This past week has ushered in the Advent season and what a sweet start we are off to. Even though, we have always kept our holiday rituals simple, I'm thinning the calendar even more so this year. In years past, the young one has gotten so caught up in the twinkly lights, the advent wreath, the countdown...all seemingly lovely and slow, but taken cumulatively, were still just too much. Usually, by now, there is a tree in the corner of our living room, all aglow. This year we are waiting. Perhaps this weekend we will go out to the tree farm, cut one down, and bring her home. Little by little, we been slowly decorating the home and it feels so nice to do just a little something every day. I've been busy cleaning out (let's face it, I'm always culling through our possessions!) and allowing our home to be bright and spacious and ready to take on the extra small elements of Christmas decor. Last week, we hung our stockings, put out the nativity scene, placed a few postcard size Christmas prints on the wall, and took out some of our most cherished Christmas books for our book baskets.
Here are a few stories that we especially look forward to each and every year.
We also had a day or two of spices mulling over the stove. This weekend, we started making paper chains to hang along the windows. Every once in a while, I'll remember to turn on some holiday tunes. Our favorites albums so far this year are:
Elizabeth Mitchell, The Sounding Joy
Sufjan Stevens, Songs for Christmas
Today, Bea and I made two small wreaths with some evergreen that we gathered on a walk around the lake this past weekend and hung our Christmas bunting on the screen porch.
Little bits of holiday cheer here and there.
So far, so good. Everyone's barometers seem to be continuing at a steady level (as steady as can be, there are always up and downs no matter what we do), as we enter the second week of Advent doing our best to savor the season, yet still going about our daily lives.
this is so beautiful, seems just right.
I ADORE that photo of Bea with her toothy grin and cinnamon roll, and I really like your wooden nativity with the wise men going up the star path- really, really lovely.
xo
Posted by: amanda | December 09, 2014 at 08:49 PM
What stunning pictures! They really capture the beauty of the season.
Posted by: A Soulful Life | December 10, 2014 at 11:54 AM
Thanks Amanda! The star path is still trying to find it's purposeful way to our nativity scene. :)
Posted by: Nichole | December 10, 2014 at 08:07 PM
Thank you so much!
Posted by: Nichole | December 10, 2014 at 08:07 PM