It’s so snowy! And the neighbors’ houses are a’twinkling. I can’t see the future, and maybe the times ahead will be dark.
But maybe not. Most likely, they will be a combination . . . .
God bless.
You never know what a Michigan winter is going to throw at you. Sometimes, they’re mild – sort of peaceful in their warm, green, quiet. Other times, it is so dark, and so cold, and so snowy, you begin to wonder if Michigan is honestly trying to smother you in blizzard.
I just want to see the sun. Just for a moment – a hint of blue sky.
I adore Michigan, for its orchards and vineyards, for all its natural wonders, for the way it’s always been home. But this time of year, as the nights grow long and winter looms, Michigan feels a little more like walking into Mordor than the Shire.
The dark, the clouds, the stab of icy wind, the worry that one wrong move while driving could mean disaster – a Michigan winter can be a perilous journey to survive, rather than another season to enjoy.
But here, just as we come to the longest nights of the whole year, is Christmastime. <3
I love that. The Christmas season is enormously important to me for a lot of reasons, but one of the things I just like is simply the bright festive frippery of it all: the colors, the smells, the old movies, and yes – the music. I’ve always loved the music. :)
Somehow, it all works together to be a light, shining in the dark.
Not everyone needs this light: they have other ways to make the journey. But it’s something I need. It’s why I begin humming carols once the leaves begin to fall, why early Christmas decorations in the stores make me smile, why it doesn’t surprise me, when I see Christmas trees twinkling in my neighbors’ windows, long after New Year’s has come and gone. I’m not the only one preparing, for the night.
Light, for the journey. Comfort, and joy. May they be with you, this season. <3
Eight snow-white reindeer, hitched to a sleigh / Anxious to start before the break of day…
December 10th, 2003
Well, the most wonderful time of the year is almost here! The House is all decorated – I put the lights on the tree for the first time. Boy is it difficult. We don’t have any snow yet, so the time of year doesn’t fit the landscape.
November 12th, 2006, Sunday
Well, the New Star (105.7) is playing Christmas music. We heard a snatch of a song sung by Amy Grant. We didn’t listen to it – the station wasn’t coming in good anyway, and we don’t want to listen to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving.
This year, I want to bring some of our old cassette tapes into the van – the Christmas ones – instead of only listening to 105.7 for the Christmas music. I enjoy it, but they don’t play enough of the beautiful old songs that I love best. Just a few notes of those songs, and I’m taken back to all the Christmases I’ve seen: the smell of the candles, the bright lights on the tree, the chocolate and caramel and peppermint candy canes. So lovely! The humble nativity scene and the solemn three wise men that I’m always terrified of breaking, the jolly Father Christmas that sits on the clock.
But I mostly think of those quiet winter evenings, sitting in the rocking chair, inhaling the scents of vanilla candles and cinnamon ornaments, listening and listening to Bing Crosby singing “White Christmas,” Andy Williams singing “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” Amy Grant singing “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” Nat King Cole singing “The Christmas Song,” Mom’s favorite version of “Sleigh Ride,” and so very many more.
I like the New Star, but “Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time” and “The Christmas Shoes” don’t exactly bring those wonderful memories.
November 27th, 2007, Tuesday
We’re going to decorate this Thursday into Friday – me and Izzie will have to clean our room, and get places for all the stuff we have piled around, and change our sheets and put our beds together and – well, I guess you get the idea.
Getting down all our Christmas decorations is like seeing dozens of old friends again after, well, after a year. There are the little angels that hang on door-handles, and the singing-polar-bear box that Mark Shook gave us, and my beautiful rocking horse that plays “Toyland” when you wind it up. And those are just a few of the things we always use to deck the upstairs.
Did chores after dark with Laura and David – no flashlight. Cold out, but lovely in a grim, wild way – as the bare tree tops reached up to claw the sky, and the clouds wafted across the stars like smoke.
November 28th, 2007, Wednesday
Anyway, we’ll begin decorating the house tomorrow – garland, stockings (we hang ours on the stairs), bells and bows, and of course – the tree. Mom always does a fantastic job on the lights and us kids are always delighted to hear all the stories behind the ornaments. The ones that belonged to Mom’s grandmother, and the ones that Dad gave her, and then there are the two Santas that me and Isabel and Andrea helped Dad pick out – we spent such a long time choosing!
December 3rd, 2007, Monday
Did our advent last night, gathered around the advent wreath on the table, we sang and prayed and read from the book we usually do, and talked about our favorite traditions and ways to keep from getting caught up in the Christmas rush.
Dad suggested that we have discussions after the Christmas movies, talking about what real lessons we can learn from them. I for one believe that to be an excellent idea, though I don’t know how it’ll go tonight – we’re watching the Muppet Christmas Carol.
….
