11 days: past the half way point

We're down to 11 days now, and that means we are more than half way through our nativity calendar.  Our calendar is one of our very favorite seasonal items; it has 24 doors surrounding a stable painted on a metal backing and each door hides one part of what, by Christmas morning, becomes a very charming nativity scene.  It was a gift from my parents the year before Calvin was born and back then Jon and I would take turns opening the door of the day and adding a figure to the stable scene.  That first year we fought over who would be the odds and who the evens, and Jon places each of his characters defiantly on the roof of the stable.  Now, of course, it's all Calvin, but it brings us even more joy to watch him eagerly attend the task than to take part in it ourselves.

12 days: What do YOU want for Christmas?

Twelve days separate us from Christmas morning. Today we got up, had a quick breakfast (because it was way later than it should have been), dressed in our outdoor finery, and headed to town for the Victorian Christmas celebration. While there we took in story time, snacks, and crafts at the library; met and pet a real live reindeer (Donner, if you ask the elf who was handling him); and walked into downtown Dexter to watch ice carving demonstrations (now really, I don't think chainsaw powered ice carving can actually be considered Victorian). Also there, in the middle of the park, was Saint Nicholas, with whom Calvin has been eagerly awaiting a short visit. He was patient waiting in line and when his turn arrived waltzed right up, without parental chaperone, and was quite at ease when Santa picked him up and placed him on his lap. He wouldn't look at me for a picture - I have no idea what he was looking at - but he was chatty enough with Santa himself; when asked what he wanted for Christmas he answered, without any pause, and just as crystal clear as you please, "an African Wild Dog". Now, do you think that's better or worse than wanting a hippopotamus for Christmas?

Welkom Sinterklaas!

Today is Saint Nicholas Day! A calendar event that probably doesn't even make it into your date book if you are from the United States, this holiday, or actually its eve (vooravond?), is the gift giving centerpiece of the holiday season in The Netherlands. Don't forget to put your wooden shoes by the door and wrap your fun, unique little gifts for family and friends! The importance of the holiday is wrapped around the remembrance of Saint Nicholas, a Bishop from the fourth century who gave money to poor families and toys and food to children. And don't forget Black Peter; Swarte Pete, St. Nick's sidekick, is known to kidnap the bad children and sell them into slavery. And who said anything about reindeer? In The Netherlands they have an abundance of waterways so Sinterklaas relies on the much sturdier vessel of a tugboat. Are you laughing yet? Good, because it is a festive holiday of great merriment and gaiety.

In our household we celebrate Saint Nicholas Day for several reasons, the first of which is to help return Christ to the center of Christmas by nudging "Santa" back a few weeks (or eradicating him altogether, perhaps), and two others being our Dutch heritage and our penchant for tradition and holidays.  Last night our son eagerly placing his shoes by the fireplace before going to bed, and this morning he woke up to a small bounty mashed into them, including new pajamas and two new books, and, since the order of the day is giving, there was also a coin and a small firetruck, both of which were to be given away later in the day (which went , after lunch, to the Salvation Army and Toys for Tots respectively). We finished the day with a family party, including both sets of grandparents and my aunt and uncle (fresh off the plane from an actual visit to the Netherlands and bearing much appreciated candies and decorations of the season).  Though we are a day off this year (we opted for the feast day instead of the eve, as they do in Europe, because Saturday was easier this year), we still had a great time;  we enjoyed gifts around a lit tree (complete with hilarious poems on each), tastes of Dutch cheeses and beers, and a meal of Runderlappen and Hutspot (for recipes visit the To Your Health blog).  It was a wonderful celebration with much of the aforementioned merriment and gaiety all around (which may or may not have had something to do with those Dutch beers), and was topped off with a beautiful dusting of fresh white snow.

Have you lost the magic?

Shopping.  Cooking.  Stress over company, wrapping, cleaning, and correspondence.  Is this what the holidays become as we grow older?  I love Christmas and have fought what many see as the inevitable loss of the magic even as I have gained in years what I have lost in innocence (there were possibly a few touchy moments in more recent years where the exactitude of the occasion began to overtake the sweetness of the event) but nothing has done more for my holding onto that magic than having a child.  All week we planned to attend tonight's ceremonial lighting of the Christmas tree in downtown Dexter, but when today arrived with its blustery cold (only 18 degrees at noon), the affair looked far less inviting.  Not so to Calvin, though, and we found ourselves bundling up as best as we could, grumbling a bit under our freezing breath about the absurdity of the situation.  But it's hard to grumble on when faced with the shining stars of curiosity in your child's eyes at the site of the crowds, the warmth of the fires, and the beauty of the large tree.  Even more overwhelming to my heart was his wonder and excitement at exploring the dreamily lit, child friendly (i.e. ride on) manger scene;  he tried out all the camels, the donkey, the sheep, and then spent long moments gazing into the eyes of Mary, the kings, and even Baby Jesus.  Be still my fluttering heart, THIS is the magic of Christmas.

More pictures in the Dec 2008 album.

Thanksgiving weekend

Our modern day American Thanksgiving may be just one day, but according to Calvin's library book the original Pilgrim celebration lasted for several days.  We don't remember our elementary lessons well enough to back that up, but we're not ones to look a party horse in the mouth, nor are we to be outdone, so this year our celebration lasted for six days and took on several different forms.  On Wednesday afternoon we celebrated with that good old Thanksgiving tradition - baking - when Calvin and I made a pumpkin pie from scratch; meaning, that is, from a pumpkin.  Wednesday night we ventured a little farther from the norm and celebrated love by attending the Baptism of our Godson, Isaac.  Turkey day itself was a whole family affair this year, with both sets of grandparents, aunt, uncle, and even an extra friend sitting at table together to partake in all the yummy treats of this very flavorful holiday.  After a meal like that one can't very well just sit around, so on Friday morning we set out to find our 2008 Christmas tree, a process that might have been easier if the online tree farm lists were general updated.  As it was we found ourselves driving out to a farm in Saline whose only ornamentation was the "Closed. Out of business." sign out front.  Never fear, a half hour drive past Chelsea found us a passable harvest, and while our living room might want for space right now, it is sporting a beautiful scotch pine replete with a lifetime's bounty of meaningful ornaments.  We finished our decorating at a record pace this year because we continued our thanks giving by hosting a dinner party on Saturday night and a brunch at Sunday noon and wanted to use our Christmas dishes for both events.  Our house was filled with the sound of toddler play both times, and not a single garnish or bauble was broken, so we consider both parties to have been successful.  And that brings us to Sunday evening, when we traded our finery for pajamas, our fancy meals for quick soup, and our frolicking for an evening by the fire singing Christmas carols, just us three.  We did a lot of giving thanks this weekend, for family, for friends, and for all the accoutrements of our daily life, and then we quietly gave thanks for the those little moments between and all the joys they bring.  Especially the mounds of shoveling that awaited me this morning, and Calvin's rendition of "Over the River" to which he treated me (and the neighbors) while I worked.

Scads of pictures in the November 2008 album.