All of the Christmas Things
Our kids GREW UP over the last few years. Covid did a number on the world, throwing us all into a tailspin. We all missed a lot of things, some of them monumental moments. We had to find ways to grieve the loss of life events and expectations we thought were just going to be there.
In ways though, our family felt really lucky. We witnessed so much we normally would have missed. We fell into rhythms together, a sort of choreographed dance we had to learn and practice day after day. There were fights and runs on the treadmill because we could handle the sound of each other anymore. There were also deep discussions and belly laughs. There were daily walks and puzzles. There were creative meals and learning not only what each of us wanted to do but how to bend a little, like dancing.
Stepping away from that and parting ways was tough. We get crabby about schedules and miscommunication and stress. When we get a break and come together – we remember our rhythm.
The holiday break this year felt a little different. We celebrated the holidays early with both extended families and we had a lot of the shopping out of the way. It felt like we had a lot more time to do holiday stuff around town. As the boys are getting older, we felt like we missed a lot of their “last”s. We decided to try to get to as many of our favorite holiday events as possible before the boys didn’t want to do them anymore.
We made December a month full of all the Christmas things. The first weekend, on Friday we attended Champagne and Mistletoe in Ankeny’s Uptown. We have always enjoyed this in the past. This year they expanded it to several weekends and a lot of the shops we tried to visit were closed during the event. It was kind of a bummer. It felt like a small-town gathering in the past with carolers and a horse and trolley ride and reindeer. This time it was a bunch of mostly empty shops and a line of people outside to see a reindeer we could see through the fence. I hope this event picks up with the opening of the new stores, better management (shops should be open), or bringing it back for just one night. It’s difficult to contend with the District at this point.
Saturday morning we went to the Botanical Center to make swags. In the past, these were large door swags or wreaths. They were very tiny this year, but we made some super cute ones and hung them from our windows. We enjoyed them all season and it is always such a fun event. They also served hot cocoa this year. It was really good, the thick kind like they melted a candy bar in a cup – Sammy of course had two, with toppings.
Jeff’s aunt, Cheryl, and cousin, Jeremiah, came to town from Tennessee. We had planned to take them to the Christkindlmarket, but since it was 12 degrees, we decided to stay at the Botanical Center. It turned out they loved the idea and we had a wonderful time discussing plants and hiking, walking around under the humid dome, and eating at one of my favorite lunch spots, Trellis. After a short visit with Jeff’s relatives, they headed out and we were off again too.
Dazzling in the District in Prairie Trail, Ankeny has become a pretty big event. I really enjoy this one. I like walking around the shops there. Nook and Nest and Charlotte Louise Mercantile are two of my favorites. The library is always a fun stop with crafts for holidays around the world and our storytime friends from when the boys were small, who we pop in to see. It’s also a good place to warm up and run into familiar faces before heading out to the tree lighting and fireworks. There’s just something extra magical about Christmas fireworks. It might be their unexpected delight or all the lights on the ground mixed with lights in the sky. Or perhaps it reminds me of the story from Bill Bryson’s Neither Here nor There when the people all come out at midnight on New Year’s Eve and shoot off Fireworks and then go back inside and go to bed. I love that story.
Sunday we decorated the Christmas tree while watching Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. Monday Sam and I had Peppermint Mochas with his reading homework. That evening was one of the scheduling flubs I referenced in a previous post. I told a friend I’d help her with some volunteer work and suddenly realized last minute we had purchased tickets that evening for a drive-through light show. It wasn’t on my calendar.
We all piled in the car and had just enough time to get there. We drove around oohing and aahing the lights. This was one of the things the boys didn’t want to miss. I was glad we made it. My friend and I were still able to split the volunteer duties and Jeff and I put labels on chapsticks watching a Christmas movie late one night. It was perfect. But there is more to this story… this is not yet all of the Christmas things.
