Merry Christmas!

Okay, I'm having a little fun here as might be explained by this article (hat tip Danielle Bean). But it really is true that we ought to still be saying Merry Christmas for a few more days if not weeks. A lot of people don't realize that the 12 days of Christmas take you from Christmas to Epiphany (January 6) rather than from December 14 to December 25.

Anyway, I'm really appreciating this season of celebration this year since we've had that round of colds, etc. that seems to be going around (our poor two year old was miserable over Christmas weekend - we got him into the doctor yesterday morning and discovered that he has double ear infections and pneumonia). Instead of needing to cram all our happiness and celebrating into Christmas morning, we're taking things a little more slowly. (This is a good thing too, since I haven't made all the Christmas phone calls I'd like to!) We've always tried to aim in this direction, but it seems this year that it's finally clicking. And so, despite the fact that we had to split up for Christmas Mass (Munchie Man was too sick to go) and that the house is a mess because I was sick last week and that we're just getting by in some areas, it's really turning out to be a wonderful Christmas.

One advantage to being sick the week before Christmas was that my husband and oldest daughter had to help out with a lot of the wrapping and last minute prep. I just didn't have the energy. But it turned out to be a lot more fun than getting everything done perfectly by myself.

Also, this year we managed to keep Christmas morning presents a little more simple. Each person got four presents (which ranged from a much-desired T-shirt to a fun art set to a gently used Erector set - one daughter had her doll repaired - she left it in her stocking on St. Nicholas Day - and was overjoyed to be reunited with the beloved doll who was attired in a very pretty new dress).

Now the fun (and slightly unique part for us - inspired by one of my tutors at TAC) is that we'll put other wrapped things under the tree throughout the 12 days of Christmas. These are fun because they're unexpected and can be simple partly because there aren't huge expectations. John and I do some of our shopping for each other at after-Christmas sales and include these things in our fun. Some years (I definitely like to encourage this) the children have made gifts for each during the 12 days of Christmas to give to each other on Epiphany (we call it 3 Kings Day around here).

I do have to remember to continue to play Christmas music and read our favorite Christmas stories as well.