Savoring Days in December

I sat down for a few moments this evening to look at our calendar for the next two weeks.  Whether we are home or away, almost every day has a penciled note of something to do.  Between baking, errands, a Christmas dinner, three Christmas parties, wrapping, crafting with friends, and finishing the school year, our days could pass in a whirlwind.  We are purposing to slow down and savor them anyway. 

Savor the busyness?

Yes, even in the midst of a full calendar, we can appreciate each other.  We can (and will!) work together in the kitchen to bake the things on our list.  We will play Christmas music while I wrap presents and the kids select ribbons and tags.  We will let go of perfection as we straighten the house and light a candle as we wait for guests to arrive.  We will countdown the days left in our year (ei8ht!) until school break! 

On Thursday, we spent an entire afternoon savoring.  We had a Girls' Day.  The boys played Lego (did you know the plural of Lego is Lego?) in their bedroom while Maddie (9), Alaine (3), and I drank tea or hot chocolate, ate molasses cookies, and watched White Christmas.  We invited my sister, Bekah (12), to join us. 

When the movie was over and while dinner was simmering, the girls and I made washer necklaces.  I bought a 4-pack of washers at Walmart and used nail polish that we already owned.  Super easy, but usable craft!  (I struggle with crafts that don't have a purpose beyond cluttering my house!)

The older boys loved the leisure of an afternoon in their bedroom, but Ben (5) felt left out so we invited him to join our crafting time.  I was so thankful for the 6-pack of foam penguins from the Target Dollar Spot that I had tucked away in the cabinet.  Fifteen minutes into the project, Owen (7) drifted out and asked to make a penguin, and right before dinner, Gavin (11) asked if he could make one, too, so now we have a whole row of cute penguins decorating the chalkboard in our kitchen. 

On Saturday morning, Brian took the boys out for a Boys' Day.  The girls and I stayed home in our comfy clothes and wrapped a few Christmas presents while they went to a Lego building event at a local department store.  Each boy got to build and bring home a free small set, plus Brian bought each of them a candy bar to bring home for a snack.  Lego and chocolate made for a happy morning.  Sadly, no photos. 

Today was another slow day of savoring.  It was rainy, cold, and sleety, but it was Gavin's 11th birthday so the family came to us.  We ordered pizza to eat with our salad and homemade breadsticks.  Gavin performed a series of card tricks, Owen planned a birthday MadLib, and we enjoyed soda floats for dessert. 

It was the perfect way to celebrate our funny, talkative, inquisitive, energetic, thinker of a Gavin. 

As we move into this full and potentially stressful week, I pray that we put it all in perspective and focus on love and fellowship rather than our list of to-dos. I pray that we can continue to find the joy and savor the time.