Christmas Light

It's beginning to look at lot like Christmas around here....

Finally off work for a much-needed winter break, I have been throwing myself into wrapping and baking and 24-7 Christmas-caroling and it is just what the doctor ordered.  A part of my heart is still wrapped up in the fog of uncertainty that comes with our new presidential administration, and caught in the sadness of climate change, war-torn nations, and racial injustice that seems to define humanity right now.

But here in the safety of our home, the lights are shining and paper is glittering on (far too many) wrapped packages, and Obama is still president and for just this shining moment, all is really right with our little world.  And so I am focusing on gratitude and soaking it all up.

A few moments from the past few days that I want to hold on to-- Little bits of Christmas Light:

Snow days, vacation days... days off in general...

A snow day is always a gift but at the holidays?   A miracle.  Last Thursday the temperatures dropped and wind-driven snowfall hit right at 5am and the city pretty much shut down. I was up making kids' lunches when we got the call and oh, that wonderful feeling of hanging the lunchboxes up and going back to bed!
It was one of those "cold days" where it really was too cold to go outside to play-- so we went inside, and had a magical time at the Botanical Gardens.

 It was practically empty so we could admire the gingerbread up close to our hearts' content.  The kids also loved the Forest Play room.  Entranced by the calm lighting and piney smell, they settled in and played collaboratively at this woodland diorama for quite a while.   Christmas miracles abound.

Playdates and new friends...

I am so grateful for the wonderful connections we have made -- and continue to make-- in our community.  Our kids are beginning to develop real friendships, with friends they've chosen for themselves... and lucky us, we like these kids (and their families!) too!  Some quality people here in the Heights.  Here is Ivy with a new little friend who she connected with at both ballet and fall soccer.  Took us a while to initiate a phone number exchange and set up a get together, but our new little friend, and her mom, seemed as genuinely thrilled about it all as we were.  The girls had a blast and look forward to getting together again soon.
 Friends are so very important.  My hope for my children is that their lives will  always be full to the brim with friendships like these.

To be fair, we were already planning on frosting cookies that day.  But I was pretty pleased with the image of domestic awesomeness I was able to present when we offered this as our playdate activity.  I mean, I was even wearing an APRON! :)    Every once in a while I accidentally make a good first impression...

Siblings...

So, they don't always get along.  In fact, about 68% of the time at least one of them is whining (Ivy) or arguing (Jack) to annoy the other.  But then there are glimpses into the hopeful future (the one where they are forever friends) when we feel, just for a moment, that having two kids night have been a good idea.

Pictured here:  The magic of geotrax at work.  One minute, a sibling war in the dining room.  The next minute (after having been ordered to go to the basement and bring up a toy) and this was our home.  We haven't played with this toy in years and it turns out that all of a sudden Jack is an independent track builder and Ivy a willing assistant.

Holding on to this moment, to get me through the next spate of sibling drama...

My workout class at the JCC...

So my first day of vacation was yesterday and I got up, voluntarily, at 5:15am.  Thursdays are Bosu class day and I'd missed the week before (see snow day, above) and I wanted to see my gym friends.  Who knew that I would become an exercise class groupie?  But I genuinely like these people-- my super kind instructor, the  group of funny, teasing grandpa-aged men who make up half of the class. I don't even mind the exercise, and I don't fall off the bosu ball very often anymore.  I've gotten attached to my 6am routine, as hard as it is to wake up and get moving in the full-dark of that hour.  I used to be in a pretty sour mood when I arrived at the gym, heading to my chosen workout in silence, fulfilling an obligation but no more.  But about a year ago I made the decision to try saying "good morning" and talking to people even though it was too early to be awake and talking-- and that has made all the difference.  On the way out of the gym yesterday I had the nicest conversation with a lady leaving at the same time, about the pesky stairs you have to climb to get to the door, and I wished several staff members happy holidays by name.  I headed back out into the still-dark of 7am December with a light heart.
Of course it didn't hurt that I got to turn right instead of left and head back home for a vacation day.  But the gratitude remains even on work days.

Singing

A whole lot of gratitude about music right now in my life.  Christmas just brings it out, what with the magic of traditional carols.  Words and melodies ingrained in my heart and wrapped with so many memories, sights and sounds and smells of my childhood... and this is the also the time of year when one can spontaneously burst into song just about anywhere, and no one looks askance.  My kids are learning the love for carols and can sing along enthusiastically with many of our favorites.  It is a point of pride for me that my 6 year old daughter knows the words to the second verse of jingle bells, and also knows how rare it is to know that verse.  She sings "we-we got upsot!" with the most wonderful bravado, so proud to be among the dedicated few....

I have been singing with a little church choir this season, surprisingly enough.  An old parent-center friend, who is the music director at this church, put together a "Community Christmas Choir" for Advent and it seemed like just the right thing to do with myself in this season of darkness.  Thursday evening rehearsals, singing with the service on Sundays, a nice mix of traditional and new music.... I've met some of my neighbors (literally, one woman lives a block away on Superior), the kids have gotten to listen to music as they tag along to rehearsals (and Ivy has fallen in love with Katie, the church care provider), and Amanda (my friend and the director) is a dynamic and inspiring leader.  Bonus:  in a small choir it is ok to be a soprano who sings loudly!  I've even enjoyed being a the church services.  One need not buy into every bit of the theology to enjoy an hour outside of time, in a meditative, music-filled space...

We went to Glow again on Wednesday night, with Melinda and the girls.  Got to enjoy the outside lights-- and a rather random performance of carols.  The choir-- mostly elderly women-- encouraged audience participation, including some impromptu part-singing for 12 Days of Christmas.  The joy in that room as everyone enthusiastically sang, and even danced, their parts!  The bouncing children and the light in eyes of the elderly singers as they looked around the room!   Christmas light, indeed.

Our old friends...

New friends are totally fun but these friends take the cake.  So much gratitude, today and every day, for my Hiram family-- and now, their brood of sweet little ones who I love like my own.  They are just the best.

Our first annual "Cookies, cocoa and coziness"-- the most laid back of parties which I hope will become a tradition.  Plugged the kids in to Christmas shows and fed them cocoa, while the grownups sat in the dining room with "grown-up cocoa" and enjoyed the soft light of the tree.  Yes. 

Holding hands...

Took the kids skating at Wade Oval yesterday for our outing.  They had a blast-- and so did I .  I loved pretty much everything about it, in fact:  The bright grey sky, the rosy cheeked children laughing and falling across the rink, the people gathered around warming fires, getting to know one another, the friendly staff at the concession booth, the festive carols playing, the dangling lights in the trees. But most of all-- holding hands to skate with my children. My big tall boy, skating up behind me to snag my hand go around the rink together.  My independent girl, wanting to skate all by herself but reaching for my hand, trusting it to be there, when she needed it most.  Their laughter and their strong, small hands in the crisp winter air, holiday spirit mixing with the smell of hot chocolate-- it turns out, I already have everything I want for Christmas.