Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you! Yup, Merry Christmas - I'm going for the full octane greeting. I'm not against Happy Holidays or Season's Greetings, but I am for keeping Christ in Christmas!

The holiday season is in full swing and busy is the name of the game - in fact, it seems to be a common theme of my blogs - being busy.

Today for instance on the list: laundry, refereeing, house cleaning, holiday baking, kid wrangling, present wrapping, dishes, self-edit my book (stay tuned!)... you get the picture. I'm pretty sure you had a similar list.

Well, here's what happened: together(ish) the boys folded some laundry while I mixed up some dough for baking tomorrow. I gave them a few lessons in gift wrapping and they tackled the fancy paper and tape. Strategic kid placement at the wrapping table helped minimize the refereeing time I put in...but of course did not eliminate it!

Then it was time to complete the indoor activities and take our time together outside. It was finally a "warm" December day - sun out, a beautiful hazy fog still lingering, as was the thin layer of frost it had left on the trees and exposed grasses.

The air was fresh and refreshing.

Our walk through the calf-deep snow was combined with some football practice. Adam naturally wanted to have passes that required diving for the ball. The field was criss-crossed in running plays.

Audible in the air was laughter, cheers, and exclamations of surprise (unsurprisingly) when each boy landed in the snow - without snow pants and eventually without jackets. As I mentioned it was a "warm" December day. :D

We explored the woods and found animal dens, deer tracks, and a little bit of love in nature. <3

My "to-do" list today was merely a suggestion of things I could (or should) do. A to-do list really should be approached as a list of opportunities to make memories. The right mindset combined with a good attitude and openness to chances to make memories, will never be anything you regret.

So whether you approach Christmas with your eyes rolled back, or wearing your Santa hat with a smile, don't let the holiday crazy get in the way of the true spirit of the holidays.

Merry Christmas!

Brianne <3