Five things I've been feeling grateful for:
1. I had a terrific time in Seattle with my mom and sister. We had excellent shopping and a lot of laughs together. The concept of going Christmas shopping together, picking out stuff for each other and then getting an immediate yes/no, as well as making suggestions about what our kids and husbands would like is ... in a word ... awesome. Definitely need to continue this tradition.
2. Also, an offhand remark I heard on this trip has got me thinking about Christmas in a new way. I know it's hip to be really angry about the cheesy Christmas music and the elaborate decorations and especially the way that these things start on November 1st (or even earlier). But you know what? It's a season. It's more than a day. I recognize that stores profit from making that season start earlier and earlier and whipping us all into a consumeristic frenzy, but I can opt out of the consumer madness and still enjoy the season. And I do.
3. Speaking of Christmas (just over 5 weeks away!), I am really looking forward to it this year. I feel like we got a little bit ripped off last year in the Christmas spirit department, and I'm not going to allow that to happen again. Gwen and I are going to have lots of delightful Christmas-related fun throughout the season. Chris will likely be at the mall dealing with the consumer frenzy, but there's not much I can do about that. On the horizon: The Santa Parade, The Bethlehem Walk, The Singing Christmas Tree, and the Christmas Pantomime, maybe the Ladysmith Light Up. That doesn't even count the usual visit to Santa, travelling to see her cousins, and the stuff she will be doing with her preschool, which seems to be pretty extensive as well. I am pretty stoked about having a kid who is old enough to enjoy, anticipate, and be as excited about these events as I am! I wonder what she'll ask for in her letter this year ...
4. I had my best ever Hip Hop class this week. A couple of weeks ago, it was Halloween and I went to Hip Hop class and only one other student showed up. That was legitimately terrifying, because there weren't a dozen other people for me to hide behind: my incompetence was in plain sight. Anyway, this week we did the same choreography that we did at that Halloween class, and guess what? I sucked less! Because I am starting to learn! I was very pleased. One of the things I really value about the class, and that made me feel comfortable signing up for it, is that the choreography changes every time; we are not practicing the same routine every week in preparation for a recital. (This also means that missing a class here and there, which I can't avoid, doesn't set me back.) So it's pretty amusing to me that in fact, doing the same choreography more than once actually makes a huge difference to my enjoyment of the class.
5. I have an amazing daughter who makes me laugh every day. She is such a joyful and exuberant girl. I am a lucky Mama.
1 comment:
The Bethleham Walk is AMAZING. Stunning. Worth the travel, and the crowds. I went dragging my feet and was blown away. They deserve some serious props for how well it is done.
I love the Christmas season, and it certainly does NOT have to be about buying-buying-buying! The fun we have just doing activities is what I love about it! My kids are already talking about our advent activities!
(Ladysmith Light Up wasn't great for us. It was cold, and people were rude. That was several years ago, though, I should try again).
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