Peace On Earth & Christmas Reflections

I’m writing this post in the wee hours of the morning on Christmas day, but by the time you see it, Christmas 2014 will be nearly over.  I think of Christmas as a season, not just one date on the calendar, and I’m reflecting on the 2014 season, and even making notes for myself for next year.   Every Christmas season seems to rush by too quickly, and I often feel like I didn’t have enough time to enjoy it as much as I would have liked, but this year, it seemed to fly by exceptionally quickly.  It seems like it was just Thanksgiving yesterday, then POOF, today is Christmas.  So, what notes am I taking?

1.  PRE-PLANNING:  I worked like crazy during my 12 Days of Christmas, and I loved doing it, but next year I plan to get my projects completed & photographed MUCH sooner, so I have more free time to do more Christmas-type activities for personal pleasure.  For example, I LOVE going to the mall at Christmastime, but not to shop, necessarily.  I just like to look at the decorations, and people watch.  I only went to the mall once, and wish I would have gone more.  We are planning a family day trip tomorrow, so I’m hoping we can swing by a mall, so I can still enjoy seeing it decorated for Christmas.  So, I’ve already started my list of ideas for next year’s 12 Days of Christmas, and I hope to work on them throughout the year, so I’m not working too hard during December.

2.  CHRISTMAS TREE:  I like to enjoy the tree for several weeks before Christmas, but we put our Christmas tree up SO late this year.  I really wanted to decorate it as a family, but I realized this year that my older kids are so busy with school and work, and finding time that worked with each person’s schedule is too difficult.  Maybe next year we’ll do it right after Thanksgiving, while all 4 kids are home…or maybe I’ll just do it with my youngest son (like I ended up doing this year).  Our house just didn’t feel festive without the tree up earlier, so I won’t wait so long next year.  I’ve been jotting down some ideas for next year’s tree “theme”, so hopefully I can collect decorations throughout the year, when I see some I like.

3.  CHRISTMAS CARDS:  Has anyone else noticed a drop every year in the number of Christmas cards you receive?  I read in the newspaper yesterday the statistics for the numbers of people that send cards, and it said the numbers are decreasing, and very few people in their 30’s send them at all.  That makes me sad.  I’ve heard people say that postage and cards are expensive, but I think people I care about are WORTH the dollar or two it costs to send them a  card once a year.   I think it helps to trim your card-sending list down to the most special people, and not feel like you need to send one to everyone you know.  I love getting Christmas cards.  I love it when people include photos with them, and I love getting family newsletters.  I sent my cards out much later this year than I normally do, so next year my goal is to have them ready to send out the first week of December.

My list-making for next year isn’t an attempt to have a “perfect” Christmas…it’s to have a more relaxed Christmas.  I don’t like feeling like I’m rushing through the season, not getting to enjoy much of it in the process.  I’d like to just slow down a little next year, and soak in the sights and sounds more.

What did I enjoy?  My daughter’s birthday is on Christmas Eve, so every year I take her out for breakfast on Christmas Eve morning – just the two of us.  I always love spending that time with her.

Every Christmas Day, we go see a movie at the theater and we meet some of our friends there.  I love how quiet our town is on Christmas Day.  Nearly every parking lot is empty, and the hustle and bustle of the season has come to a screeching halt.  The funny thing is, every year I fall asleep during the movie!  I never sleep well the night before Christmas (like now!)  It’s an expensive nap, but put me in a dark room, and I am OUT like a light!  That’s okay though.  I still enjoy just going with my family, and I enjoy the drive through town, and I feel refreshed for the remainder of the day.

My four kids all baked cookies together one day.  I didn’t bake a thing – I just had fun watching them!  My daughter actually took a nap while her 3 brothers baked, and I got the a cute photo of her snuggled with one of our dogs, but when she woke up, she worked on dipping pretzels in chocolate.

I know it’s a bit late for anyone to use these antique Christmas music pages for any projects this year, but I was thumbing through one of my late 1800’s song books, and stumbled across it.  “Peace on Earth” is a timeless message, certainly not limited to Christmastime, so I decided to go ahead and share them.

This song is 5 pages of music long, and each page is lovely.  I hope you enjoy them.

{ Click on the pages below to download each page.}

Blessings & MERRY CHRISTMAS, to each and every one of you!!