I say every year that I’m going to spend plenty of time outside Christmas day, and then don’t, but this time, I mean it. It’s unhealthy to remain cooped up all day, no matter how cold it is, especially when there’s so much food to be scoffed.
I enjoy the anticipation of Christmas a little more than the actual hustling, bustling Christmas Day – or . . . no, I take that back – it’s so difficult to choose.
The night before Christmas is quiet and lovely – the Christmas Eve Service at church, and then we all watch the very best Scrooge before us kids are packed off to bed while Mom and Dad stay up late to take care of presents. And everything is so peaceful and yet there’s an excitement in the air as we look forward to the morrow.
And the morrow! We wake up early – or are woken up by giggling siblings. We hang around upstairs, choking back shouts of joy, until it isn’t too ridiculous to go downstairs . . .
Anyway, we’d go downstairs and sit in the dark living room, wondering how long it’d take our folks to get up. We do advent Christmas morning, as we usually forget the night before, and then, presents.
Ah, dear journal, how I love you, but, spend too much time writing about your life, and you just might forget to actually live. I have my pony and two goats to care for, so – write you later!
December 24th, 2007, Monday
“Take the child and His mother and flee to Egypt.”
Olivia thought “Flee” was the donkey’s name.
Christmas Day, 2007, Tuesday
And . . . we’re late – scrambling madly to get in the van with our spoils and food contributions. I’m sitting in the back with Laura’s and Cara’s presents and a lemon pound cake on my lap.
I’ve been so loaded with beautiful gifts and candy I could bust – and we have a feast and more presents to go through at Grandma’s.
It’s a perfectly beautiful day – clear sky, sun is high, and what little snow we have is sparkling.
December 18th, 2008, Thursday
Sky is low and gray, hanging over the bare treetops. This classical song is lovely – wild and Christmasey and blowing. Just passed a tree farm – and each of the hundreds of little ones was frosted in icy snow. Wintertime is a beautiful time of year – if you choose to see it. Its beauty is sort of . . . coldly grim – foreboding, untame.
The BeeFrazees have some Christmas shopping to take care of, so, although practice is over, we are not headed home quite yet.
…
Late in the evening, we’re watching Santa Claus is Coming to Town. I find the idea of the Winter Warlock of the Mountain of the Whispering Winds, and his tree monsters – Willy Willow and Peter Pine . . . chillingly enchanting.
December 19th, 2008, Friday
Less than a week to go before Christmas Day. Isn’t it exciting? My life goes by so quickly.
I mean, that’s not the exciting thing, but Christmas being so close.
December 24th, 2008, Wednesday
Mom and Dad are falling asleep as we watch Scrooge. It is a tradition undenied.
December 11th, 2009, Friday
I didn’t have psychology today, so I was going to sleep in a bit, but both Laura and I were awakened at roughly six-thirty this morning by singing. I thought I was dreaming until I rolled over and looked out from beneath the covers to see Kalei’s face lit by a single flicking candle – she was telling us to get up, for it was Christmas morning and we had to go down to the lounge. So we did – every girl in Pickitt (mostly) came down to the first-floor lounge, wrapped in blankets and blinking sleepily. It really did look like Christmas morning in the basement – dozens and dozens of bags were stacked beneath the Christmas tree, doughnuts and bagels and orange juice and milk were laid out on a table as festive music played.
After us girls were gathered, and had eaten a bite of breakfast, Kimberly the Resident Director began the activities – which involved the RAs doing an interpretive dance, and then a reenactment of the Christmas Story while Kimberly read aloud Luke chapter two. The RAs then passed out the packages to the girls in their respective sections, and we sand “Silent Night” before going on with the day. Kalei gave me a mug, a candy cane, a packet of hot apple cider mix, and a hand-written note in a pretty card. She is so very kind.
December 12th, 2009, Saturday
What has He got up His sleeve? What is coming my way? Scary, glorious thought.
Still – the most immediate is this: Christmas break, home, and family. I so want to be home, with David’s lights strung up on the Walnut Tree and the Silver Maple, and Wilson gallumping through the snow, and the bare woods groaning in the icy wind sweeping through the empty farm, and the snowmen, and the sledding in the pitch-darkness, and the hide-and-go-seek among the drifts, and Sally all shaggy in red curls, and our Christmas tree twinkling in the parlor window when we come home after dark, and Mom baking, and our old holiday music playing, and the old movies being viewed for the thousandth time, and us all trying to sing the advent carols together – Dad’s voice giving out when we girls get too high, and our voices consumed with yawns whenever we start too low, and the busy excitement, and the church decorated . . .
I miss home.
