11.21.2009

 

Gettin' my Christmas on


I made this little wreath yesterday, thanks to my friend Tara, who got a bunch of freebies and gave them out at an ornament painting party.


At that party, Kent painted a Christmas tree ornament with a few blobs of green, blue, and orange, and he got one blob onto a star ornament before he decided he wanted to play with his friend's drum instead. After helping him wash his hands, I asked him if I could finish painting the star he had started, and he said yes as he waved me off and ran over to the toy he had been eyeing. It was a joint effort, and I left his orange blob (in the middle) intact so his contribution wouldn't be obscured.

Peppermint ice cream with candy cane bits and chocolate chunks is hardening in the freezer. We had some after dinner tonight, and it's pretty awesomely Christmasy, though the next time I make it, I'll add more candy canes.

I'm working on the last of the gift organizing for Jack's side of the family, since we're seeing them at Thanksgiving and usually exchange presents then. We might need to listen to some holiday tunes tomorrow so that we can wrap everything — I feel uncomfortable wrapping Christmas gifts when there's no music playing.

We've seen several families recently who observe a really cool tradition of getting their kids an ornament each year that represents their year in some way, so for this past year, I was considering either something with Elmo, or a drum. Kent is very big into drums (refer to the above anecdote about ornament painting). I started poking around online for a drum ornament, and I found this one that has Elmo AND a drum. Holy moly. I don't think I'm going to get it, but it's pretty funny.

The Christmas playlist on my iPod came out for the first time tonight while I was doing some sewing. I enjoy the whole playlist, but one of my very favorite songs is The Drifters' version of "White Christmas". I just love the way it bounces along in its '50s doo-wop way, and the falsetto coupled with that cool walking bass makes me smile every time. There are so many bad interpretations of Christmas music out there, especially of "White Christmas" (yes, Joanna and Mom, I'm thinking of Tammy Wynette), that it makes me appreciate this creative arrangement even more.

The Christmas/winter books came out this week, so we've enjoyed revisiting our seasonal favorites, particularly Stranger in the Woods and Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear!. Another tradition I've started is getting Kent (and in future years, "the boys") a new holiday or winter book that he gets to open on Christmas Eve, so the list of candidates is being winnowed down to the top contenders, and I'll be making a decision soon. Stay tuned.

Kent is just starting to understand some things about Christmas this year: he's learning about Christmas trees, wreaths, angels, and giving gifts to people we love, and we're trying to give him a very cursory knowledge of Baby Jesus that he can build on in future years. We're not really pushing Santa Claus, for what it's worth. I'm hoping to keep his focus partly on the cookies and shiny objects but mostly on the warmth of the season, though that's a little hard for someone who doesn't do a lot of abstract thinking yet. It's so neat to share the holiday with him in different ways each year as he gets older and understands more and more of what it's about, because I get totally stoked about Christmas and need someone else in the house who's excited, too. Jack pretends to be a scrooge, and I let him, but I want someone in my corner.

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Comments:

Any pictures of Kent playing the drum? Would love to post it since I put up Emerson's bongo jam. Joel and I couldn't be more pleased to see what excellent taste in instruments our great-nephews (so far) are demonstrating...
See you soon,
Lisa

PS I've got Kent's Christmas gifts wrapped up but didn't really want him to see them. Should I put them in a supersecret garbage bag or something? I got him the watercolors, along with the paper and brushes I already got him. I don't think we are going to have a space where he can paint while he is here, so it seemed unfair to give him the paints but not be able to use them. What do you think?
 
OOOO, funny machine, I came to post a comment and it had Lisa's comment and no place for me to post...second time wins the day...I so love it that you enjoy the Christmas season. We can hardly wait to see you all...
 
I forgot to mention, we own that ornament!!! We try to have as many handmade ornaments or percussion-themed ornaments as possible. We've got some great ones. They are all up in the attic or I would just give our Elmo to Kent. Plus, my nickname is L-Mo, since Joel is J-Mo. Really, no percussion ornament too silly for us!
Lisa
 
I started that Christmas ornament tradition, too -- remember the lamb with leg warmers? (I think you have it now.) And the year of the soccer ball, Chris Moose, and ballet (valet?) slipper ornaments? (But what ornament did I get you that year?!) I guess I ran out of creativity after that.
 
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