Soon the bells will start...

Okay, well it maybe it was 81 degrees today, but hope springs eternal even in cities where it has no right to. I'm finally getting myself in gear for Christmas, shamed by Aubrey and Lyric who both have everything done but the unwrapping. I have rolled out my wonderful Container Store gift wrap station, a Christmas present from two years ago and one of the most useful things I've ever received. In the next couple of days I'll be stocking it with all the Christmas paper and ribbons, temporarily storing the baby shower and birthday wraps in other places (with apologies to the family members who have birthdays between now and New Year's and who always seem to get their birthday gifts wrapped with holly and snowflakes!)

My Christmas cards, purchased in September, have been unwrapped, and tomorrow I will begin addressing them. This is a task I normally do in November and then write our Christmas letter right after Thanksgiving, shooting for a mailing date of December 1.

The normal shopping routines have changed markedly in the past three years. I now get just as much enjoyment (and a lot more convenience!) from browsing, sending links back and forth choosing gifts online as I used to get from shopping in stores. I never liked malls, really, but I used to enjoy being in shops at Christmas time and coming home with an armful of bags. That enjoyment has been replaced by the anticipation of the shipping confirmations and the FedEx truck, the driver of which is practically a member of our family :-)

The calendar is filling up with all our traditions....the setting up of the advent calendar, the beginning of our advent devotions, Cookie-Baking Day, Tree Night, purchase of the children's annual ornaments, our trek to Fort Worth, the New Years bonfire....all the things that make the season a Warren Christmas. How blessed we are to have a family who loves being and doing things together!

Because it's looking more and more as if Kristen and family will be moving soon after the holidays, each family gathering, each gift choice, each experience shared together is taking on extraordinary significance. This will be their third and last Christmas as "residents" here and that will make it bittersweet. It certainly keeps me thinking about ways to make it the best ever....