I should see who knows me well enough to know what my "It's time to get quiet." music is. Because I'm suddenly wondering if anyone knows me that well. It's the same album every time. Been the same for at least 2 years. Anyone know? Just the artist will be good enough. I'll give you a prize if you guess it correctly.
I skipped day #24. I'm aware.
I love Christmas. The friends, the family, the decorations, the food, the traditions...I love all of it.
Everyone has gone home now and I'm on the backend of one of my favorite traditions. (Can I call it a tradition if I've only been doing it for 3 years?)
Christmas, for me, ramps up the morning of Christmas Eve. I run around like a maniac getting groceries, cooking, cleaning, expecting the first leg of guests. I cook lunch for everyone and then dinner. And then later we have dessert. The next morning I cook/bake a giant breakfast which is followed by an appetizer bar which is followed by a mid-day dinner which is followed by dessert. The season of eating? This is how we decided it would be when Alicia was a baby and we've done it this way for the past 16 Christmases. If you want to see us, we want to see you. But, you are going to have to come here. I love it and wouldn't change a thing about it.
Even though I'm exhausted by Christmas Night.
I used to just go to bed and leave the mess to deal with the day after.
It's not like that anymore.
After everyone has gone home and Ryan and the kids have gone to the basement to play with some new thing, I'm intentional about finding the quiet as I go about washing the dishes for the 47th (and last) time in 2 days, packing up and finding space for the leftover food, sorting out boxes and gifts and piles of party evidence. I'll mention it's not literally quiet, because I always listen to "It's time to get quiet" music. What I mean is that it's the time I get completely lost in my own quiet.
The quiet of Christmas. Thinking, listening, wondering...awestruck by the whole concept of Christmas. And overwhelmed that concept applies to me.
There's no place I'd rather be than in this quiet with the only gift I'll ever need.
