I hope I never, ever forget the look on Phineas' face when he came downstairs from morning nap and saw the tree in the living room, lit up and ready for us to put on decorations yesterday. It was pure excitement. The kids can hardly contain their excitement when we finally get around to putting up the decorations. It's wonderful.
We turn on Christmas music and get to work. This year we actually got a few strings of lights to put outside as well which was so much fun.
My parents, with a heaping dose of wisdom, kept all the ornaments that I had made through my childhood or been given. They used to give us a new ornament each year. It is a motley crew of many different ornaments and I love it. And the kids love it. Finding out which ones I made, and seeing all the different ornaments is easily one of the kids' favorite parts about decorating the tree. They seem to really love hearing about when Jason and I were children and it is so great to get to tell them childhood stories. (They are just great to talk to all the time!) I am so glad my parents held on to them and sent them out to us for us to include it in our Christmas traditions here. There was a time when I thought Christmas trees needed to look picture perfect just like the pretty ones in store windows. I was so very wrong. Perfect trees are filled with love and memories. And I am so very glad that I learned I was wrong. Jason's grandmother has pictures of her grandchildren and great grandchildren adorning her christmas tree. It's a beautiful tree.
The kids loved finding some of the decorations that they have made over the years as well. Like the handprints we made last year, and the painted ornaments, or the paper ones that they put so much time, effort and thought into making so they could gift them to me. I love that the ornaments tell stories and share memories. From Jason's and my first Christmas (at a medieval christmas market!), to our family pyjama picture, to ornaments we've made with the children and on and on.
The kids loved seeing how much their hands have grown in the last year. And Phineas thought the can of eternal schnee (7 Christmases and STILL producing schnee) was the greatest nose/kaleidoscope. We ended up putting all the decorations on the top half of our tree because Phineas has very curious fingers this year and they aren't always as careful as some of the ornaments require (he is only 15 months after all). Oh, but the excitement and curiosity are so beautiful and fun.
I love our tree. It's filled with memories and will only become more so as the years go by. And I enjoy how the lights look. But when I came home the other night and looked at the shining lights on our house and in the window I had a gentle yet powerful reminder that none of it would matter - the lights, the decorations, the treats and traditions - without my family by my side. It's the time with them that makes this truly magnificent. And it is the love that fills my heart for them that allows the love of Christ to feel more tangible than it would otherwise.
Yes, the ornaments and decorations can be pretty. The sweets can be tasty. But it's the love that weaves itself into every moment and memory made which is where the real treasures lay.
So as this day begins drifting into the building blocks of our memories. I want to remember the smiles and excitement of my children. Their curiosity. Their love for the Saviour and desire to celebrate His birth. I want to remember the cuddles and sweetness. The schnee noses. The twin angels coloured by Milayla just to add some pictures to our walls. Phineas pulling out the vacuum to help clean up the needles. Atticus putting together our Christmas pyramid. How intently the children listen to stories of their Christmases passed along with mine and Jason's. Snuggling on the couch under big blankets to read books and drink eggnogs while we watched the lights glow. And so much more. All so wonderful. All brilliant.
So, as I venture to use this Christmas time to bring myself and my family closer to Christ and closer to one another I will treasure each and every moment. It is all so precious and so valuable. And I constantly feel that my words and pictures fall short of truly showing the love and value of it all. I greatly hope that the love seeps deeply into the hearts and souls of these awesome kids.
****post edit*** didn't want to leave out these cute photos that were on my phone from decorating. Phineas sure gets excited to help with the vacuum. And I love those smiles from Atticus and Milayla.
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