Creating Christmas

Our home has been buzzing with good creative holiday preparations and I am grateful for it all.  This morning, my son recommended a movie I should watch and my gut reaction was "I don't have time." Quickly I realized how much a complaint that sentiment sounded and I thought I'd better clarify.

We've been busy, yes, very, very busy.  But I have enjoyed every. single. moment.  The busyness of making gifts has gifted me with being in the present moment with my children, adoring their own expressions of creativity.  This year, with a job change, these creations have included Papa Bear. Oh my, how wonderful it is to have him fully present in this season.  It's been a long time.  So thankful I truly am!

We've settled into a rhythm this year - a balance of homemade gifts, gifts that help and serve the world in need, and store bought gifts.  It is certainly the hand mades that seem to have brought peace and warmth into our home this holiday season.

Breads for teachers, handmade packaging, photo gifts from my own collection, and even our own Christmas Eve worship and tapestry.  So today, I share with you this gift of our creating... Enjoy!

Blessings from our home to yours!  May this holiday season be warm, filled with love and peace, and bring you lots of good reason to create!

hands

Lately I've been noticing hands and all they do.  Have you ever really stopped to watch someone work with their hands?  I see such expression in the movement of them, such personality - swift, caring, strong and assured.  

Hands of an infant, not quite toddler, exploring his world move with slow curiosity and simple persistence.  Each move often missing its target or pulling back at the surprise found in new textures.  There is something about watching the hands of a child that just grounds me.  It is pure.

Hands fully immersed in creative moments are especially fun to watch, too.  There is an energy and authenticity in watching one create with their hands, whether its food or craft, art or music.  Creative hands seem to move as if something else, not the mind or the body to which they are attached, but some greater force inspires their movement.  Simple and beautiful.

We've had the gift and opportunity to put our own hands to work in the name of January birthday and cultural celebrations.  What fun it was to work together, our little family, on handmade gifts and cards, homemade treats, and food for sharing from our cultural traditions.  I hope you'll enjoy a peak at our hands at work!

gifting

I am NOT gifted at gifting.  Really, there are likely few who are worse at gifting than I.

Especially when the person-to-be-gifted is a classmate of my child whom I have never met. For this group, I have a hard time with re-purposing or thrifting and new toys are so expensive.  Never mind that new toys really just seem to be more stuff.  I'm ashamed to admit the stuff we've broken, lost, or thrown away from birthday parties.

You can imagine my joy when I dreamed up a gift that was practical, thrifty, cute, and perfect for the little girl having a spa birthday party. You have to keep a secret if I tell you what it was, though.  Shhhh!  We purchased a fake nail kit with nail polish ($10) and added a few of our own unwanted colors along with leftover lipgloss (all unopened of course), bundled with ribbon from recycled packaging.  Ta da!

I'm not naive to think I'm now well equipped to gift, but I am celebrating this one success!