I have a thing for holiday/seasonal wreaths. Not gonna lie. But not the ugly old lady kind that your grandma has (no offense to your grandma, natch) or the incredibly make-a-me-wanna-barf overworked bedazzled crapola hanging all over the walls at your local craft store. Nosiree. My favorites look like this pretty little thing with all these dried flowers and raffia and funsies.
Or this one with its old silver and simple ribbon feel.
And of course, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little bit in love with idea of making something completely out of old sheet music.
My favorite Christmas-looking stuff usually involves a combination of homemade natural kinds of things with unexpected bits of color or a slightly more modern take on an old design. I've made several wreaths for my mom (since our tradition is doing a new holiday theme each year, and you just can't hack that with the same boring wreath year after year) and some other parental types. Something about the process is both fun and calming in the midst of hectic holiday madness. I haven't felt the creative vibe in awhile, so I'm actually kind of looking forward to just channeling my zen or whatever and making something pretty. If I remember, maybe I'll share the final results. I'm bad about that though.
I've done some fun things over the past few months... stuff that felt blog-worthy even in the moments it was happening. I've probably started 4 or 5 different blogs in my head, only to skip past them and move on to whatever felt more pressing at the time. Maybe I'll do a little of that over the holiday break. I want to talk about the ocean and my trip to Notre Dame and maybe a few other things too. We'll see. Until then, I'm just trying to keep my wits about me as I get ready for gifting and driving and all that fun stuff.
It's funny how your attitude changes as you get older. I guess when you're a kid you reap all the benefits of the holidays without really having to do the work. Of course, I always got dragged around over the eastern half of the country for several days, which was never fun, but I just went where I was told. I wasn't the one doing the telling. Now I have to buy the stuff, wrap the stuff (which, frankly, is my favorite part of the whole thing. I LOVE buying and wrapping presents, even if I don't so much love spending money.), plan when I can be where, get myself there, and try to be charming and not act like I'm tired and stressed out. Over the past few years, it has felt more like a chore than a time of celebration and excitement. It does feel a little different this year though. Maybe it's the cold weather. There is something inspirational about being cold. I've been trying to make a point of embracing the traditions that I always loved as a kid too: watching the Macy's parade and eating cinnamon rolls on Thanksgiving morning, Black Friday shopping with my mom, childhood Christmas favorites from Disney and the Peanuts and those people who do the stop-animation stuff, cold nights and hot chocolate and flannel pajamas, and seeing my grandmother's perfect Christmas tree that has looked the same since my dad was a kid. There are some things that feel "right" no matter what else is going on in life, and those are the things that I've been trying to focus on most when I feel frustrated about the production of the holidays. Those are the things that help me remember what it's all about anyway. (I guarantee you Jesus had something to do with hot chocolate.)
I hope everyone can take the time to tap into their creative centers and/or find some time to recreate the stuff that was fun as a kid, without getting bogged down in the "have to" that always comes with this time of year. It really should be fun. And it's just hard not to smile when you've got pretty stuff and fun people around you.
