And Then December Happens

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in Colorado. We've had a few rounds of frigid winter weather, the house is all decorated and cozy, and every night there seems to be a new and exciting holiday themed special on T.V.

November is a calm and quiet month here on the farm. And then December happens, and things get much busier. This weekend, for example, we had the girl's first basketball game, went to see our neighbors perform in their church Christmas pageant, went to church ourselves, and had a chicken retirement party. In between all this was the cooking and cleaning and prep that comes along with having people out on the farm and the unsettling realization that I have to ship packages in one week.

This kind of busy is the kind of busy I love. It really is. It's a cozy, family-friendly, seeing friends sort of busy that feels completely season appropriate. I am determined to really feel all the things I know this season is about. . .you know, peace, and joy, and hope. I am all about those things this Christmas.

Every year since we've moved to the farm, I've wanted to make an advent wreath for the house. This year, I finally pulled it off. I bought a form with fake greens on it at Michaels, cut the fake greens off, and wired real greens and fake berries together to make this.

Matt was going to bring the greens home from the tree nursery, but he forgot, so he stopped at a Wal-mart parking lot on his way home from work and pruned their landscaping to get the raw materials. There's a lot to love about that part of the story, isn't there?

Back before we got all mixed up in this veggie production stuff, when we were just a flower farm, I used to think that making holiday centerpieces and wreaths and such would be a great way to bring in some off-season income. I would like to see the flower farm part of our business grow to be a larger percentage of total business, and this project was a way to explore some of those possibilities. There might be some potential here. I really do enjoy wreath making more than digging parsnips. But that's another story.

Having the wreath in the house has been a lovely way to keep our family focused on what the season is really all about. Each night, we light the candles and talk about hope and peace and faith and gratitude.

It really is a nice sort of busy, December is, and merry. I love it.