Grace in Small Things: The Holiday Edition

Posted on December 10, 2010 by Nora

Image via Wikipedia

* The Glee Christmas Album. I’m. In. Love.

* My evening drive home; I love seeing all the lights in the neighborhood and glittering off the highway. Such a beautiful sight.

* Christmas secrets.

* Sitting in the living room with only the glow of the lights on my Christmas tree.

* Totally cheesy movies on the Hallmark Channel (all month long!)

* Christmas Cards are coming in the mail; much better than bills.

* Picking wrapping paper; sounds simple but it is something that I take kind of seriously. It has to be the right combination of whimsy + maturity.

* Finding the perfect gift for friends and family after searching high and low.

* Making holiday plans for my week off at the end of the month: friend reunions, time to hold my friends’ babies, dates, and relaxation. I’m so excited to have 10 days off in a row!

* The “holiday lights” background I downloaded for my computer; I almost don’t mind being at work when I have fun backgrounds to look at.

* Really connecting with friends and family; there is nothing quite like it.

What kind of holiday things are you grateful for this week?

Holiday Week: The Story of this Year's Trees

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Nora

christmas tree explosion (day 9 of 365) EXPLOR...

Image by stephenvance via Flickr

So earlier this year we had a flood in our basement and sadly a ton of our Christmas decorations were lost. We’re talking lights, trees, garlands, rugs, tree skirts, etc etc. The upside? This means that Darling and I got to go shopping for new decorations, including the Christmas trees. (We used to get real trees but after having a three year bad run of a “tipping tree,” a “leaking tree,” and a “crooked tree,” we decided faux trees were the way to go. Plus we can be obnoxious and leave them up until January 7th. And yes, I said *them*; we have two trees each year.)

Darling and I go shopping on Black Friday; not the hardcore up at 4 am shopping but the leisurely “oh isn’t this fun!?” kind of shopping closer to 8am. Each year we go to Target, where we inevitably buy ourselves a pair of Christmas PJs, then on to Home Depot or Lowe’s to look at Christmas decorations and then to breakfast. So this year, when we got to Home Depot and saw two faux trees that were totally within our budget (thank you amazing sales, two faux trees for less than the price of one!) we knew we had to get them.

As we are wheeling the really awkward tree boxes out into the parking lot we realize that we have my mom’s car. A Honda Civic. A TWO Door Honda Civic. Poor planning.

We start laughing hysterically before we even attempt to get the trees into the car.

But get them in we do after much pushing, shoving, maybe some swearing, a ton of laughter, turning down a few offers to assist from the extremely helpful Home Depot staff (seriously, they are amazing!). We wanted to do it ourselves. We contemplated Darling running home to get my dad’s Mercedes SUV, or waiting for my boyfriend to get into town as he has a fabulous truck, but no, we did it. We Did it! I had to sit with my knees crunched into the dashboard with our Target bags on my lap but the trees made it home in one piece. When we told my dad what happened all he could do was laugh, shake his head and say “you girls.” So did the boyfriend.

(Trust me, it was a really funny sight, but maybe you had to be there? I don’t know.)

Darling and I also may or may not have insisted on putting up the rest of our Christmas lights in 15 degree weather this past weekend. This also may or may not have involved lots of laughter, a few more splinters, tree bark in my eye, and scaring ourselves when we heard rustling in the bushes. Our house looks totally awesome though.

Any funny Christmas tales to share?

The Holiday Week Confessions

Posted on December 8, 2010 by Nora

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* I believed in Santa Claus until I was eight. Yes, I’m serious. I guess I was a gullible child.

* Sometimes I listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving, but I don’t tell anyone.

* On Christmas Eve you’d think I was a five year old still. I can’t sleep. I toss and turn. I listen for my parents putting my stocking by my door. And I wake up at 6 am every year without fail.

* I really, truly do not need anything for Christmas this year. That’s something to be thankful for right there.

* I kind of have a shopping problem and insist on present parity between my family members, as in, each person must get the same number of presents from me. So if I buy my brother five? Everyone else gets five. Maybe I’m a little OCD?

