as i feel myself, in spite of all of my hearty intentions of simplicity, be pulled into the tides of wanting to make the holidays special by buying things, i will stop right now, breathe, feel my feet on the ground and the air pressing on my skin, and REMEMBER.
let me remember what matters.
let me be still and trust that my presence is enough. to be fully with them, open to who they truly are this very moment, seeing them and sharing my whole self with them: that is the magic.
it is not there under the tree. that is immaterial, simply a fun little dance we will do together. let me remember that every day of this week is just as important as every other day, that if i rush and hassle and stress leading up to something, then i have forgotten. i have lost the whole point.
let me remember to wake up. now, and now, again, and now, again. soft and supple and willing to be awake for it all.
thank you angela. i love hearing these stories of gentleness and slowing down through the holidays. they are so thrilled with each sweet thing...we are the ones who can benefit from the reminder. luckily they are right there in front of us shining the light. xxoo
Posted by: kris laroche | December 22, 2010 at 08:37 PM
definitely. and, i have taken those breaths this past week. hate shopping, so no rushing about there, but some frustrations snuck in when trying to make some last minute online orders by the stroke of midnight and little ones kept waking up, sigh. the full moon did me in :-) but also shared the light of the moon with them, snuggled in the early morn when we were all too tired to rise, read stories, and baked cookies. have also focused on handmade gifts. the kids have made paper dogs, sock snowmen, all wrapped in cereal boxes or something out of the recycling bin, so cute to see them so giddy from creating surprises for others. has been a constant reminder of the spirit of giving.
one other thing that helps us keep balanced during this time is our handmade advent calendar, simple index cards cut in half and folded and then the kids write the numbers on them, and place them on a poster board in the shape of a tree. each day i write something that is pertaining to what we are doing anyway, so no stress in pre-planning, and it always is a family activity. creating a winter wonderland inside, telling the story of christmas, riding around the neighborhood to see holiday lights, baking, etc. it helps us slow down each day and do something to connect to each other and to the season.
just wanted to share, am loving learning what others do to slow down, as well.
Posted by: angela | December 22, 2010 at 06:38 PM
stacey. im so glad to hear all of this. thank you so much. you are inspiring me to do more giving. i have imagined sponsoring a family and packing up some of our toys and making yummy food and delivering it to them. it is hard to find service to do as a family. im glad this lifts your sadness. there is so much sadness lurking...
with love
kris
Posted by: kris laroche | December 22, 2010 at 07:26 AM
Hi Kris,
We have added small things. They don't take a lot of time or preparation, but they make a huge difference to how we feel during the season. I find myself feeling sad a lot this time of year, and once I dig in and start giving service, I feel SO much better.
Some of my favorite traditions we have added involve giving service as a family (I find there are not always a lot of opportunities for parents and kids to give service together). One opportunity we found is serving a meal together at the Salvation Army on Christmas day (the late dinner meal on Christmas gets almost no volunteers). We also plan for one day to bake cookies and deliver them along with Meals on Wheels to Seniors. The Saturday before Christmas is set aside for caroling with our church at nursing homes -- and what a smile this brings to those granny's and grandpas who don't get out for the holiday.
We give our children one book and the little one gets one toy as well. I am trying to add more homemade things to our gift list, but I have not done a great job with this yet. I am still learning.
I love to see all of the wonderful traditions and ideas that others are trying, but I try not to put too much pressure on myself to change it all at once.
Posted by: Stacey | December 22, 2010 at 06:53 AM
hi stacey. thats amazing, that youve simplified that much. what are some of the traditions you love?
Posted by: kris laroche | December 19, 2010 at 07:00 AM
i love buying stuff too. its just that i can see how i want to do it more and more and more and then, for me, i get so focused on that and it starts to feel a little off. but yes...that feeling of anticipation of them opening what you are giving them? sooooo satisfying. with love to you theresa.
Posted by: kris laroche | December 19, 2010 at 06:59 AM
your welcome, beth. thank you.
Posted by: kris laroche | December 19, 2010 at 06:58 AM
Indeed Kris. We have simplified Christmas to the point of almost no gifts but added many traditions and opportunities to give service.
I always panic at the end, wondering if they will be disappointed. It is hard to let go...
Thank you for the reminder :)
Posted by: Stacey | December 19, 2010 at 05:23 AM
I understand where you are coming from.... But I just love buying and giving presents! I love seeing something and knowing that a special person would love to have it. Maybe it is based in ego... I haven't analyzed it. But If something feels good, it is! At least for me :)
Posted by: Theresa | December 19, 2010 at 01:37 AM
Well said. Thank you.
Posted by: Beth | December 18, 2010 at 08:55 PM