Holly Jolly

Polly has this new thing where she says rapidfire: "dash away dash away dash away!" and sometimes it becomes "dash away dash away all fall down!"

It's pretty clear it's Christmastime around here when my girls are constantly quoting Christmas poems and songs. Lucy has a strong interest in the lyrics of the songs this year and her favorites are: Holly Jolly Christmas, Deck the Halls, Silver Bells and of course, You're a Mean One Mister Grinch.

Polly seems to like them all.  Both girls relax and Polly immediately falls asleep to "Walking on the Air" from the Snowman. 

We got our tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. We would never have braved the busy Apple Hill tree farms on a weekend (traffic backed up the freeway for miles and miles), but I finished my housecleaning job in Camino at 4:30 so we knew the crowds be dissipated. We were the last ones at Indian Rock Tree Farm and it was an ice cold afternoon. The employees were gathered merrily around an outdoor firepit and invited the enthralled girls over to warm their hands.

We picked out a fine, sweet little tree to take home and cherish.

Getting out the ornaments is always the best; remembering the old favorites, saying the same things about them year after year. We have plenty from mine and Darin's childhood, many with stories, vintage, handmade, lasting. Breakage happens, I try not to mind much. These trinkets want to feel the little hands.Toot blows all ornament placement rules to hell and likes to put two together on one bough to keep each other company. 

"Mine Christmas tree!" Polly shouts the next morning. Periodically through the day she mentions it casually, "mine tree," as if to convince herself it's still here. 

We held our annual "Welcome December" party for the festive little cousins. I made a big pot of soup and garlic bread and they (sort of)  watched Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer. 

You know it's December when I'm drinking my wine out of a big, corny, novelty glass. Em is my willing accomplice. I told her how I was going to get rid of these a couple years back but I looked at the girl doing wintry activities and I just couldn't send her away. 

Playing "night night."

Snugglebugs.

I heard a Killers Christmas song today that says "I wanna roll around like a kid in the snow / I wanna relearn what I already know," and was thinking about that, how it's nice to have children because you get to start fresh, figure out your own approach to the holidays and to everything, really, and then year after year, relearn the outline of your soul's own simple, deep happiness. To encourage my girls to not bicker, I use Yukon Cornelius's tune from Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer, but instead of "Silver and Gold" I sing "Gentle and kind, gentle and kind, It's so important to be gentle and kind." Tootie thinks this is hilarious, and I'm not sure if it's really sinking in. But if there's anything that I hope to plant in their fresh and open little minds, it's kindness. And when I'm teaching them that 'tis the season to be kind, and generous, and joyful, well I'm really reminding myself. 

Hoping your holidays are off to a peaceful, cozy, wondrous start!