We woke up Saturday to a gray, cold rain. I declared it the perfect weather for my plans to immerse myself in all things Christmas and sat down to make a list. A few more gifts to pick up, 15 mini cakes to bake for office presents, a trip to the Quilt Shop and a stocking to make for my baby girl...a list worthy of the week before Christmas.
Then my little one woke up from her morning nap in a decidedly restless mood. Normally a munchkin that delights in the very existence of her world, nothing was right yesterday. She didn't seem to need anything in particular, except her parents.
And so, I gave in to it. The day would be about playing with her. We did run a few of those errands, when being out with other people made her happy, but the rest of the shopping list was put aside to wait a few more days. Cakes were baked after she went to bed, and while they aren't the prettiest baked good I've ever gifted I'm confident they'll be appreciated anyway.
I thought today might be the day I got back to that list, but when we got home from church it was clear that today wasn't that day either. Instead, I turned my phone off, set the list aside and decided to just be here. We spent several hours in the rocking chair, took a long nap together, and spent over two hours playing with blocks. Perhaps I'll get a start on her stocking after she goes to bed tonight. Or perhaps I won't. Either way, this has been the perfect week before Christmas. Focused on family and time together, enjoying the rhythm of life instead of fighting it.
The gifts will get wrapped, or they'll be given with just as much love in brown paper bags. And if the stocking doesn't get made, she can borrow mine. But, we will be with family. We will celebrate the birth of a man who asked not for gifts or baked goods, but for kindness to one another. And we will have enjoyed ourselves on the way to the celebration.
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