Monday, December 21, 2009

Solstice Day


Solstice day! The 21st is here already, and I am still not "ready" for the holidays. It is officially the first day of winter, though I'm sure most of the country feels like they have been blanketed in winter for some time. We're missing out on the seasonal pity party because it has been 50 degrees here the last two days! While I'm glad we aren't dealing with blizzards and the panic that ensues when the Seattle area develops even an inch of snow, it would make our holiday a smidge more complete to have some flurries, to make some snow angels.


You see, I have kind of dropped the ball. It seems like we've been all kinds of busy and hubub, but there isn't much to show! The apartment is a mess of my crafting materials and the general dirt that occurs when I craft too much and routinely clean too little. Thanks to Nathan finally being home to stay (and not having to run into school to turn in grades, proctor tests, and attend extracurricular meetings), we have peanut clusters and chex mix. :) But that's the extent of our treats thus far. I made a slew of salt dough ornaments with friends, so our tree is slightly more full than the photo you'll see below. (You'll also see I haven't removed the banner left up from Nathan's birthday but believe it will have to do in lieu of the proper Christmas decorations I have yet to create!)

But you know what? I'm having fun anyway. I like having projects, and in some ways I like this feeling of not being able to keep up with the holiday Jones's. It is missing the warmth and magic of nostalgic childhood Christmases, but it is realistic to the way Nathan and I are forging our own little life together. Right now we're cutting some corners, discovering the essentials, holding things together in a duct tape sort of fashion. I was afraid the holidays would feel empty without the delights we're used to, and of course we're missing family, but it's a bit like starting from scratch. Each little thing (like watching Die Hard because it's one of the only 'Christmas' movies available free on netflix!) is adding up to make it our own.

The tree, now with some ornament.

The holiday stationery I made for Mom.

A homemade Secret Santa gift for my coworker.

Nathan preparing the Chex mix. I can't keep my hands out of the bowl.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Believe me, along with the nostalgia of childhood Christmas at home, you'll remember this one fondly. We will indeed miss you, but I'm comforted that you have each other. It's pretty common to feel behind and unsuccessful at the holiday, I think--old habits "die hard".

Don't eat too much chex mix--hurray for Nathan!

Love, MOM