Thursday Thoughts .... on the magic of Christmas

It's that time of year...Christmas lights, Christmas trees, Christmas baking, Live Nativity scenes, Christmas Carols, Casseroles, Egg Nog, Boiled Custard, Gingerbread houses, garland, ornaments, pictures of screaming kids with Santa, assault and battery charges resulting from a fight over the last Black Friday TV, Jingle bells, sleigh rides, reindeer, fruit cake, gifts, and in the middle of it all...

the Nativity. 

My dad gave me the most amazing Nativity set several years ago. It is is absolutely gorgeous and perfectly "me".

There is something so...magical...about Christmas. Yes, it is a mixture of the lights, food that we only get this time of year, and joy that seems to fall like glittering snowflakes to cover us all in the "Spirit" of Christmas. It's ALL those things and so much more! Christmas makes my eyes sparkle with childlike wonder...and I LOVE it!

A song comes on the radio and brings back memories of my Nan dancing and singing in the kitchen while we made fudge.

Other songs remind me of some of my best highschool memories, singing in malls, nursing homes, schools, etc. all December long. I will NEVER hear the 12 days of Christmas without laughing about Marlon Jett playing the part of 6 geese a laying and splitting his pants (and yes, as his name suggests, he was a huge foot ball player ) or David Howard yelling "Birds!!!! Hey Birds!!!" for 4 calling Birds.

I can't think about gathering at Grandmother Thompson's house without laughing about my brother and I sliding down her stairs on pillows and getting in trouble...EVERY SINGLE YEAR.

Each ornament I unwrap to place on my tree reminds me of people I love, many of whom live far away or are no longer here to celebrate with me. 

I will try to make my Nan's fudge again this year...and maybe it will actually be as smooth and creamy as hers was. (doubtful, but I will try all the same)

One year My Step mom was showing the children this amazing carousel teapot and I, being the intellectually gifted person I am, thought that pulling the plug out of the spout was a good idea. Of course, my brother got it all on video so it will haunt me every Christmas for all of eternity.

This year, my precious mom in law gave me her Christmas dishes, which I will one day pass along to Izzy. What an absolute treasure. 

I remember when I was about 5 or 6... KNOWING Santa wouldn't come until I was asleep...I used scotch tape to tape my eyes shut. (Did I mention that I was a gifted? LOL)

I have new traditions with our kids. One of my faves is eating at Waffle House with friends on Christmas Eve and then packing as many kids as possible into my vehicle so we can drive around town and look at lights. There is NOTHING that compares to a toddler looking at Christmas lights. Hands down the best thing EV-ER!!!

One of my very favorite things to do is something I will do tonight. After the tree (and the mantle, and the bathrooms and the kitchen) is decorated, I'll turn off all the lights except for the ones on the tree and just...be. Be thankful. Be peaceful. Let my poor battered soul rest and just..be. I'll start every morning from now til New Year's the same way, but with a very large cup of coffee in hand.

So many times (I have been guilty of this myself) we allow ourselves to let the people and things God has blessed us with become the PRIMARY focus of Christmas. When we do this and a relationship ends, we lose our house, car, or other stuff, or a loved one passes away, our sense of loss overrides the joy that just IS Christmas. Even worse, we often allow ourselves to be so utterly consumed with giving and receiving gifts that we focus on nothing else. 

I also want to acknowledge that all Christmas memories aren't warm and fuzzy. Some are just terrible. Some are filled with more tears and hurt and disappointment than you think you can stand. I get it and I am so sorry if your idea of Christmas is scarred by these things. Here's what I know, it is bad enough that bad stuff happened. It is an absolute TRAVESTY to allow it to ruin every Christmas for you forever. 

My point is simply this...You can be excited about Christmas or not, the choice is yours, but it IS a choice because there is MUCH to be amazed by at Christmas. 

And we would have NONE of it with out Jesus. Jesus gives us hope. He gives us peace. He gives us a reason to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Jesus gives us purpose. Jesus heals hearts. Jesus gives us the ability to love and to forgive. Jesus gives us joy. Without the birth of Jesus, our lives would be completely hopeless and there would be no Christmas magic, no joy, no WONDER.

