While the house emptied out a bit with Provo kids back to college and our Logan kids back to school, things did not come to a quiet standstill after Thanksgiving. (Here we are 15 days from Christmas, and I still am nowhere near having Christmas presents wrapped--nor even all purchased, and all because time has been hurtling on with happenings--as the holiday weeks do at this stage of life--and I am boggled as to how we are in December at all yet--much less nearing its half way mark!)
The very Monday after our full Thanksgiving week we all met in Provo for the Peter Breinholt Christmas concert. I have never enjoyed any concerts more than the two of his we've gone to. Of course, that might not be true if his music wasn't attached to so many memories for us, but seeing as it is! ...
Just prior to all of Thanksgiving shenanigans we had Anders' and Mette's piano recital:
And during the week after Thanksgiving, we plunged into more Christmassy things not only with Peter Breinholt, but with Goldie's Utah State Choir Christmas concert:
By sheer luck she happened to file in almost directly behind where we were seated.
I'm sure she loved Mette distracting her with photo taking. :)
Hansie got a bit tired. Bless him.
We also had Summer's orchestra Christmas concert:
Multiple elementaries combined for this concert--hence the huge group of performers.
And finally, somehow a week into December, we managed to go get a tree. We bought a blue spruce with roots intact in hopes of planting it at the farm. Fingers crossed that having it in the house this long won't take it from its dormant winter state into one that won't be able to withstand the cold once we put it back outside!
I have spent much of these last Christmases sort of waiting for the craziness to calm down enough to be able take it all in and fully appreciate the traditions and joys of the season. But as my home shifts and changes, I am beginning to see that by the time it slows down to any degree ... much of the tradition and magic I love ... will be past altogether for me! I suppose it's a bit of a sad thought, but it also makes me realize that there is no magical future day, in this mortal life anyway, where the demands on my time and energy will be small and I will still be experiencing the fullness of children, and picking out trees, and recitals, and reading Christmas books, and cutting out sugar cookies, and opening the advent box to see what fun activity is in store. This is it. It always has been. The magical things that are happening all mingled in with the groceries needing purchased, and homework needing helped with, and dishes needing done, and laundry needing folded, and presents needing figured out, tantrums and squabbling needing borne, and stresses over house things gone wrong, and moves and all the accompanying packing looming, etc. There's no way to tease the things apart or experience them consecutively (all the hard years followed by all the magical years). It's all just here happening together. What a mad and wonderful time it is.
Anywho! On with the season!
1 comment:
Oh. That last little part made me feel like crying, AGAIN, over all the things we've talked about. YOu're right. It's not sad…exactly. It's just…it just IS. It is a truth which has always been true, only I just learned it was true. And I hope someday I'll be better at comprehending and experiencing everything at once.
Your tree is so magical, though. I've always wanted to do popcorn strings. And I love your dear big family in all its combinations and permutations, supporting each other, celebrating, enjoying. It's what families are supposed to be.
Do you find it at all weird that I am writing this comment 10,000 feet in the air? (Actually I have no idea how many feet. Maybe it's many more. Maybe many less. As with so many things, I find when I examine my actual practical knowledge of something, it approaches zero.) At any rate. In a plane. In the air. And yet somehow I can look at these pictures and almost cry about them.
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