The Holidays in Retrospect

The holidays have come and gone, like a winter storm that blows through in a hurry and leaves a big cleanup in its wake.

Looking back, I can see that this was the holiday season where some things were done, while many other things were left undone.

For starters, computer problems were never fixed, which meant that blogging was left undone. But in the good news department, my husband gave me a new iphone for Christmas, with camera features and texting abilities that are making things a wee bit easier.

{On a side note, I was standing in line at Michael's just before Christmas, holding my six year old flip phone in my hand, when the clerk said "Wow. That's a really old phone!" Yep! It was pretty old school, so I am most happy with the upgrade!}

A Christmas tree was purchased, but never really decorated. We strung up some lights, threw on a few ornaments, and called it minimalist this year. The boys claimed that they didn't want to "clutter" the tree, but in truth, no one had the desire to finish what we started. But hey, it filled a dark spot in the family room and gave the house a nice piney fragrance. What more could we want?

Sam's Christmas stocking did not get finished. That makes ten years in a row! Bwa ha ha! I crack myself up. But I did make him very happy on Christmas morning when he saw this funny fellow. Sam's been wanting a sock monkey for ages!

I was standing in the men's sock department at Target just ten days before Christmas, wondering if I could start AND finish a project in the time left. I asked a woman standing next to me "Do you think this sock would work for a sock monkey?"

"Yes, that one, definitely," she said. And then she added "You haven't been looking at Pinterest, have you? That place gets me into so much trouble!" LOL!

So sock monkey was completed, and placed lovingly inside of Sam's stocking on Christmas Eve. The stocking that says "Baby's First Christmas" on the flip side.

Done...and undone!

Christmas cards did get mailed this year, so that's a small victory. But they came out of a box, which means I did not find the time to hand craft them. Oh well. I mailed out about forty and received about ten. Next year will be the true litmus test to see if this Christmas card mailing thing is really worth my time. I figure that no one will have the "I didn't have Mary Rose's new address" excuse in 2014.

In the end, Christmas does come, even if you did not leave a forwarding address.

Cookies do not have to be baked.

Fancy dinners do not need to be attempted.

Parties do not have to be attended.

Boatloads of presents do not need to be purchased.

Just a peaceful moment with my family...a simple breakfast, a movie in the family room, a puzzle challenge at the table. Scaled back in so many ways, and yet exactly what this family needed.

After Christmas, we managed to visit two of our three sets of families, with the final holiday visit this weekend. Truth is, after Christmas has come and gone, most folks are tired of "visiting", and it feels kind of hard to muster up a Christmas feeling after the fact.

Another mental note has been placed on my calendar for 2014. December now says "More Jesus, Less Shopping". And on another note, it says "Plan a fun getaway with family for Christmas." Two important things that I hope to mark with a "Done and Done!" next Christmas!

Happy New Year, cafe friends!