…and all the joy/excitement/craziness/busy-ness that you bring. It seems as if the dishes had barely cooled from Thanksgiving that I found myself needing to get organized around Christmas fast. First up, our advent calendar. 

As each Christmas approaches, I've found myself with more and more on my to-do list. A list on top of a non-Holiday list that always seems to keep growing. Perpetually. Part of it is my seizing the season to give, to create, to watch my children enjoy the process of making and giving of themselves. And for anyone with a DIY spirit, as I believe I have, it's very hard to resist just making it yourself. Husband need a new hat? I'll just knit it myself. Would friends back East love some rich hand cream? Just whip some up. And on. And on. 

I don't make every gift of course. And I do believe it's true that what will be remembered most by my young ones is not how fancy something is (handmade or not) but how our time was spent together in the doing.

I will tell myself this over and over the next few weeks. Keep it simple. Simple and special. Some years not all will be crossed off my Holiday list. Some years, as in those where I have an infant on my hip, a reality check will be in order. If I'm able to do that, perhaps my boys will also take heed and look beyond the enticement of any new stuff that may or may not be coming their way come Christmas Day. And they'll realize that for us, this is a time of creation, but also of being together, present and thankful.