Something to Celebrate
In this season, I’ve been thrown into a more formal role as my kids’ teacher. They’re home three days a week and I’ve been more hands on with their education than ever. It’s been a fun challenge. But as I think about being a teacher to my kids, I remember that they are also teachers to me. Whether they're reminding me to stop and look at a beautiful sunset or demonstrating their childlike faith, I’m constantly learning from my kids. I thought it would be fun to take a few weeks in my blog to take their advice for what to write.
Since it’s the first week, I decided to focus on my first born, my 12-year-old daughter Anna. There are so many things I love about this sweet girl that made me a mom, but if I were to choose one, it would be her passion. If Anna loves something, she’s all in. Here's a funny example. Anna once read a book she liked. Then, she spent the rest of the school year reading every book by that author. She was all in. I've seen this same passion as she's progressed as a dancer. She's all in when she practices and when she performs. I've learned so much about passion from watching my little girl.
On purpose, I didn’t give the kids any examples when I asked them what I should write about. I wanted to see what things they would come up with. Anna likes the blogs where I share ideas, so she wanted me to share about our holiday display case. One thing she’s passionate about is holidays. She gets that from me. Anna loves to do up the holidays right with lots of traditions and lots of family time.
We have this small cabinet with two little cubbies for displaying things. For years, it was hidden in our dining room with something boring and often dusty inside. Then, one Christmas we got a new desk to put in the corner of the dining room and the shelf got the boot. To the foyer where it became the first thing anyone sees when entering our house. Obviously, the pressure was on to make it more interesting. Anna and I got an idea. What if we decked it out for every holiday? That’s exactly what we did. Here’s what I love about our little holiday shelf:
It’s easy
What’s fun about this little shelf is it’s little. We’ve all seen those houses that are completely decked out for each holiday. And mine is like that for Christmas, but the fun of the the little shelf is I don’t feel pressure to decorate everything in the house for each occasion. Filling those two small cubbies is pretty easy and all the decorations can fit in a small box for storage. We started with the big holidays: Christmas, Easter, etc. But over the years, we’ve added St. Patricks Day, Fourth of July, and even Back to School.
It’s special
Another thing I love about his shelf it's my thing with just Anna. If we’re in the seasonal aisle in the grocery or we wander into a craft store, we can’t help but pick up something cute to add to the shelf. That keeps it fresh each year. She always has a plan for how she wants to display the decorations, so I have no problem yielding to her expertise. I have four kids, so anytime I find something that’s special to one, I make a big deal of it. I want these things to be memories they look back on with fondness and maybe even do with their own kids one day.
There’s always something to celebrate
I’ve said it before, but after Christmas, I don’t really see the point of the rest of winter. But, a splash of red and pink in all that gray is something to celebrate. Valentine’s day and St. Patrick’s Day are fun ways to get through the winter blues unscathed. Earth Day or Presidents Day. Find a way to make it special. This last year, we’ve spent most our time at home so holidays have been crucial for keeping our sanity. More than ever we’ve learned that there’s always something to celebrate.
I love my sweet, passionate Anna and I love our traditions. I’m glad she suggested I write about this shelf that we look forward to filling up for each holiday. It reminds me that she thinks it’s special too. Tune in next week for Hudson’s idea. If you know him, you won't be surprised.
Blessings,
Shannon