit fuller because I had garland enough to go around the hula hoop almost two times.  I added ribbons and a big bell to it, then hung it out on the front porch.  I love walking through my dining room and seeing it outside the window.


These wreaths are nearly 36 inches across, much bigger than any fresh wreath I’ve seen for sale.  I also like that they’re made of cedar instead of pine.  It’s a nice change in texture, color, and I love the floppy way it hangs.  It looks natural to me.


Two huge wreaths for $35.00.  The ribbons, bell, bird hook and wire were all things I had in my Christmas storage.  I love the way they look, and if the hula hoops hold up I’m using them again next year.


Hooray for an idea that worked!

Hopeful Homemaker shared here

2 comments
1 … 340 341 342 343 344 … 514