It's The Little Things That Are Important

Christmas is just a couple of weeks away, the rush and crush has started, so in order to calm down and not get caught up in the frenzy, I started thinking of the "little" things that count..Like enjoying my morning coffee..I so look forward to the first piping hot cup of coffee each morning, it may be the only coffee I have all day or perhaps if I'm out shopping I'll indulge in another one but it's always that "first" one of the day I'm thirsting for.

Playing with my granddaughter Claire who will turn two at the end of January is one of my pleasures in life that can be as easy as playing hide and go seek behind the trees across the street. Or playing Ring Around the Rosie when she found a stake pounded into the ground just her height so she could walk around it over and over grinning and laughing while I sang the song..I made up a new version as it had rained the night before making the ground wet..so instead of saying "we all fall down" I sang, "we all look around!" She loved the new version and then we set off to run through the puddles!

Sending out dozens of Christmas cards is another simple pleasure at least for me. Typing up a news letter to send off in the cards to people I don't see all year. Writing a personal message in each card takes me quite a long time actually, but I really enjoy doing it. I don't receive as many cards back because many people these days are giving up sending cards, perhaps for lack of time or cost of stamps. But I shall carry on until I can't afford to do it.

Going for a drive after supper one evening with my hubby looking at all the lights and Christmas decorations that people have put up. We do this every year, it's a tradition and I point out to him extra special delights and exclaim with wonder over all the sights. It's the same with fireworks each year, I get so excited, like it's the first time I've ever seen them! We need to keep some of our inner child alive...

Baking some goodies that for some reason we don't bake but once a year at Christmas time. Perhaps favorite recipes handed down from a grandmother to a mother and now in our possession. When my parents were alive and all my siblings, spouses and children gathered at their home we would all take food especially desserts. I used to have to hide the mincemeat tarts and peanut butter balls as they were favorites and none would be left for supper otherwise..one brother walked in, took off his coat and headed for the kitchen to see where I had hid them that year!

Homemade gifts, gifts from the heart and hands of the maker. When we siblings used to get together in our younger years, we'd draw names among the five of us. For several years the rule was to make the gift. Those were fun years, coming up with a well-thought out gift, always thinking of the person as we would crochet, knit, draw or hot glue-gun something inventive. My one sister made me a gorgeous wreath one year after walking around her home-town gathering up all sizes of pine cones.

I remember all the hard work that went into making her a foot stool, I found a crochet pattern for a turtle and it was quite the undertaking..Those years are long gone, we don't exchange anyore, nor do we all get together because of the distance and family committements but the memories are still there.

This year is very exciting for hubby and I, we are celebrating 15 years of being together in December and we are invited to stay overnight Christmas Eve with our granddaughter and her parents an hour's drive away so we can watch her open her gifts the next morning. I will get to watch a child's glee and excitement as she rips paper off gift after gift, hardly knowing what is going on this second Christmas in her young life. Not aware of what joy and pleasure she is giving to her grand-parents, more memories to store up and relive, over and over.

Christmas can be so busy, so hectic and expensive if we let it get out of control. Even when I often have my shopping finished, I get caught up in "just one more little thing" for people on my list.  As I look through all the flyers in today's newspapers I must turn a blind eye and remind myself.."Your shopping is ALL done!"

I usually decorate to the ninth degree at Christmas as I love the glitter and varied decorations I've been collecting for years but with my granddaughter visiting many weekends I kept in mind that keeping it simple and uncluttered is better. Which makes it easier to keep clean and tidy. So I've had to change a bit this year, remembering it's the little things that are important...I don't need "every" decoration out of the box...

As Christmas approaches and another New Year is just around the corner, hubby and I wish everyone reading this a wonderful Christmas filled with treasured memories and a very Happy and Healthy New Year..If you have a fresh new blanket of snow remember one of life's simple pleasures is laying down in the snow and making a snow angel. Can't wait to show Claire how to do that and I can hear her giggling already!