Shaking off the Holiday Limbo

November in the Porter home is bit like living in limbo..holiday limbo, if you will. You see, October builds up with great excitement for Parker-Grace’s birthday, and ends off with a bang in the form of Halloween. We’re then all left on this high of celebration, as well as the energy dump that accompanies a chilled out slow vibe in our home, as we savour all the recent good memories made.

There’s almost always remnants of the recent past parties still holding on, even though I promise I’ll do it “tomorrow”. Half- deflated balloons still blowing around our house like tumbleweed; Morgy keeps reminding me that our front windows still have all the Halloween decals up. Our jack-o-lanterns still adorning our front stoep. But come December? Well, that’s when we start twitching back to life, we shake off the dust that may have gathered, shift through this holiday, and grab the Christmas spirit by the horns(?)…Or is that halo?

The lights go up outside, the tree goes up, all ornaments that we own (that happen to fit in with the year’s particular theme) get pulled out from storage, and we basically Griswald the crap out of our house! Cookies get baked, and all the excitement starts to build up…Some years we go all super-sayan like and we turn our home into North Pole central all in one day, and other years we move at a more leisurely, Cupid pace, than my usual raring to go Blitzen pace. This year It’s definitely the latter…and we’re all down with that.

Ok, ok, ok, maybe it’s less me being down with that, than it is me having to accept that it is this year. But I have to laugh at how much reminding from me it took Mike to actually get all the lights up this year. Granted it’s 90% up, and thanks to the girls, so is our tree. (I totally left them to it – just helped them up and down the ladder. But I’m totally coming back to re-do it. I’m giving it a week…shhhhh!)

But we’re enjoying it. Especially since I think I have finally come to peace with this year’s slower rhythm. And actually, I think it suits me better actually.

ps.Hallmark of a day/childhood well spent? Filfthy feet, of course – carrying with it all the exploring of the day…(or how badly I need to wash my floors)

So we’re still busy lighting this house up, and will definitely show the final product when we’re done, but in the interim, we’re enjoying getting our Christmas on…(Or “Clismas” as Parky says)

Girls are totally into it…and I couldn’t be happier…It means I’ve totally rubbed off on both of them now…Although, I think little sister is taking more of her queues from big sis.

So much to say about this village (will save for later)…

Cookies are baked, and our home is smelling delicious…

We’re yet to still decorate the gingerbread men, or the rest of our cookies…but it’s fine…Although, our North Pole party is totally coming up this weekend, and we probably need to kick our butts into gear already….but it’s finnnnnnne. No really. I think.

Speaking of which, Im working on a cute little craft for this year’s party…hoping it keeps for years to come. I’ve collected all the pieces, just waiting on one small yet key ingredient to arrive in the post already, then we’re all set. Oohhh weee, can’t wait!

A freshly baked Ginger bread house is also wafting through our home reassuring you of what time of the year it is…however actual construction still needs doing…(But, like I said, it’s totally finnnnnne. Doth I protest too much?)

Good ol’ Bing, Dorris Day, Nat and Elvis are crooning their way through our home, so much so, any time we were about to do anything Clismassy this weekend, Morgy paused to ask, “are we gonna put on our music first mom?”

Damn straight, my child!!! 🙂

My sister and I were messaging each other over the weekend – and it was once made me happy to know that clearly we are blood-related as we are totally vibing on the exact same Christmas theme this year. Im talking, like EXACT same! She also “showed” me how to do a Christmas tree filler trick that I was wishing I knew how…Now the proof is in the pudding – let’s hope I listened well.

She and I also realised we’re such tree snobs…although I myself need a lot more work on my own tree, but I cant deny it- I am a tree snob. My dad created a monster. Two, in fact! 🙂 Anyhoo, I was getting so much inspo and excitement from her that I missed my bedtime well and proper.

But mostly, our messages back and forth of all the different themes and ideas between my sister and I made me super happy knowing that we’re both filled and fuelled by the same great memories of Christmases of yesteryear while growing up…And it is exactly all of that, and more that I want to give our children! Here’s to laying on the Christmas spirit however thick you like it!

However, holidays are not the only limbo’s we’ve been treading through recently…
There’s been the first tooth loss debacle…as in it’s still not lost, is handing on for dear life , but the new tooth is out in all it’s glory already.

Then there’s the big-school-hold-you-breath-pause…that’s right, my big beasty had her last year in play school and will be heading off to big school next year. It’s quite a thing..although the pace at which life has been going at for us recently, I feel like we haven’t quite realised whats happening here…And it’s going to hit us hard. Soon. In the mean time, we had our first PTA, and also our first home visit – where the teacher comes to visit Morgy in her own space, meet her pets, and get to know her a little bit better. It went well. So far so good.

But everyhing in it’s own time, and those are limbos I can totally live with for now.

And oh, before I even think of closing out…guys, I need to share with you: Dreams do come true, man…even simple little ones that seem like nothing to you, but mean everything to me:
I finally got a Mantle piece! I know, I know, like scratch the record, what a freakin’ anti-climax right? But the thing is, all my life, like since 5 years old, all I did was beg my mom to put up a mantle piece over our fireplace in our family home. (For the stockings to hang from and more space to add Christmas décor to. But it was a statement piece wall ( a 70’s design and still is a stunning feature wall to this day) so I got that the mantle was just never happening then. But I vowed then to my mother, so help me, I was going to get a mantle piece in my own home one day. Fastforward 30+ years, and I finally managed to make it happen. It’s very plain and simple honestly, but that’s my vibe. Hubby put it up for me, and Im as happy as kid in a candy store!

Now then, December, bring forth all ye joy and holiday glee, for I am ready for thee….Although my Halloween decals are still up though…

By the way, do you guys also think of themes for your décor? Or am I just maxing out that Christmas freak dial of mine?