O Christmas Tree: Rejoice the 3rd week of Advent Dec 17, 2013

Sometimes the chaos of the season seems to steamroll any source of peace you try to schedule in. Despite the craziness last week we were able to enjoy and laugh at a few moments.

The Hunt: Last Sunday we went to get our tree. It is our tradition to cut our tree out of the pasture behind my in-laws house as we did this year. Each year it is challenging to fit it in because of other events and it is actually hunting season, deer hunting. So after church we bundled up and added our hunters orange and headed out for the tree. We were on a time schedule due to a Christmas party our daughter had that afternoon. To help us stay on the schedule we were hurried by the entrance of a couple hunters coming into the pasture next to ours. This of course made me a little nervous, even though they were well aware of our loud family of 7 a couple hundred feet from them. We decided we better make a decision between the trees we had found so far, which was an easy one since one of the two choices, and unfortunately the favorite of the kids, was about 6foot in diameter. A little too big for our house thought they had creative ways in mind to make it fit. So the boys cut down the tree and we packed it up and all loaded back into the truck all while my husband tried to keep our noise down out of respect for the hunters. Only to find we had lost the dog. So we had to drive circles around calling and whistling for her. He worried that she followed the hunters, me worried that our 12yr old dog had a heart attack in the woods following the truck. As it turns out she found my in-laws dog and they were by the gate running energetically around. So we headed out and not long after so did the hunters, probably figured we scared any deer within a mile away.

Clustered ornaments

 Decorating Party: That evening we brought the tree into the house and began decorating. The kids of course were crazy, Dad and all. Getting all the wrestling out of their system before it was no longer allowed in the living room with the fully decorated tree. Back when we just had 2 kids a wrestling match knocked our tree to the ground. Christmas music on and me trying to keep the little ones form tearing through the ornaments box it felt a little out of control. I then made a conscience effort to try to relax and not be so controlling while decorating. I still helped hand out ornaments and made sure the correct kids got to hang their special ornaments, but I actually let the kids get one out of the box after that. That is a big step for me. After the decorating was done, I only moved ornaments that I hung personally to fill in the holes, also very hard for me. You know though some of the crazy hangings really made the tree look great. For some reason the kids hung many ornaments tight to the trunk which at first I wanted to spread them out, but at the end I liked it. There was also the competition of who could hand the highest and lowest ornaments. The highest besides the topper was hung with a roll of wrapping paper and the lowest, by our 3 year old by accident. Her big brother was impressed it was so low it sits on the ground. Later I had a flash back to my days growing up and decorating the tree. My dad had made for our first Christmas a cardboard star wrapped in aluminum foil for a tree topper. As years passed my mom wanted to put angels or fancier stars atop. We kids just wanted that star. Our first Christmas my mom bought an angel for our tree topper so we would have our own. I myself would have that star as I have yet to see a star I liked as much. As it seems though I am now in my mom’s shoes as my youngest said her favorite ornament on the whole tree is our pretty angel on top. I am afraid it will be there for the long haul. 

Highest Ornament

Lowest Ornament

Final Product

Rejoice the 3^rd Week in Advent: So as I wrap this up and am on the home stretch for the shopping that has been haunting me. I listen to a short Christmas song from the clock my Mom bought us last year, which I owe her a thank you. It has many times been a breath of Christmas calm as the clock reaches each hour of each day and plays a short traditional Christmas carol. With three advent candles lit, the pink one symbolizing REJOICE as we are in the homestretch and final preparations for the celebration of Christmas. An appropriate theme as I rejoice to finish shopping and having the chance to enjoy things like our beautiful tree, Christmas shows, Christmas lights,  baking& eating, time with my children and husband, parties with family and friend, and final preparations. Rejoice to feel the Christmas spirits grow in the celebration of an amazing gift from God, the birth of Jesus.

Below are the readings for the week, which I have strayed from. Sorry for not posting them last week:

Monday Nm24:2-7, 15-17a/Mt21:23-27

Tuesday: Gn 492, 8-10/Mt 1:1-17

Weds: Jer 23:5-8/Mt 1:18-25

Thurs: Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a/Lk 1:5-25

Fri: Is 7:10-14/Lk 1:26-38

Sat: Sg2:8-14 or Zep 3:14-18a/Lk 1:39-45

Sun: Is 7:10-14/Rom 1:1-7/Mt 1:18-24