‘Twas the Night Before Christmas - Or the Week, Or the Month, or the….

It’s a long and winding road leading to Destination Christmas Day

So, there is a hard and fast rule in my family. And no one breaks it – not even the grandkids. There is no Christmas talk, activity, music, decorating, or whatever until after Thanksgiving. None. Why? Because Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and I feel that it gets cheated out of its time by Christmas. Store displays, radio stations, commercials…it all jumps right over Thanksgiving and leaps into Christmas. But I say, “Wait. Just hold on, Christmas. Butt out of my holiday and wait for your turn. You will have plenty of time.”

Now, to be clear and transparent here, I do skirt around this rule just the smallest teeniest bit because of gift giving. My goal, and most heart-felt wish, is to give the recipient a gift that makes their soul happy. That brings a glimmer of joy to their eyes. That truly means something to them. And that takes some thought and time and planning. And maybe a speck of spying and eavesdropping now and then. This means that all throughout the year I keep my eyes and ears open, my websites handy, and my credit card at the ready. Because you just never know when that perfect gift will appear. So when I’m out and about and around town, I’m always on the lookout for that perfect surprise gift or wonky little stocking stuffer. I am so lucky to have ten people in my family to whom I want to show my love in this way, so it does take some time. Which is why I break this rule just a titch and don’t limit my shopping days to only after Thanksgiving.

That said, even after waiting until the best holiday of the year has passed and the leftovers have been devoured (or frozen for a Thanksgiving treat to be savored maybe in January), it is a long and winding road to Destination Christmas Day. With so many stops along the way. Let’s first begin with the outdoors. Because, really, that’s the easiest. The coldest, but also the easiest. Once the jewel-toned mums have faded and the (beautifully-hued) artificial pumpkins have been stored away, my husband – choosing the warmest day available – heavily wraps our back deck railing with white twinkle lights and secures a (very) large lighted metal wreath to the street-facing side of that deck. But we do not plug those lights in – oh no! Not yet. They have to wait for their Christmas-turn. And then, only after Thanksgiving, he hangs green wreaths adorned with big red bows around the outdoor lights situated on each side of the front of our garage – a tradition that (most) of the homes in our townhome association go along with, making for a festive drive down our internal streets. Then I venture outside to place small flocked trees adorned with white lights in the corner of our front porch. Throw down a winter-themed door mat and place a giant red-and-white-striped candy cane door hanger crafted from screen on the front of that door, and we call it done. It’s simple, but pretty. In my opinion. We all have our visions of a winter wonderland, don’t we?

With that done, it’s time to move inside. And yes, I admit this interior decorating is done by my own choice, so any and all whining (which, by the way, is a family tradition), is my own fault. But once it’s done, I love it, so I power through. Along with the shoving and re-placement of furniture, the tree takes me an entire day to put up. Yep. Sad, but true. As I tie the angel (hand-made by a woman from Germany who did exquisite work) to the highest point, I precariously balance on the top step of a ladder. I’m only 5’1”, so there’s that. And even though it’s a pre-lit tree, I wind additional tiny white lights around each branch to make sure that thing is lit! I want it to sparkle! (And just a thought here: WHY do strands of lights that worked perfectly fine last year die after just lying around waiting for the next time? It’s not like they’re working or anything! It’s a mystery…) Next comes the garland of clear glass beads so that the lights and ornaments reflect off them. And then it’s time for the ornaments. And I have a lot, with every one of them meaning something to me. A gift from someone special, a souvenir of a place I’ve visited, variations on shoes (another story), many food-themed ornaments, even some that were my grandma’s…. you get the idea. Oh, and for those of you keeping track at home, yes, there are Iowa State Fair-themed ornaments: a corndog, a Clydesdale, a pig, a beer, a (new this year) pork chop on-a-stick, and even a butter cow. So although this tree takes me an entire day to put up and I might think it’s done, it’s never really done. I am one of those people who will be lounging on the couch in the evening watching all the episodes of Schitt’s Creek or Northern Exposure, look over to admire my tree, and think – WHOA! Why are there two red ornaments next to each other? Can’t have that. So I jump off the couch and rearrange things. Is this a kooky compulsion? Yes. I think so. But then again, I am pretty sure I’m not the only one who does this. There’s comfort in numbers…so they say.

