Our un-Christmas

It's been a weird Christmas season this year.

Most days have been in the 40's. I'm not complaining, it's just weird.

We decided to repaint the living room. While I LOVE the new color, it meant no Christmas tree and no decorations for about three weeks after Thanksgiving, which goes against my tree-up-the-day-after-the-turkey tradition.

I've been working. Outside the home. I've been putting in 16 hour weeks at the toy store in town. While that may not seem like a huge chunk of time, come to find out, it really is. I leave Ryan with Joshua in the mornings and then he gets shuffled off to Nana's (Ryan, not Joshua!). Then my grocery shopping, library visiting, laundry and cleaning that used to be done in the morning is shuffled around the week. I miss my son. And my daughter, since I'm usually doing above-mentioned stuff when she gets home from school.

You'd think that working in a toy store would make me jollier. Ha. I see parents spending a ton of money on toys. I have had grandparents ask me to show them different toys because the ones I've suggested involve "too much parent involvement"! One couple came in and told me their three sons who are 1, 3 and 5, didn't really ask for anything and they had "everything" already. They proceeded to walk around the store amassing a pile of things their kids didn't need. One lady on Saturday spent almost $200 because she was "frantic" and as she looked over everything said in a small voice, "It's just money, isn't it? Or plastic, I guess?" Money. Not time or love or attention.

Last year I did this amazing 25 day countdown to Christmas. Not this year. It's too much. Too much doing. Too much planning. Too much running around to buy supplies for a craft that will get tossed out before the new year.

Our annual gingerbread house making took a hit since Meijer doesn't carry bulk candy.  When we tried to put the houses together (after a communication error between me and Joshua that left both of us a little crabby) they fell apart. We ended up in the living room watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas and feeling rather grinchy ourselves.

We usually get Christmas cards from far and wide from friends and family but as of today, we have three. In everyone's defense, we didn't send cards either. But we never have. See? Un-Christmas.

And yet...

I've been more focused on the great Gift I have been given. My new Christmas CD "We Have A Saviour" is bringing my mind back to the real meaning. Going here will allow you to watch the video.

"Santa" came to the toy store last Friday and I took the kids over. They weren't all that impressed. Bella asked for pink ice skates and Ryan asked for a Thomas train and they were done. We bought them two presents and two stocking stuffers, and we had them buy for each other with money they'd earned from doing extra chores.

In church, our memory verse for the month is Luke 2:10-11 and both kids can quote it. It's sweet. I have made sure that, in the space normally crammed with holiday hustle and bustle, we talk about the True Gift. Even in the book Llama Llama Holiday Drama about all the hooplah, when it got to the part that said, "Gifts are nice, but there's another-the true gift is we have each other," Bella piped up with, "No. It's about Jesus." Good girl.

No snow. No countdown. No hustle and bustle.

But peace. Love. Giggles. Retelling the real story. Our un-Christmas isn't so bad after all.