I had just had a baby and the doctor had ordered 2 weeks bed rest (as if, what mom has that luxury?).
Anyway, I wasn't up for it.
The other day, as I was driving down the highway, Norah noticed the lights on the trees surrounding the entrance to our community. With childhood fancy, Norah said, "All the Christmas lights and decorations make me feel special mom". I smiled. I loved being young and believing in something magical, larger than life, and the possibility of anything. I want my children to believe as long as possible. I want them to believe in angles, peace, and happiness. I wish the weight of the world could be light and that all of God's children could avoid the sobriety of 'reality'. Such is not the case, sadly. So decorate I did, if only to perpetuate the specialness for the short Christmas season.
Brad, being a special dad, decorated the outside of the house with ethereal lighting.
I quarantined all the 'crafty' childlike decorations, snowmen, and snow globes to the familyroom/children's rec area. Decorations must know their place, they cannot mingle.
I hung colorful, graceful ornaments in the windows upstairs.
Actually, I hung glass ornaments in every possible light blessed spot (I'm a sucker for pretty light).
All of these were hung from my pot rack so that gold and amber light adorn our breakfasts (notice Brad ruining my picture from the deck).
An extra large amount of silver and turquoise draped itself all over the living room.
And my incredibly unsteady hand caught the magical drama of our night lights overlooking the valley below.
Even if all of this tangibly only amounts to a heap of glass, plastic, and electricity, it is worth the effort for the warm feeling of something extra-ordinary. And I will tell my children the incredible, fantastic, magical, peaceful story of Christmas. And we will bask in the special.
17 comments:
I basically skipped Christmas last year too. It was the saddest Christmas ever. We had dinner at Hardees (Carls Jr. for all you westerners). Mike got a kick telling all his friends about our pathetic Christmas.
Martha - How long will it be before I can have beautiful glass ornaments like that? It looks great (unsteady hand and all)! Maybe I can use your intro story on my husband and convince him that Olivia needs lights on the outside of our home!
Sheri, I grew up where you are, I know all about Hardees. I even named a cat Hardee. I am sorry to hear about your Christmas last year. My Thanksgiving (last year) was similar to that, I had sort of a melt down. You shouldn't ask a mother with after birth hormones to do ANYTHING!
Martha - in my eyes you can make EVERYTHING "special". That's why we all love you...
It looks so beautiful! Sometimes it's hard to do all of that decorating for such a short period of time, but it looks like it was well worth it! Enjoy!!
great ornaments...sadly, i have already lost 3 of mine to my wicked children and so i had to move them(the ornaments not the kids) to the top third of my tree and now it doesn't look like i want it to...oh well. there's always next year!
I love all of the glass ornaments. They are gorgeous. I wish I was brave enough to do glass...
Remember the old glass bulbs we used to put on trees? Did you ever have those? And remember when they broke they just shattered everywhere?
Those huge ornaments are awesome.. I think I need to take a trip over to your house to see them in person. OOh.. and I'm impressed that you got Brad to hang up your lights already, I"m going to have to seriously bribe Lee to get ours hung.
I'm impressed, Martha...as usual. I think I might have finally convinced Adam to get up on our 10/12 roof and hang some lights. He keeps saying he might fall off and paralyze himself or even die on the rocks and dirt that we call our front yard. I think he just needs a taller ladder. I'm a mean wife, making him put up lights, huh? But it's for the kids...right?
Oh, GORGEOUS!!! I may just maybe might get in the mood after seeing that. We'll see....
I LOVE the hanging ornaments from the pot rack. I saw that at a shop the other day and I was tempted... But, well, you know where I'm at on that.
Amazing. Spot on again with the "magic" of Christmas for kiddos. Your house looks fab.
How beautiful and special is your home?! You put me to shame... cute idea for a post... might copy you. I am determined to create and exaggerate "the special" at my house too... let them be little and bask in the magic for as long as they possibly can. :)
hi I popped over from celia's and i will be back. I love how you write and I love your decorations. I decorate for the same reasons.
Ok - you put my decorating to SHAME. If only I had enough style sense to do my house up like yours. Alas, I will again let the kids move the decorations to different spots everyday, I just don't have the patience to teach them that they can't touch. Hence, most my decorations are soft and definitely NOT glass. Ahhh, maybe someday.
BTW, I saw your comment on my extended family blog - I am trying to get my uncles to blog. I have a much better (I think) individual blog - web.mac.com/timmiller
Amber, the kids move the decorations downstairs every single min. of every single day, and many of them have all ready bit the dust. All the glass ornaments are hung out of reach, there are not any on the tree. I am ambitious, but realistic.
those are such beautiful ornaments! I will have to live through all of you this christmas season, since there will be no tree or decorations at our house! love the pictures!
Martha,
Your home looks so beautifully decorated for Christmas. I am feeling the Christmas spirit this year, too. It helps having your own home!!
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