The tree with Kiki sleeping beneath it

Ice cream cone and corndog ornaments

Pork chop on-a-stick ornament

Okay, the tree is done (until I spy an ornament that needs to be relocated), so now comes the rest of the house. And if I’m lucky, that can all be done in one day. There’s the fireplace mantle, with a garland of frosted greenery lying along the top, then a string of eleven hanging stockings that just barely fit in the length available. That may be one of the reasons we have stopped our family at this number. No more stocking room. At any rate, once that’s done, I move on to putting up a Santa Village (made by Department 56, if you are familiar with their products). My girls loved that miniature village when they were growing up, and now the grandkids love it. I only put up the Santa Village, even though I have a Snow Village (again, Department 56) that would rival any store display out there. I have not put this out for a long time (being a day’s chore in itself) because of small children and cats. Cats. It’s amazing to me how they can jump right into, and back out of, the middle of that village with its buildings, trees, cars, people, you-name-it, and never knock over a thing. They can do it, but the anxiety of watching that, along with being fast enough to stop a small child in the act of grabbing a ceramic cat or dog, is too much for me, so that village is staying in storage for now.

That’s all the stockings that will fit!

Santa Village

Part of the Snow Village

Close up of some of the Snow Village

Then there’s a centerpiece for the dining room table and another wooden village placed on the coffee table in the living room. (Evidently, I have a thing for little villages.) And finally, there’s the miniature tree with tiny cooking-themed ornaments that I put on the ledge of the kitchen counter. See? It’s my own fault. But these decorations are also tradition for our family, so I just can’t not do it, feeling that by doing this I’m providing an on-going gift to them and their memories.

Wooden village on the coffee table

Whew…so. The decorating is done, and now it’s on to wrapping. As I said, I do my shopping all year long, so I collect all the storage boxes in the basement that have been hiding the gifts and bring them up the stairs. Well, actually, my husband does this, along with the wrapping-paper bins, the tubs of ribbon, and the boxes of tags. And I get going. With two cats, I have a lot of help, so sometimes this is a longer process than necessary with quite a few let’s-play-with-the-ribbon breaks.

One thing that is saving time this year is that I’ve decided not to create my own Christmas cards. I know…everyone does it. It was a bit of a decision, but it was the one I made and I’m sticking to it. Instead, I’m using actual cards – some are beautiful vintage post cards – and sending those. I’ve noticed a decline in the sending of cards over the years, and I’m sad about that. But I believe that sending a card, no matter the form it takes, is about wishing those you care about a happy holiday and letting them know that you are thinking about them. And I think that’s important, so I continue to do it.

Of course, just like Thanksgiving, food is a big part of our Christmas celebration. So once Thanksgiving is over, I start the family poll: who would like what this year? There are the must-have staples - Chex mix (the original kind baked in the oven), meringue mushrooms (tiny mushrooms piped out of meringue with a dark chocolate undercoating on the cap), and Grandma Noodles for our Christmas Day dinner. These are homemade chicken and noodles that I make using my grandma’s recipe. It keeps her physically close to me and our family, although she’s always there in my heart. And I love passing that tradition down to the children who would be her great-great-grandchildren. How in the world did that happen?? And when?? I have no idea… Anyway, there are a few cookies to be baked, but only a few, as my daughters’ families contribute treats they have made. But we start off our Christmas morning with a big brunch after the stockings have been opened and before we begin our gift-giving. We have two egg casseroles (one veggie and one meat), homemade cinnamon bread served with maple butter, sausages, and fresh fruit. You would think that would hold us until those dinner-time noodles are served, but nope. We also put out a charcuterie board in the afternoon because heaven knows we don’t want to risk anyone being hungry for even a moment!

Meringue Mushrooms

So… it is indeed a long and winding road to Destination Christmas Day. With so many stops along the way at the decorating, shopping, wrapping, card, and cooking exits. But our family only begins that journey after the Thanksgiving desserts have been eaten, the dishes are washed and put away, and the leftovers have been split up and refrigerated or bagged up for others to take home. We then, and only then, begin our welcome of the Christmas season by taking my daughter’s 9-year-old twins out onto the back deck and watching as they plug in the lights, declaring our official entry into Christmastime.

I wish all of you the best of holiday times – whatever that may look like. But mostly I wish for you peacefulness and love and inclusion…the best gifts of all.