A Little Early

Today was largely a recovery day, that is to say it was a day where we didn't do much outside of unpack, and clean up the house a bit. Daddy did put the tree up in the great room, but we won't get lights on it until tomorrow. The goal is to have both of our trees decorated by Monday. It used to be that we didn't have trees up until after Thanksgiving, but the thinking here is why not? Why not have your tree up a little earlier? It takes all this effort to put it up and take it down, so why not have it up earlier?

This year there has been a small movement on social networks and elsewhere to make the Christmas season start after Thanksgiving - the claim being that Thanksgiving is sort of lost in all the Christmas season celebration. We myself used to be in that camp, but our conversion came when we realized just how much there is to do in celebrating Christmas, and how little time there is to do it. Add to that the fact that we work at a church, and our time is extremely limited. By starting our Christmas season earlier, we actually give ourselves more time to do things, and ultimately there is less stress on us.

Besides, how much can you do to celebrate Thanksgiving anyway? Are there turkey lights out there? Pilgrim music? How many Thanksgiving movies can you watch? The only one that springs to mind currently is "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving."

Don't get me wrong: Thanksgiving is a sacred holiday for us. We do enjoy it, and nearly as much as Christmas. There is so much to Thanksgiving, and we really look forward to it each year. Obviously, the food is good. The parade is great too. But the family coming over is wonderful as well. Each year, Thanksgiving is a treasure for us - in fact, take a look at last year.

Anyway, there's are justification for starting the Christmas season earlier. The crowds at Disney were less last week, and yet the decorations were up - in just a week, the crowds will be too much, and things will be a bit stressful. Why not simply pop in the Christmas music earlier and enjoy the parks and decorations more - just a bit earlier?

Speaking of earlier, we're still technically "on vacation," but we came back earlier. One reason was "The Gift." This is Christmas-themed performance involving ballet and dance, produced by a non-profit Christian dance studio - and we haven't missed it in years.

More than ever, Madison was really into this production. Still, we couldn't make it past the intermission - it was probably a little late, and she was still recovering from a rather tiresome week. The first part of "The Gift" is all about the Christmas story, which wraps up in a neat ending before intermission, so she did get to see enough to put a twinkle in her eye. She loves dancing, and loves to dance herself. She did a pirouette for a few cast members tonight at the show, which delighted everyone as always. During the production though, her eyes would not leave the stage. Angels, shepherds, and three kings danced around the Nativity Scene as Madison once again saw in dance the real story of Christmas. Mommy's favorite routine starts with the three kings, and Madison seemed to like all of it, especially the little sheep hopping about.

Truth be told, we were all a bit tired after intermission! We went home, and Madison fell asleep on the way there. Daddy was not far behind: once we got home, it was time to get tucked in for a long winter's nap.