Oh me gosh!Can you feel it? I sure can! And if you walk into our home right now, you’d even be able to smell it too! What am I blubbering about? Christmas feels, of course!!! T’is the season indeed, and the Porter abode is alight with it! Actually, come to think of it, it’s literally alight with it.
That’s right, we got our shizz together this year, and actually had our lights up first weekend of December. Hot damn- that’s happened pretty much never before. We’re usually your 11th hour decorators, and compact all the magic of christmas into the week and a half leading up to Christmas, and then let it linger all the way till after the new year. (Because its far too much trouble to set it all up without getting your money’s worth out of it right?!) But this year? This year, just call us Mr. and Mrs. Claus, baby, ’cause we are totally ontop of it! (Although, I’m hoping the elves are going to work some magic for us in the workshop, cause we are yet to go Christmas shopping!)
But seriously, that smell; That warm, gorgeous gingerbread house aromas filling our home at every turn you take, that literally makes me stop, close my eyes and smile.*sap alert* The season is here and I’m enjoying every moment as it unfolds.
I mean, sure yeah, Morgan-Lee has been giving us the run-around at night recently, and then there was the most recent poop-gate episode that we woke up to this week.( I’ll spare you the details about how the walls and both Mike and my clothes were tarnished instantaneously, but just know that it was bad. Bad enough for Parker-Grace to slightly panic and exclaim in her small voice, “its Har-dibble, mamma! So har-dibble!”) Then I also may or may not have strained my glute and thigh muscles two nights ago: You know…side-kicking dragons with my girls and all. ( I mean, how else do you fight dragons?) And generally, I’m just so exhausted!(said every mom in the world) You feel me? I need the holidays to start already so I can release the Christmas Kraken that rumbles deep within me, and then sleep in thereafter.
But even with all of that, the Christmas spirit has gotten such a firm grip on me, that my Christmas cheer just cant be shaken! In fact, its to the point where I’ve blasted out Elvis Presley, Ol’ Blue eyes and Mariah Carey carols and grooved to it with my girls so many times already this month, that even the kids are now accustomed to the new routine of when I come hom: Cheers to nanny, some monkey tricks and wall climbing outside, then back inside for my momma’s very important gummy berry juice (coffee) and Christmas carol breakdowns in the lounge.(then a mad scramble to get supper sorted.)
I mean, seriously, we even baked and built our very own gingerbread house! I don’t even like gingerbread!How falalala is that?! It didn’t look half bad either. It was super easy and actually didn’t take too long either. If you wanna give it a bash or are looking for a good recipe, check it out over here. Seriously, give it a bash, the kids will love decorating it!
So yeah, lights are up thanks to honeypot of a hubby. I mean, this is the man who puts his fear of heights aside, and climbs the outdoor walls to string lights up for me. All because he knows how much I love the house shining bright (like a diamond) for the season. Not that I didnt know it already, but that one? That one’s a keeper! 🙂
The tree is also up! And would you believe it, the girls did it all on their own! For realz. Aside from the lights and maybe a spare 5 or so baubles that I moved to the top, these girls did the tree single handedly. Now normally, I suffer from P.O.P.D. (Don’t know what that is? See diagram below. I swear it’s a thing! You may have it, yourself! Better check!)
Yeah, so I can openly admit that I have it, but I am so glad I just let it go that night, because just look at how the tree turned out:
Pretty wicked, eh? Last year this time I still joked saying that one day soon I can just let her do the tree on her own, while I sip on some eggnog, feet up on the couch. I didn’t realise just how soon that one day was going to be! This girl is a natural…Or mostly, as I like to think of it: I’ve infected her with the highly contagious Christmas cheer bug. The same bug that my dad infected me with. He was a very busy business man, but somehow always managed to stir up that Christmas spirit in our home like no other. And decorating the tree was like the holy grail of truly invoking that Christmas spirit! He and I (and in earlier days, sometimes my one brother Rolff, too) would decorate, take a few steps back, then adjust, adjust, and check again. Right until we think it was worthy enough to call in my mom to come give her stamp of approval.
And now, I see it in my eldest. Very much so on this one particular night (see here for more on that), as I watched the twinkling lights dance and reflect in her eyes, she was adjusting and checking the tree over and over again. And,let me tell you folks, it is a beautiful thing to behold. Knowing that somehow, in some way, just like my folks did for me, we too are now somehow managing to fan those true flames of childhood for our own kids: magic, wonder and belief in the extraordinary!
Ahh, just when I thought Christmas couldn’t get any better, there we go and have kids! A thousand fold greater, I tell you!!
And now that Morgy is a bit older, we’ve decided to have a very special christmasy night party, which really in essence would be a culmination of all the things we do with our kids during this season anyway – ALL the things I used to do with my nieces and nephews in years gone by before we had our own kids. All the things I did with them, but was never organized enough to do it ALL in one night. Such sweet and wonderful things that my folks have done for me, and such new sweet and wonderful things that I watched my sister do for her little girls in the USA. I clicked save on ALL of it in my brain, hoping…knowing…that one day I’ll put it to good use. And now, its all going to be wrapped up in one magical night this weekend, shared with a tiny group of loved ones! Eeek! I can’t wait! More on that soon!
But yeah, our home totally screams Christmas right now. And I love it that way. Even our neighbour came over to say he loves looking at it from his window that overlooks our house. (I spent a small while transfixed on his words, whilst he relived his days of doing up his house in lights, once upon a time when his kids were small.)


The Christmas spirit also leaked right into the kitchen where you’ll find red cookie dough, patiently waiting to be shaped into some Christmassy deliciousness.
And as you can see, our dining room table is pretty much our crafting station at this point, as the girls and I work on teacher and neighbour gifts, and a few extra touches for our home. (You know, just in case anyone who steps into our home is not already sure what season it is!) 😉
Yes, I know, Im an absolute sap for this stuff.(In case you haven’t yet noticed.) And I’m not even sorry about it. In fact, this year, despite my clear and present exhaustion, there’s just no stopping me…I’m running purely on the drunken fumes of this christmas spirit that are keeping the falalala‘s alive and loud in our home this year.
Goodness…I can just see that goopy exhausted heap I’m just gonna collapse into after this season is done with me. But, I’ll sure be one very happy little goopy heap!
I hope the Christmas bug has you in its grips already! If not, then here’s me sprinkling some glittery Christmas cheer all over you through the screen…’cause you know that glitter stuff gonna stick for weeks! x
Well done on the gingerbread house. We attempted one a few years ago and the kids were chuffed but I think I still have PTSD from the whole thing 🙂
We set everything up in November – Jack has a ball, he squealed with delight the whole time!
Thanks, Laurakim!,Haha, i feel you! It’s hard to let the reigns go sometimes.
PS. I like the squealing bit. And wow! November?! You are one organized woman! Teach me your ways!:)
Lovely!
Thanks,Jodie!
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