Decking the Halls

We are getting into the fun of Christmas decorating and baking this week. While the others finished up school work yesterday afternoon, Jack and I set things up and started the gingerbread cookies. We must always have gingerbread cookies when we decorate the tree! It's our little tradition that goes to our first couple years as a family when the cookies served as ornaments. Then when the babies grew to toddlers (and cookie ornaments slowly and "mysteriously" lost their body parts until only a soggy head hung from the ribbon), and our collection of real ornaments began to increase, I started serving gingerbread cookies while we decorated the tree together. The tradition has persisted.

It struck me last night as the kids hung their little ornaments and reminisced about years gone by, that they are all growing up way too fast! It seems like just a little while ago they were all in their pajamas with rounded bellies and cookie crumb faces looking into the tree for the perfect place to hang their special ornaments. I remember how I'd go back to the tree later in the evening and re-disperse the decorations since most of them hung in clusters on the bottom branches. I remember how in the days to follow, my kids would play all sorts of games in and around the tree with their toy animals, or lay on the ground with their little music boxes, winding up the music and watching the little figures dance.

Times are different now. Different, but still good.

The memories make me want to hug them tight and savor the moments all the more this month.


~Katherine