* I’m 27 and I kind of want to go get my picture taken with Santa Claus.

* Each year when it’s time for Christmas cards I contemplate getting a photo of me and Jack taken to use but then I change my mind. Maybe one year…

* The Jim Carrey version of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” terrifies me.

* I love, love, love and watch, for 24 straight hours, “A Christmas Story,” on TBS. It seems that no matter what I always catch the movie in the same place but I just can’t get enough.

* Each year my dad and I have a little mini “wrapathon,” and it is one of my favorite Christmas traditions.

* I don’t like rude people as a general rule but I really don’t like them during the holiday season.

* I sing Christmas songs at the top of my lungs on my way to work everyday. On a related note, no matter who sings O Holy Night, I wind up crying. It gives me chills (the good kind) each time.

What are your holiday-related confessions?

Holiday Week: Movies

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Nora

I know, I know, when you think Christmas you probably don’t think Christmas movies, but in my house we have certain traditions as to when we watch certain flicks…

You’ve Got Mail: Every year after Darling and I venture out for same tame (read: late) Black Friday shopping, we each grab a couch and enjoy this movie, often through eyes that are half closed.

Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmas: Most of the family still enjoys a good children’s movie from time to time, so we make sure to break out the Christmas cartoons. There’s something so adorable about Donald Duck’s nephews voices and Mickey and Minnie with their everlasting love.

Love Actually: When I had my own apartment, this was the movie I decorated my tree to; now that I live with the folks, I tend to pop this movie in when I need a dose of romance and hope, laughs and joy.

Other holiday favorites that we make sure to watch, most likely on Sunday evenings or while we are decorating the house throughout the season are: Scrooged, The Holiday, A Christmas Carol (we own about five different versions of this movie, including the Muppet Christmas Carol), Elf, Santa Clause (all three of them), A Christmas Story (thanks to TBS and the 24-hour marathon on Christmas Eve) and lastly, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. (We own about 10 other Christmas movies, so it’s tough to get them all in during the short holiday season!)

What’s your favorite holiday movie?

Holiday Week: Wreath Making

Posted on December 6, 2010 by Nora

Happy Monday and welcome to what I’m calling “Holiday Week.” Between all my holiday parties, holiday traditions and general excitement about the “most wonderful time of the year,” I decided I’d dedicate this week to all things holiday.

I’m kicking off Holiday Week with a recap about the wreath making class that Darling, my dad, Gram and me attended last Thursday night. This year it was drastically different in terms of methodology though still just as fun. The usual way that we make the wreaths involves a wreath frame, lots of pine, and wire so that we can keep the pine on the frame. (See last year’s recap here).

After we drove about 30 minutes south of STL, listening to Christmas music and chattering about our present wishlist, we arrived at a historic log cabin type home complete with retro-fitted heat, a warm fireplace, and a very random mix of people. This year we took a more natural approach as per the theme of the class. All of the trees and accessories for our wreaths came from the areas surrounding STL and apart from the wire frame, there are no additional materials needed to make these wreaths. Basically the technique was something like this: weave-a-wreath. It’s a lot harder than it sounds: I left the event with several splinters in my thumb, hives all over my hands and a bunch of gashes and cuts. The end result is so worth it though.

That’s me, focused and intent on making this wreath work! Weaving pine branches into a wire frame? Really not as easy as it looks.
Taking a few moments of time away from my wreath with my gram. It was her first year at the wreathmaking event and she loved it. Hers came out looking like something from England in the early 1900s.

Three generations of women; photo taken by my dad and he wanted to show the ambiance of the log cabin where the event took place this year.

My finished product! I love it. It’s much different than the ones I’ve done in the past but I have to say I’m kind of in love with the look of this one. It will soon be hanging from our balcony to add some color and flare to our Christmas decorations.

Have you ever made your Christmas/Holiday Decorations by hand? Anything in particular you’d like to read about during Holiday Week 2010?