As much as I usually complain about winter, the truth is I love this time of year. There's something about the sparkle of snowflakes in the crisp, fresh air; the crunch of frozen snow underneath your boots, full of thick fur to keep your feet warm; the promise of a warm mug of a steaming, yummy smelling beverage just waiting to be made at home. Of course, over the years I've learned to add a little something-something to that hot beverage to make it even smoother...we'll just call it Adult Hot Chocolate. But I digress...there seems to be magic in the air, no matter what tradition you follow. Everyone is full of expectation of something, even if it's only the next snow storm.
As the picture above intimates, it's Decorating Time. I sort of dread it every year - the dragging of the tree (all fakey-fakey here) and the lugging of the oh-so-cheeky red and green tote bins full of decorations from the attic. And for the last few years I've been more and more grateful for my neurotic sense of organization when I open the bins and find the boxes of ornaments neatly tucked in together like Legos, the loose tinsel used like packing material to protect the ornaments floating free without boxes. Genius, I tell you.
This year was the best, though. The whole downstairs is FINALLY painted and repaired (well, for the most part) and the deep, red and gold of the living room walls seems like a perfect accompaniment to the festive cheer of George (!), our prelit Christmas Tree.
I love him.
The best part of decorating this year was opening the mysteriously heavy Christmas tins I found in the bins. I couldn't for the life of me remember what was in them.
Every year it seems we are gifted with these little tins filled with edible holiday cheer (LOVE that kind of holiday cheer!) and every year I hate the thought of throwing the tins away. And I don't. And every year we end up with a bigger and bigger collection of containers that can really only be used once a year. A few years ago I found the best solution - more ornament boxes!!! All the small, flat ornaments that for some reason have no package are carefully wrapped in wax paper and cotton balls and snugly put to bed in their favorite Christmas tin. Most of these ornaments are some of our most treasured gifts from friends, many of them handmade. And I'm not one of those people who remembers what kind of ornaments they have hidden up in the attic (what was for breakfast this morning???) so it was truly a surprise to open those tins and rediscover the generosity within them.
All this preparation and excitement for a day that seems to come and go in the blink of an eye! It reminds me of prepping for a recital - hours and hours of practicing for a little over an hour of REALLY hard work, and who knows what's going to happen in the end? Trust me, sometimes no one is more surprised than I when the notes come out of the instrument. But the more I think about it, living through this time of year is a very similar process. Advent is all about waiting and preparing - but for who knows what? We think we know - the birth of Christ, silly! But part of what we are waiting for is the mysterious birth of unknown treasures in the upcoming year - the treasures of the world to come. The new surprises under the "trees" that grow into our lives. The rediscovering of the old memories we've neatly packed up into the "tins" in our brains that get opened year after year when we meet for our ritual celebrations of birthdays, holidays, and plain old partying for no reason. So much to look forward to!
But we all know that all the "surprises" won't be good ones - in fact, there are probably some things which won't be surprises at all and will be painful to endure. And sometimes the memories suck - we all have those, so there's no need to elaborate. But the hope and anticipation of all the good that WILL be coming our way is a part of the magic of the season of Advent and can transform our lives, IF we allow it. What potential these few weeks have! The potential of the world to come - a world that will be changed forever because of what at the time seemed like a small, insignificant event that continues to ripple throughout the generations. And what a shame if we miss seeing this potential in the hustle and bustle and craziness of all that preparation. Don't get me wrong - the party never happens without that busy-body, Martha. She's always painted as the heavy, but who will be the first to complain if there's no cheese and crackers to go with the wine??? But we can't forget to spend a little time with free-spiriting, free-wheeling Mary along the way. Because the party is just no fun without her, and she's probably the sister that keeps a little flask of something-something hiding in the corner...
Happy Advent!
This year was the best, though. The whole downstairs is FINALLY painted and repaired (well, for the most part) and the deep, red and gold of the living room walls seems like a perfect accompaniment to the festive cheer of George (!), our prelit Christmas Tree.
I love him.
The best part of decorating this year was opening the mysteriously heavy Christmas tins I found in the bins. I couldn't for the life of me remember what was in them.
Every year it seems we are gifted with these little tins filled with edible holiday cheer (LOVE that kind of holiday cheer!) and every year I hate the thought of throwing the tins away. And I don't. And every year we end up with a bigger and bigger collection of containers that can really only be used once a year. A few years ago I found the best solution - more ornament boxes!!! All the small, flat ornaments that for some reason have no package are carefully wrapped in wax paper and cotton balls and snugly put to bed in their favorite Christmas tin. Most of these ornaments are some of our most treasured gifts from friends, many of them handmade. And I'm not one of those people who remembers what kind of ornaments they have hidden up in the attic (what was for breakfast this morning???) so it was truly a surprise to open those tins and rediscover the generosity within them.
All this preparation and excitement for a day that seems to come and go in the blink of an eye! It reminds me of prepping for a recital - hours and hours of practicing for a little over an hour of REALLY hard work, and who knows what's going to happen in the end? Trust me, sometimes no one is more surprised than I when the notes come out of the instrument. But the more I think about it, living through this time of year is a very similar process. Advent is all about waiting and preparing - but for who knows what? We think we know - the birth of Christ, silly! But part of what we are waiting for is the mysterious birth of unknown treasures in the upcoming year - the treasures of the world to come. The new surprises under the "trees" that grow into our lives. The rediscovering of the old memories we've neatly packed up into the "tins" in our brains that get opened year after year when we meet for our ritual celebrations of birthdays, holidays, and plain old partying for no reason. So much to look forward to!
But we all know that all the "surprises" won't be good ones - in fact, there are probably some things which won't be surprises at all and will be painful to endure. And sometimes the memories suck - we all have those, so there's no need to elaborate. But the hope and anticipation of all the good that WILL be coming our way is a part of the magic of the season of Advent and can transform our lives, IF we allow it. What potential these few weeks have! The potential of the world to come - a world that will be changed forever because of what at the time seemed like a small, insignificant event that continues to ripple throughout the generations. And what a shame if we miss seeing this potential in the hustle and bustle and craziness of all that preparation. Don't get me wrong - the party never happens without that busy-body, Martha. She's always painted as the heavy, but who will be the first to complain if there's no cheese and crackers to go with the wine??? But we can't forget to spend a little time with free-spiriting, free-wheeling Mary along the way. Because the party is just no fun without her, and she's probably the sister that keeps a little flask of something-something hiding in the corner...
Happy Advent!
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