Home For The Holidays

It's the middle of November and I am excitedly anticipating the holiday season this year.  Our plans are simple and I couldn't be happier.  Thanksgiving will be a quiet day with just the four of us at home to celebrate.  Todd and I are going to channel our inner Martha Stewart's and attempt our first turkey!  I think we'll cheat a little bit and buy a fresh pre-brined turkey from Trader Joe's, but we're planning to make all the trimmings and side dishes from scratch all by ourselves.  It will be an experience that we'll long remember, no doubt!

It's always a bit strange celebrating holidays without my parents.  I vividly remember the first Thanksgiving I spent without them and how horribly homesick I was.  I was living in Denver and attending Seminary at the time.  My friend Jeff (we attended college at UCI and Denver Seminary together but we were not dating...just really close friends) invited me to have Thanksgiving with his family.  I had spent some time with them beforehand so this was nothing "new," but the drive from Denver to Los Alamos, New Mexico and the entire weekend was so incredibly emotional for me!  We had a lovely time but I missed my family terribly.  I was never so happy to be home for Christmas just a few short weeks later.

Our Thanksgiving weekend this year will entail cooking, eating, football, decorating for Christmas, a holiday movie or two with the littles and NO (I repeat, NO!) shopping!  Black Friday has never lured me in.  I have all but a few of my gifts bought and wrapped already, as a matter of fact!  My goal is to be ready for Christmas this year by December 1 so we can enjoy the month without having to address cards, wrap gifts, and put toys together at the last minute.  I want my kids to feel the peace that Christmas should bring, not the chaos it can evoke.  I want them to revel in the sights and sounds of Christmas, but understand (as much as they can at 4 and 1) that Christmas is about celebrating Jesus' birth, not about Santa and gifts.  I look forward to praying together during the advent season and reading the Christmas story and playing with the Little People Nativity set.  Making sweet memories.

Christmas Day will be spent at home, just the four of us.  Todd and I will probably prepare a feast again, but insetad of turkey we prefer prime rib on Christmas.  My parents will come up the day after Christmas and stay the week and we'll spend time in San Francisco, at the holiday Zoo event and just hanging out at home together (and hitting the after Christmas sales!)

Happy Holidays!