1. This year I wanted to spend less money on junk. It became really clear when I looked back on Samuel's birthday and all that was spent on him, and less than a month later, I can't name one thing he still plays with. His favorite are a couple of books given by a school friend, but the rest of the stuff is either broken or lost. So I have made a conscious decision that we need to just spend more time together. My favorite tradition....we are all going to the Nutcracker again, and this year I found a local production of the one-act opera "Amahl and the Night Visitors" and we all went to that. Matt kind of balked at first but it ended up being such a fabulous evening.
2. I am peforming at Duke Chapel this weekend. The Bach Christmas Oratorio might be the most difficult piece I've ever done, even more than the B Minor Mass. Good thing the concert is split into two, one Saturday night and the second half Sunday afternoon. I think it would be over three hours, and even for me, that's a lot of Bach to absorb at once. The soloists were flown in and I heard a little bit of them last night and I was almost weepy, I was so overcome with it all. Mostly because I wanted to be a soloist so badly, but I know I'm not in the kind of vocal shape to do it professionally. And I started to give myself the scary reality check that maybe I am just average and nothing really special. That's really kind of sad to me. I can't get into it right now, maybe another time.
3. My kids have been quite naughty, pretty much all the time. This is making my Christmas shopping pretty easy. Really and truly, I am letting their behavior tell me how much to buy them. None of them are so bad that they won't get anything, but I am almost to a point where I want them to learn that you don't get something for nothing. Nothing being pure naughtiness. Blakie, our elf on the shelf, I'm sure has been giving Santa an earful each night at the North Pole.
4. We have the GREATEST advent tradition. We have collected lots of Christmas books over the years. Last year before I put all the stuff away, I wrapped 25 books, and they are all under the tree. Each night they open one. Some are great and wonderful favorites, others are so dumb, but one of the kids always likes them. Some of my all time favorites include The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey, Father and Son, Silver Packages, The Polar Express, Christmas Day in the Morning, and When Mother was Eleven Foot Four. These are all a little sentimental..the kids have funny favorites like a Pirate Night Before Christmas, and Snowbelly Christmas, and the Longest Christmas List Ever. Anyway, I would encourage anyone to watch the after-Christmast sales and start a collection, it's so much fun. In fact I ordered a couple on amazon the other day because I couldn't wait until after Christmas. Fun.
Well, I'd better go, I'm meeting my mom for a little shopping. Jealous? You should be. She may be pushing 80 but I can barely keep up with her.
I read this post ages ago, tried to comment and it didn't work. I'm trying agagin--just wanted to tell you what a great advent tradition you have, and I might copy you!
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