I am dreading 5:40 am tomorrow. That is when Christmas vacation is officially over and it is back to school, work, schedules, swim practice, Cubscouts, American Heritage Girls, Co-op and the list goes on. The pre-Christmas preparation frenzy is followed by a blissful week of nothing. Well, not really nothing but at least a slowing down of the hectic schedule. More time to stop and sit, eat, read, laugh, play and be. This year was particularly I was mindful of how special this time was. I will admit I had to stop myself from being crabby and resentful because I was still cooking, washing dishes, planning meals etc. but about three days after Christmas I gave myself a good talking to. Did I not realize that there is precious little years left when all 6 of my children will be with me for the whole Christmas season? Couldn't I enjoy the sleeping in, a couple sit down breakfasts, having Daddy home? Didn't I notice the the little kids and the big kids playing together whether it be a board game or a Nurf Gun war. Stop being crabby, and be in the moment. So I changed my attitude and it was wonderful. I am not ready for the real world to creep back in and intervene in our time together but I can see it is inevitable and necessary. People are getting restless. Hubby is complaining about the cold and wanting to move to Virginia (a yearly occurrence) and I think my patience for Metallica is at the end of its very fine rope. It is kind of like entering the ocean: (think cold Atlantic) you just have to dive in and you will be fine. The more you think about about it the more painful it will be. 5:40 am it is then!
What I was planning on writing about wasn't the end of Christmas vacation but about one of my favorite Christmas traditions. ( Funny how the fingers have a mind of their own.) In our home Santa brings all the presents except one gift from Mom and Dad I know different families have different ways of doing things but this is what we have always done and it works for us. When our oldest celebrated her first Christmas I came up with the idea of Mom and Dad giving a book for Christmas. Her first Christmas the book was The Polar Expressed signed by us with a message of encouragement to always hear the bells of Santa's Sleigh. My thoughts were (and still are) books are timeless, when the children leave home the will have their own small library and we could continue to give books them books through their adult years. The irony is that no one else really cares about this tradition. Oh it's Mom and Dad's book. The book gets lost among the boxes, toys, wrapping and excitement of the moment. But that doesn't bother me because I know the books will resurface at their appointed time and be a source of joy. When all the other gifts of Christmas are gone each of my children will have a shelf of books in their own home that they can pull out and read. They can see the messages of each of their Christmases written in the front cover from their parents. They will read for the first time or re-read a book and finally realize why that book was purchased for them in that year. They will remember all their Christmases and they will remember us. The books vary: children's picture books, Christmas books, poetry, biography, science, history and now adult books. Some times a book is devoured Christmas afternoon. Sometimes over the Christmas week. Some times the book is not read until a few years later. That is ok with me. Each book will be read at the time it needs to be read. This is really my tradition I spend the whole year searching for the perfect book for each child for that year. I have lists in the Amazon cart of books that look promising and when December rolls around I make my final decisions. My husband supports me but doesn't really get into it the way I do. He too loves to read but does not share my need to own a book that has gotten under my skin. But then again he owns lots and lots of cds!
If you are wondering, this year's books included:
5 year old- a picture book, Yes, Virginia there is Santa Claus. The story is timeless and this edition has beautiful pictures.
8 year old- he is just starting to take off in his reading. The Adventures of Loupio by Jean Francois Kieffer. A graphic novel about the adventures of Saint Francis. It was a hit!
11 year old-this daughter struggles with Dyslexia. She loves stories, has a wonderful imagination and will devour any audio book you give her. Finding a print book for her is always a challenge. This year I hit gold. The Illustrated Stories from Shakespeare by Osborne Books. It was the right reading level and she loves Shakespeare! One of my favorite parts of Christmas break was seeing her curled up by the Christmas tree reading her book.
14 year old. She is into poetry right now so she got a beautiful leather bound book of poetry titled Poems Every Catholic Should Know by Joseph Pierce.
17 year old. He is a challenge. He doesn't read as much as he use to. When he was homeschooled he read all the time. Unfortunately, high school English classes and the need to analyze everything paired with stupid smart phones has decreased his urge to read. The book I wanted to get him did not come in time. Two days before Christmas we were at the book store desperately searching for the right book. My husband knew I would not leave without something. After lots of searching and discussion we came up with A Walk in The Woods by Bill Bryson. I wanted something fun, lite and that he could just enjoy. He has read half of it as of this moment. Hopefully he will finish.
The oldest (20 today). She is also challenging as she is a "judge a book by it's cover" sort of a gal. If it is something she is interested in she will read it in one sitting. Pushing her to try something new is a challenge. This year we gave her A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. One of my favorite and recommended to me by my husband when we were first dating. She has not cracked it open. I knew she would't but some day she will. And when she does she will like it.
Well, it is off to bed. 5:40 will be coming soon. Excuse the typos and misspellings as I have only proofed this once.
Hope you are enjoying the 12 Days of Christmas and whatever traditions your family has that makes it special.
