Christmas 2017: Picture perfect. A white Christmas in the peace of Aurora, with (almost) all of our near-and-dear ones together. Beautiful, thoughtful gifts have been given. We have reveled in leisure time, and cookies. So many Christmas carols, at the pageant and the lovely Christmas Eve service. Time is slow and easy today, with sun gleaming on the snow and children playing quietly with their new treasures. A bitter wind is blowing across the lake, but the sky is brilliant blue and the fire is toasty here in the warm room. All is well.
Even in all of its perfection, this Christmas has been bittersweet for me. It has been a hard year, and I am still not back to 100% in my capacity for unbridled joy. I miss my Corydon. I miss my robust health. I miss the days when the kids were tiny and we could dress them to the nines and they didn't ask a million questions to investigate the existence of Santa. Christmas is my very favorite, a ridiculous spectacle of overabundance, self-inflicted hard work in the name of making magic. And this year may well be the last year of real magic for my little ones-- the last year of true believing. Following in the tradition of this year, the end of an era.
Both kids have been asking direct questions about the existence of Santa and then hedging away from the answers. This morning Ivy was stating firmly that SHE still believed he is real-- in that way you say things when you are trying to convince yourself they are true. Jack was apparently conducting a scientific handwriting analysis this morning, set on finding evidence that Santa and mom are one and the same, though we've yet to hear the results. They both know, really. But they don't want to leave the magic behind. I don't want them too, either. I've relied on the children to be my magic-makers, for this past decade of Christmases... what comes next? I imagine that we will be able to rely on our traditions instead, and on lights and candles and carols and far too many presents. The magic will continue, just a little different, right? The magic, and the rest of our lives too. We've almost made it to 2018...
Slight melancholy aside, we've really had a grand holiday so far. Here's a recap of Christmas week, both home and away:
Retrospective-- "Glow" photos from the good camera. The kids are coming along with their photograph skills!
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| I think this photo sums up Jack at age 10 very nicely. So handsome, so full of angst... |
The last week of school before break was a bit of a mad rush. Surviving the days of teaching/schedule changing insanity, wrapping and more wrapping... and enjoying seasonal activities like our lives depended on it...
Gingerbread crafting on a Tuesday
Random bunny photo. This guy has been snuggling as if he can tell his days as "most favored mammal" are about to end...
Ice skating and Solstice party at the History Museum on Wednesday....
Just perfect at our little rink, as always. The kids were independent skaters and happy as can be. A lovely medley of traditional carols piped out of the speakers, and the lights glittered. We sang along and drank cocoa and held hands and warmed by a fire, making friends with strangers in that way you do at Christmastime...
Thursday: the best of all possible ways to start vacation-- off school for me, but not yet for the kids. Nat and I had a simply lovely morning that included lunch out and coffee at the cutest little patisserie. I finished all of my wrapping and STILL had time to go in to help at Ivy's class holiday party in the afternoon. Oh how I LOVE days off!
Thursday night, we welcomed some friends over for wassail and carols and cookies.
The house was shined up and glowing with light...
... and full of laughter and conversation....
... not to mention the fact that most of the children spent the majority of the evening actually using our basement rec room area! Finally! Our hard work is paying off!
Friday morning: Off to New York, with a van full of presents, hamsters, and 1/3 of the total complement of grandmothers...
We arrived in time for Ivy to participate in the Pageant, which was so sweet and lovely it almost made me cry.
Cousins were happy to see one another.
Saturday: A quiet day of leisure. I really didn't quite know what to do with myself all day, after such a wild week with a to-do list a mile long each day. I kept thinking... "Ok, after this I need to.... oh. Nothing. I need to do nothing." It was a little strange.
We kept ourselves busy with a lovely morning in Ithaca, including a grown-up lunch out with Jamo and Casey, while the kids enjoyed the morning with their cousins at Stephanie's house.
In the afternoon a bit of a snowstorm blew in... but Nat gamely headed out into it, to bring home the 3rd and final grandmother. How wonderful to have so many people we love, together in one house.
Sunday-- Christmas Eve! Two kids who were TIRED of waiting. We gamely kept them busy all day with cookie baking,a trip to Home Depot (it turns out a house full of love like this can be hard on old plumbing), and a lot of time playing with this low-tech game.
I had a nice outing to Mackenzie-Childs with my mom and Anna, where we treated ourselves to a farmhouse tour.
Off to church!
Had fun singing in the choir with Claire, Amy, Lauren and Sarah!
Annual cousin photo shoot!
Three grandmas!
This adorableness lasted about 20 minutes. 20 minutes of pure cute that I will hold in my heart forever.
The stockings were draped in the warm room with care...
Cocktails and conversation...
All is ready....
Merry Christmas! Jumping and joy and eyes alight... worth every minute of wrapping and list-making and packing and preparation. And then some.
A windy-crisp walk to break up the day.
Off for Christmas dinner in a few minutes. The light is turning golden over the lake, Ivy is watching a movie, and Jack has taken on his new permanent form-- "Boy wearing a gaming headset." Happy Christmas kids. We've got two more days of family and presents to enjoy here in New York, and it's going to be good.
Merry Christmas, dear readers! May today find you suffused with light and love, and maybe just a little magic....
