December 11: Pretty Packages

The wrapping season has begun and now that the Christmas tree is up, I take time each evening to wrap a package or two. 

 These are the first two presents under the tree; more will follow.  That’s happy!

Pretty Packages

I love wrapping presents and December is the present season.  I especially enjoy wrapping little presents with tiny treats inside.

There are many more packages to be wrapped before the month is over.  That’s happy!

Front Porch in December

The pleasure I had when I first put up outdoor Christmas lights on the porch led me to decorate the porch around the year.  Why confine the pleasure to December, I thought?  So it was that December became the inspiration for a different front porch each month, a task that I very much enjoy.  I still take extra care for Christmas.  Greenery and lights are the theme of the month; two of my very favorite things about December’s holidays. Overhead, there are mercury-globed Edison lights, which are a hard to make a picture of, but have a lovely glow come twilight.  The flower basket hooks each have a wreath.  The flag is welcoming.

On the table is a plaid tablecloth that T gave me last year, a wooden bin full of greenery and twinkling lights, a wooden snowman, and red tin house with a candle inside.

The front door wreath is splendid and smells even better than it looks, so that we come home to a lovely evergreen-scented door.

No corner of the porch is free from my attentions.

I love holiday traditions like this; they are my favorite part of the Christmas because they provide a reminder to stop and live in the moment.  That’s happy!

Irish Cream

Among the most delicious of my holiday traditions is the making of homemade Irish cream.  I’ll add it to hot cocoa or coffee as a delicious holiday treat.  On Christmas Eve, I’ll leave some for Santa to enjoy.

It's a happy treat when I wrap up a busy December day by enjoying a few minutes with the Christmas tree.  That’s happy (and delicious)!

Peaceful and Bright

The busiest months of the school year are May and December.  That both are followed by generous breaks is a very good thing.  Last week was as busy as expected and when each evening came I was good and tired.  JT and I decorated our Christmas tree last Sunday night.  That meant that each night of this busy week, I had twinkling lights and decorations to enjoy before I crawled into bed.

Quiet moments by the tree with a warm mug of tea are one of my favorite things about December and a welcome reminder of the blessings in my life.  That’s happy!

In the Thick of It

My life is lived according to the school calendar.  On that calendar, the weeks between Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays are the most chaotically busy.  Because I am with children every day, as the December days pass, there is also energy generated by their excitement.  Holidays and two weeks off from school are at hand and the students can hardly wait.

The five days off for Thanksgiving were a breather that permitted me some time to relax and refresh for the coming juggernaut. And make no mistake: it is a juggernaut.  The next three weeks will feature a 7th grade field trip; extra evening events (7 over the next three weeks); wrestling practice (which never ends before 5:30 pm); and the schoolwork which signals the end of the first trimester.  All of it happens as the minutes of sunlight in the day steadily shrink.

It can be daunting.  For me, the remedy lies in the fact that it is December: the twinkling lights, the cheery Christmas decorations, the pretty packages, and the the traditions of the season delight me.  They are a calming balm in the chaos of the month.  That’s happy!

Attitude Adjustment

If December were a middle school student, we would have been having a conversation about its attitude.  I can hear the conversation now: “Overcast, damp, and gloomy is no way to behave, new month.  This is especially made worse by the shortness of your daylight hours.  Straighten up and fly right, December,” I would say.

This morning’s lovely sunlight suggests that December has opted to avoid a lecture.  Count me as grateful.