Much Love and BIG BIG hugs!
K

Wednesday's Weekly Recipes - Christmas 2017

2 words...

CHRISTMAS COOKIES!!!!!

I found the most wonderful (translation: practically no fail) sugar coolie recipe and royal icing recipe last year. I confess I did not make CHRISTMAS cookies last year...I was a bit late discovering my passion for these little pieces of art. Iz and I started making cookies in January. This year I have time blocked out to make cookies and i am pretty stinkin excited about it.

Now, to be fair, this is NOT something that can be done quickly. This is NOT the thing you want to try for a last minute something to take to the office party. No, this is a Saturday afternoon endeavor.

My plan is to make make and roll my dough on Thursday night,  bake the cookies on Friday night while I clean house, finish laundry and house work on Saturday morning, get supper in the crockpot and then spend Saturday afternoon decorating cookies with the girls. (it's just too much for me to do in one day)

Before i forget (gasp), here is a link to the recipes for sugar cookies AND royal icing that I use:
The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe. Ever.

Couple of quick things...
Use parchment paper. Totally worth it.
Bake your dough COLD.
Chill your rolled dough for at LEAST 30 minutes
You want to take them out of the oven BEFORE they turn "golden" if you want nice chewy cookies. Once they turn golden, they will be crunchy.

Get a feel for using an icing bag before you start on your cookies.

I have done cookies with my kids since they were LITTLE. Iz and her friends LOVED making cookies when they were tiny. Back then I used sugar cookie dough from the grocery and cake decorating icing (also bought from the grocery) and lots and lots of "sprinkles". We made cookies for Halloween, St Pats, Valentines, Christmas, pretty much any time we wanted.

Yes, they make a huge mess... but OH the memories!

Now that she is older, Iz and I have moved up to homemade cookies and royal icing.

Here are some inspirations from my Pinterest "Cookies!" board:

Enjoy!!!!!


Much love and BIG hugs!
K

Tuesday's tips and tricks - Christmas Edition - Week 2

If you've read this blog for any length of time, you realize that I struggle with anxiety and depression. 

If you struggle with Stress and Anxiety, especially during the holidays, here are some Tips and Tricks I use to keep myself relatively sane.

Utilize a Calendar!

I can't stress this enough. A few minutes a couple times each day will help you plan your week and eliminate most all panic over last minute events.

Make a List!

A running list goes hand in hand with your calendar. They prompt each other. A calendar event can prompt me to add something to my shopping list. My to-do list can prompt me to block out time on my calendar. I am visual and need a good bit of positive reinforcement, so marking things off a list encourages me to get more done.

Get some SLEEP!

I mentioned resting last week, but SLEEP is also so very important. I have "lights out" on my calendar every day and do try to get in bed and on my way to sleep by that time, knowing that it allows me enough hours of sleep before my alarm goes off the next morning (also dictated by my calendar). We all know that woman who seems to have it all together but is a sleep deprived grouch. Don't be that girl. Go to sleep.

Eat GOOD food. 

I have to remind myself of this constantly. Food is fuel, not entertainment. Food is not a reward, nor is it to be used as punishment. Food is just the stuff your body uses for energy and nourishment. That's it. OH! I so totally struggle with this! I do know that when I eat good healthy food, my body thanks me for it. I have more energy and am even in a better mood. 

"Do not reward yourself with food; you are not a dog." 

Get moving!

They say that Exercise is the most under utilized anti-depressant. I have experienced this for myself. After a particularly stressful day, time on the elliptical will markedly reduce my level of anxiety. Remember this, Exercise is a celebration of what your body can do, not punishment for what you ate.

STOP Procrastinating!

This is my SINGLE greatest cause of stress. My calendar and my lists help with this, but it is a daily battle. If you are a fellow procrastinator, get that calendar out, make some lists and get some stuff done!

Finally, the greatest thing I've learned this year...You are only responsible for yourself. You are not responsible for making anyone else happy. You are not responsible for anyone else's behavior, nor is anyone else's behavior a reflection on you as a person. Remember, you don't have to set yourself on fire to keep someone else warm.

Much love and BIG BIG hugs!!!

K