I took a walk around the woods of our house yesterday, with baby on back and clippers in hand, and boys running all around me. I just wanted to see what I could find. Where were those red berries again? That's right...by the rock wall in the back pasture. I clipped some things, and we talked about ballet and chess and holiday traditions. The air was fresh and the baby was oh-so-giggly back there. I knew the green I saw on the ground would soon be covered for a very long time, and I noticed everything I could.
My intention was simple - I just wanted a little walk, and a gentle ease on into the holiday merry making. I thought I'd gather a few handfuls and start with something little - a swag for the door, some pots of greenery for the entryway, a simple vase for the dinner table. Which is just what I did. Simple.
My intention was not clear, however, to the boys around me, who were quite shocked to discover that I wasn't decorating the WHOLE entire house with ALL the decorations before dinner time. They gave me a not-so-silent "huh!", then disappeared from my sight. In and out, to workshop and back, from woods to bedroom they went, bringing their sister into the mix upon her return home from horseback riding. In the kitchen, making dinner with babe still on my back, I heard lots of "don't look!" followed by, "we'll sweep it all up when we're done. Promise!"
And so it was that before dinnertime, four children were quite happy to announce that they each had a "tree" in their bedroom. And really, that's even better of a beginning than I ever intended.