Holiday Events

This past week was packed full of holiday events for our family. We kicked off the week with a birthday party for my mom (and my husband). It included good food, a great dessert, and time being together.

The next day I opened my house to our homeschool group for a Christmas celebration. I have to admit that I was rushing around cleaning bathrooms, putting away piles of useless stuff, making sure my children were dressed in appropriate attire (no pj’s), and generally focused on making sure everything was ready BEFORE the first person arrived. Did it happen? Of course not! It was like a whirlwind as soon as the first family arrived. I had barely gotten out the last food item that I was baking, and some people missed the great dessert that I made. I forgot to cut it and put it on a serving plate!

With all of this, I did greatly enjoy seeing everyone, and we had a great time sharing with the homeschool families. There were a lot of things that were ready – the students enjoyed crafts and a simple word game that kept some occupied for hours! The girls and I had prepared scented gingerbread ornaments for the families, and I had printed the spring schedule and sign up sheets for the families to take home with them. Also, we had plenty of wonderful food, and I think everyone enjoyed my cider (a secret recipe) and my husband’s coffee.

The best part for me was seeing the dads join us. So often, it is just the women and children that come to the homeschool events, and I loved seeing the husbands find common ground with each other as well.

After surviving this whirlwind of a party, the next day we headed off for a play that retold A Christmas Carol. I was concerned that my girls would not get all the “fancy” English language or enjoy the darkness of the play, but I was amazed that they actually found some comedy and lessons from it! Scrooge reminds us to not get too much into our own stories that we miss out on sharing life with others!

Later this week we went to see another holiday play, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I had always heard of this story, but I had never seen the play. It relayed the message of grace and the power of the Christmas message. Of course, my daughters enjoyed the fact that instead of frankincense, gold, and myrrh, the Wise Men brought a ham, vegetable oil, and seasoning salt!

I have loved sharing these moments with dear friends and family! This is one of the best parts of the Christmas season, and as we attend other events this holiday, I hope we can keep the simple joy of Christmas and savor each moment. It is easy to just rush around to fulfill commitments, but this year I want to keep the right perspective.