he puzzled and puzzed till his puzzler was sore.
then the grinch thought of something he hadn't before.
maybe christmas, he thought... doesn't come from a store.
maybe christmas, perhaps... means a little bit more!
~ the grinch
oh where to begin??
auntie jen was in town the first weekend of december for her
company's holiday party as they are based here in san diego.
{a nice little treat}. one evening we all gathered around the tv to
watch our first holiday movie of the season. jen suggested the grinch.
it had been 2 years or so since i had see this movie and i had forgotten
how much I enjoyed it - it's SO much fun! jim carey is amazing as the grinch,
i love the hairstyles of the whos, but the best part to me is the movie's message.
i absolutely love this season!
i love putting up a christmas tree, giving the boys their special ornament,
the beautiful lights, the music, the treats, and the traditions we've started at home.
all those things make me smile.
the commercialism however, weighs on me.
this is my least favorite part of the holiday season.
though there is a 3 present limit from santa,
i still find myself struggling not to over indulge with presents from the parents
{even if it's just with books}. c is much more disciplined than i am and reminds me
that kids don't need 'things'. they need US - our time and our guidance. so very true.
as the boys get older they are becoming more aware of people - of those that have,
and those that do not. they are starting to recognize they have a lot...more than they need.
finn brought home a paper from school that listed what he is thankful for.
as he shared it with me, he said "i really do have a lot of privileges". i agreed.
i was touched that he had the maturity and ability to see this and verbalize it.
with all that we are blessed with, this season reminds me that giving is so
much better than receiving. and there is so many in need.
so as big day approaches, the boys are pulling money out of their 'to give' container,
and thinking about how to share the money they've put in their all year. while they do
this, i vow to keep the grinch's famous line in my head, that christmas doesn't come from
a store, that christmas...means a little bit more.
~ as for santa, gosh we haven't really talked about they guy at all this season
{except for when the boys made him a list}. it's something parents do less and less
of as our kids get older. it's very purposeful.
though scout is still young, finn is 10, and by 4th and 5th grade, there are only a
handful of kids and parents {like me} who are hoping to experience one more year of magic.
we're looking forward to auntie jen coming back to san diego for christmas and auntie
leslie and her family. i see lots of FUN ahead!