Christmas Eve, 2010, Friday
It’s six o’clock in the evening. Mom’s and Laura’s gifts are wrapped: Mom and Dad ought to be home in about an hour – Olivia, Isabel, and Andrea made Christmas cookies – I, Izzie, Annie, Olivia, Sarah, Anna, and a squirt gun had a huge fight upstairs, during which no one got too badly damaged. The barn’s been cleaned. I still have to clean the bathroom and the backroom, as well as write two pages; however, Christmas Eve is deepening. It’s getting later . . .
December 17th, 2011, Saturday
‘Leven thirty, it is. In the morning. I’ve just got up. Mom is in her pajamas, making caramels and listening to Christmas music, Dad’s lying on the living room carpet, reading National Review – Olivia and Andrea are about, and I really should get dressed, since we are supposed to go Christmas shopping with Dad (for the mother) sometime this afternoon. Isabel is at the shop, making money like a good child.
December 17th, 2013, Tuesday
Tony bought a sled. :) We went to his parents’ house on Friday and used it in the dark of the cornfield behind the backyard forest. It was pretty awesome. They’ve got a fort back there, which is good for airsoft and climbing into to overlook silent snowy fields under the night sky and . . . other things.
He left the sled there, but we shall have to retrieve it because there are a couple of nice parks around here, with good hills. Oh – note – making a snow angel without wearing gloves or mittens is probably not the, um, wisest decision.
I don’t like driving in snow, but it is so beautiful. It’s been snowing steadily for about a week now – and there was more snow before that. We had to unbury Sarah’s car yesterday, because the snowplow had been careful to, well, bury it. Our leftside neighbor – no, sorry – the Rightside neighbor – came out with his snow-blower to help, which was sweet of him. I’m going to have to go out there to dust Horatio off and try to warm him up a bit before setting off.
December 24th, 2013, Tuesday
Christmas Eve! 10:30 AM
I think I’m supposed to be in a wrapping party right now. But – Oh! Grocery shopping to do. I need to buy whipping cream.
Anyway, Mom’s hoarding all the Christmas present stuff and Andrea disappeared. I figure they’ll come and get me when ready because they’re the ones that woke me up from my sort-of peaceful slumber.
There are buckets of snow coming down right now. Tony’s mother called yesterday to tell me the weather’s still really nasty in Grand Rapids – freezing rain, power outages, etc. – and that he should just stay here for Christmas.
I should feel bad, but I find it difficult to muster any disappointment.
December 23rd, 2014, Tuesday
It’s the day before Christmas Eve! Only 1:15 AM, so it hasn’t been today for very long, but there you are.
So much shopping yesterday. Stayed up until all hours finishing Iz’s story and watching The Homecoming, which made me cry like a beauty contest winner. It was embarrassing. Fell asleep and woke up to Oves rummaging through the library and telling me we had to leave in five minutes.
‘Bout half an hour later, we were off, to St. Joe, to Kalamazoo, out to eat, honestly. But the shopping’s just about completely taken care of, which is quite nice. I’ll have to wrap all day today, to get everything done, but it might be fun.
December 8th, 2015, Tuesday
Today, is Father’s birthday. :)
Happy Christmas! This past weekend, Tony and I got groceries, a tree, some ornaments, and a cat. With the tree up, lit, decorated with things from Mom and Grandma Sonnenberg, and the not-long-out-of-kittenhood creature treating me and my writing like a jungle gym – it is rather cozy here today.
December 21st, 2016, Wednesday
“After all, there’s only one more sleep ’til Christmas.”
“Wherever you find love, it feels like Christmas . . .”
“WINTER WAS WARM . . .”
“And if life were a woman / She would be my wife . . .”
:)
I am full of song today. Song and coffee and story. Work in a few minutes – work ’til late – then just a couple day shifts, then family! Then Christmas! <3
December 10th, 2018, Monday
:) Oh! I started re-reading The Dark is Rising. I’d forgotten it’s a Christmas story. <3
Mmm. Listening to Mannheim Steamroller. So much of the music feels like dark night sky and forest road and mountain travels, like the glimmer of star and new-fallen snow.
It makes me happy.
Christmas Day, 2018, Tuesday
“Snow is softly / Falling”
<3
I’ve just returned from a walk. It’s late morning. We’re waiting for Dad to . . . emerge. The farm is all cold, bare field, and feathering snow-fall, and silent forest.
Dad has written about the Problem of Pain. :)
November 27th, 2019, Wednesday
And it’s magical – it’s every bit as magical as I thought it would be – how many things are as exactly, perfectly, exquisitely magical as you imagined?
Star Wars, was. :)
Like flying. Like Christmas morning. Like the night sky. Like some songs.
ARGGHH!!! My heart. :) <3 Too full.
I have so much writing, to do.
December 12th, 2019, Thursday
Got the tree decorated and my other frippery up. :) Will probably do some more, but we’ll see. Going shopping, tomorrow (weather permitting), for some presents, and for some stuff for the wrapping party Andrea and I are going to have on Sunday while baking caramels and cookies!! :)