Lost Christmas.

I showed you my DIY advent calendar earlier.  I'm not going to pretend that I've used it every night.  Twelve hour work days aren't conducive to evening activities.  But, I have enjoyed what we have done so I'm focusing on that.

The real joy of advent is in the expectation.  The anticipation of Christmas Day.  For children it's the opening of the gifts.  For adults it's often the expectation of time with family and friends. This season, I've been reminded that for so many people- the joy of that anticipation was robbed from them.  It's especially difficult during a season when everyone else is still riding the wave of joy.  For those of you who haven't had to walk out of step with (what feels like) the rest of the world before- it somehow isolates you and exposes you at the same time.

I pray we are all a little more thankful for what we have this season.  And I really loved this article entitled "When Advent Fails."

I also pray that you all find the joy that comes from an expectation that cannot be robbed- the true meaning of advent- the presence of God with us.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

This past year I tried very hard to cut down on clutter and minimize.  To focus on only having things I truly love and use in my home.  I love Christmas and I love a Christmas tree- and we finally got ours up.  I tried this year to apply that same strategy to Christmas decor.  Less really IS more when it's things you love.

We've always had a live tree, but this year I upped the ante and used live clipped greenery for garlands/swags as well. I wanted decorations I didn't have to store.  You know what, I love it.

Yes, the lit trees are fake, but they are sooo easy....

I had the red berry wreath already, but decided it needed something extra- so I added some fresh greenery.  It may be my favorite thing this year.  

I usually put artificial swags in the kitchen, but this year I made my own real ones.  Very easy!

Peppermint sticks stuck in my green depression glass. 

 I want most of the "decor" in the kitchen to be edible! 

Our tree. 

My bottle-brush tree collection. One of my favorite things for sure! 

Old bottles in the guest bath topped with vintage ball ornaments.  Favorite things. 

Swag.  I bought the red houndstooth ribbon for gift wrapping and I loved it! 

Just a little greenery on the mantel.  Super easy. 

Merry Christmas! 

The Rabbit Room

Sunday evening we went with friends to Birmingham, AL to see a WONDERFUL  Christmas concert called "Behold the Lamb."  (FYI, there is also a CD...which I highly recommend you add to your Christmas music repertoire.)  While there, on the screen, they advertised a site/blog called "The Rabbit Room."  It could be called my own personal rabbit hole...because it has led me down numerous different paths all of which have culminated in the wasting of my morning.

Please, go check it out.  Just to assuage my conscience because really, these people post about what I only wish I could.  They are the applicable creatives that I only wish I could be- somehow making the poetic, pragmatic.  They are who I want to be when I grow up and who I am currently imagining are my best friends because they just "get me" and are oh, so cool.  And when I say cool I mean in the nerdiest, literary kind of way possible.  The most recent post is entitled "Gondor needs a King" and when I happened upon one expounding on Marc Cohn of "Walking in Memphis" greatness I knew I had met kindred spirits.  If you recognize none of these names please, google them and enlighten yourself.  That is all.

I hope you are enjoying advent!  PS- there is also a book called "Behold the Lamb" which is a series of 25 days of devotionals from scripture for advent.  Also oh so good.