The Little List | December 2, 2021
December is here! My sole focus over the past couple of months was wrapping up our dining room project and I have to say, it feels so good to have that done so that I can finally shift my attention to Christmas. I wouldn’t consider myself one of those people who love Christmas so much that they extend it over a couple of months, but by the time December rolls around, I definitely feel the excitement over setting up the tree and participating in the month-long celebrations. Baking cookies, crafting ornaments, cozying up with hot chocolate and an old familiar Christmas movie - those are all the little parts of the month that make it feel magical. My goal is to milk this month for as many joy-filled Christmas activities I can squeeze in, starting with our local Santa Claus parade this upcoming weekend. We are going to have some family over for a pre-party with snacks and hot cider and then walk down to the parade route just in time for the evening events. I can hardly wait!
Although I love the activity and excitement of Christmas, there is a lot of peace to be found at this time of year too. In expectant wonder, I love being reminded of the true gift that this season honours. I’ve been trying to slow myself down and embrace the quiet, the wait, the stillness, and the contentment. It’s easy to get caught up in the bustle, but there is excitement in quiet reflection, too. These are a few of the other things that have brought me joy, made me think, or helped me grow over the past couple of weeks:
I decked the halls of our home yesterday and came across this beautiful Christmas journal that we started last year. It gives you a series of questions to answer each year to help you record all your holiday memories. I’m always onboard for any sort of intentional memory keeping, so I’m excited to add to it again this year, especially now that Mabel has a better grasp on what Christmas even is. You can find ours here if you’d like to grab one for your own family and it’s worth noting that these make a great gift.
I’ve mentioned it before, but outside of sharing here, I work as a graphic designer. I’ve been working on a team to create a new Christian devotional app called Good Ground and it just launched on November 28th. It offers a curated feed of devotional content full of depth and substance, including written reflections, music, art, poetry, and growth practices to help you take your time with God even deeper. The app is offering a free 5-week series for Advent, so if this interests you at, all be sure to check it out. It’s a great opportunity to slow down and enjoy the reason behind all the celebrations this time of year.
I listened to this episode of the Motherly podcast featuring Tiffany Dafu three times this past week. She shares all about what it truly means to be a “good” mother and her insights rocked my world. I even checked her book out of the library immediately.
When I pulled out our Christmas decor, I also found Mabel’s Christmas books that I tucked away last year. We’ve been enjoying this one and this one again this year, but I think I may add a couple more to the collection. I’ve read good reviews on this one and this one, but if anyone has any recommendations, share them below.
Curt and I have been rewatching The Office in the evenings once Mabel goes to bed. I have seen most of it before, but I wanted to intentionally watch through it again, season by season. It is seriously cracking me up - I look forward to it every evening!
I bought myself a cute Christmas puzzle and now that our dining room is finished, I am going to slowly work on it at our dining table. I randomly found it at Homesense a few weeks ago, but this would be a fun Christmas puzzle option too.
Speaking of Christmas crafts, these are a few of the projects on my radar: chunky wool ornaments, felted wool ball ornaments, and paper stars. I have all the supplies and am looking forward to having my best friend over for a Christmas craft night one evening next week. We have a tradition of watching The Holiday together while we create (or just sip hot chocolate, you know).
Here’s to all the little things that make this season extra special!
Disclaimer: This post may contain some affiliate links. Read our full Affiliate Disclosure for more information.
