Embracing It

This year I decided I would slow down and enjoy the holiday season instead of rushing about and being smothered in anxiety. To do so required some advanced planning though. My strategy was to create Advent Cards with little notes for a special treat, game, book, or outing. The idea was to make these simple and easy things that fit into our schedule but that made us take a moment and spend time together engaged in the holiday season. After lighting the first advent candle and talking a little about what the advent season signalled, I introduced the Christmas Mailbox. Inside was the first of these cards, it read, "Make Hot Cocoa." I then gave each their own holiday mug and we sat and drank (homemade) cocoa with (not homemade) marshmallows. (The adult cocoa may have been spiked.) I then explained that cards will come once a day but not always in the morning, sometimes they will be delivered after school or before bed. The genius of this system is that I can choose a card that works with whatever we have going on. I've already pre-made 20 some cards with everything from "Eat Panettone" to "Ice Skating at the Sculpture Gardens." Mahlon declared the mailbox a "special mailbox!" and was instantly hooked. They had so much fun playing with it that I decided the mail went two ways and that if they wanted to send a letter to mommy and daddy with treats for us that would be ok. I'll let you know what comes my way...