advent. the big count down begins.

ah, back to a normal week. as the photos attest, it was a marathon holiday weekend of activities with cooking and eating being the thread that linked them all. i think i enjoyed the quiet moments of creating and cooking the most-making a flower arrangement for the turkey day table and trying to perfect my homemade piecrust top the list. with my piecrust, i think the flavor and texture are there but the rolling out technique still needs work. where is a pioneer or southern woman circa 1920 when you need one? it was a pretty fugly looking crust, though that would be par for the course with me since i like to say that i specialize in making ugly desserts.

cleo and i decorated the kids' christmas tree on friday. i am plenty anal when it comes to holiday decorating and have declared an adult christmas tree and a kids' tree a necessity since i won't let nary a colored light or a stray ornament touch my tree. i like to style a new tree every year, and inspired by my new glossy white living room floors, i have a hankering for an all white luxe themed tree this year....just plain clear glass ornaments and maybe some feathers...something really airy and simple. but alas, after checking our current bank balance and going through all the boxes of things i currently own, i can't justify buying a new batch of holiday decor. the white tree will have to wait and i will have to breathe new life into last year's woodland inspired tree full of pine cones, tree branches, and moss.

christmas decorating can be so much fun, but like so much of the holiday crap, if i let it stress me out or make it feel like an obligation then the purpose, and the joy, are lost. i think one of the most successful ways i've found to keep the fun spirit of the season in mind is to do a christmas activity advent calendar. there are many versions of the advent tradition which is basically just a count down to the arrival of christmas day. there are lots of cute iterations swimming around online by far more crafty and talented folks than i (check out the link to see a listing of some great ones.) but i keep mine super simple and it works just fine by my standards. this year i cut out 23 little squares of green construction paper (and one brown one for the trunk) numbered them, and taped them up in the shape of a tree. i write a simple holiday or family activity on the back of each square, one for each day leading up to the big dec 25th.

and since i'm trying hard to hum a homemade and frugal tune this holiday season, there is only one activity out of 24 that will actually cost us money. lucky for me a two and five year old have pretty manageable expectations! a sampling of the activities i included: reading the nutcracker together then listening to the music, making hot chocolate and homemade marshmallows (something i've been dying to try), taking a moonlit walk, baking christmas cookies to deliver to our neighbors, etc. i tried to think of things that were simple to do and wouldn't take too much planning on my part and would encourage the kind of pace, home time, and thoughtfulness that i want this season to represent in our home.

one of the things i'm most excited to include in the advent is a real acknowledgement of the winter solstice on dec 21. this is the longest night of the year. the shortest day. and i think i've always focused on this aspect of darkness instead of realizing that what traditionally cultures are really celebrating is the return of the light; the return of warmth and the growing season and plenty. each winter day going forward from the solstice is a less dark one, a longer day in which to live. i think that is such a beautiful sentiment and definitely worth my family's notice. and not coming from a decidedly christian point of view, i feel very happy to embrace and teach about yet another reason we gather to celebrate this time of year. yay for jesus! yay for light! yay for a reason to be with those you love and party! that's what i say.

so if you have a spare minute this week, create an activity advent. it's like a fail-safe for christmas joy, ensuring that at least once a day you will share a moment that consciously sets this season apart from any other. added bonus: your kids will think you are nearly as fun as santa and they just might give you a small breather from the "is it christmas yet" chanting.