St. Nicholas Day

On Friday we celebrated St. Nicholas Day. We had spent some time leading up to the day reading, telling stories and talking about St. Nicholas. We talked about how wonderful it is to give, how good it feels to share with others, and ways in which we can do that within our family and within the community.

On Thursday night Reece left his shoes at the front door in hopes St. Nicholas would leave him a little something special. And he most certainly did. There was some organic dark chocolate, a few honey sticks and maple candies, a new book and a huge piece of amethyst, which Reece carried around for the entire day before adding it to our Advent wreath.

This week we have plans to take the hats and mitts we have collected over the last few weeks to a drop off center, we will shop for the food bank again and next week Reece and I will spend some time packing Christmas hampers. All things we can do to give back and warm the heart of someone who might need it during this holiday season.

{This Moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. Inspired by Soulemama.

Make and Listen

Making:

~ organic peppermint lip balm

~ organic hand salve

~ organic healing salve, made with herbs grown in my backyard and a little wildcrafted jewelweed

~ organic lemongrass body butter

~ orange spiced soap

~ a milo for a gorgeous little one who arrived a few weeks ago and a neck warmer for Reece to match the hat I already knit for him, both are winter solstice gifts

Listening:

~ it is all Christmas music around here, all day long, and we are enjoying every minute of it

What have you been making and listening too?

Joining Dawn

Aglow

While night descends around us,
the light inside flickers.
It adds a warmth
hard to describe
and a feeling of coziness
welcomed at this time of the year.

The early darkness
winter brings
fills my home with light.
Light from the beeswax candles.
Light from the fire.
Light from the little Christmas lights,
twinkling, gleaming, streaming.

My home is aglow,
radiant,
with a soft light,
comforting
during this time
of darkness.

The First Light of Advent

The first light of Advent is the light of stones
The light that shines in crystals in seashells and in bones
 

The second light of Advent is the light of plants
Green plants that reach up to the light and in the breezes dance
 

The third light of Advent is the light of beasts
That shines in all creatures in greatest and in least
 

The fourth light of Advent is the human light
The light of hope and of thought, to know and do what’s right

~ Rudolf Steiner ~

We spent some time on Sunday collecting greenery and creating our Advent wreath. Each week another candle will be lit and the corresponding verse said. It is a lovely reminder of all we have to be grateful for during this season as we await the return of the light and the birth of Christ. For us it is a time to slow down even more, to connect to each other, and to spread our light in anyway we can.

Our Advent gnome made his appearance on Sunday, leaving a little scroll behind for Reece. The smile on Reece's face when we saw the gnome on the table Sunday morning was priceless. He was pretty excited to open it up. The surprise...an afternoon in the woods with mom and dad and a few others IDing trees. The other scrolls are filled with activities for us to do together throughout the season. There are baking days, crafting days, a day to shop for those in need, some days have us sharing homemade goodies with friends, other days are "wish" days for Reece...those could  be interesting and other days are simple hot chocolate and reading kinda days, afternoons with daddy and time on the trails with mommy. Simple things, but so right for us as we celebrate this season of love and light.

Our Weekend

This was one of those weekends that could have been very, very busy. You know the ones, there are so many things on the calendar, things you really want to do, things that look like a ton of fun, things you want to be a part of. And while I could have said yes to all of them, I didn't. Why? Because I really dislike the hustle and bustle that comes with this season. I much prefer to sink into this season, to choose wisely the things we do so that we can fully immerse ourselves in whatever we have chosen to do.

So we scaled it back, and I am so glad we did. In between the busy bits, there was the familiar exhale that always grounds me. On Friday morning Reece and I took a little drive to visit a friend and her little one. It was a lovely visit with great conversation and good food. There are some people in your life you wished lived a little closer, people who you would like to spend more time with, this friend is one of those people. I have fingers crossed we will see each other again soon. On the drive home Reece and I had to stop a few times to admire the setting sun. So much beauty as darkness descended upon us.

Waldorf playgroup started the day on Saturday, and the afternoon was spent chatting with neighbours at their tree farm while we picked the perfect Christmas tree. Then there was decorating, hot chocolate and Christmas music. A quiet night followed, Justin watching a movie and me in the kitchen making body butter and writing up little scrolls for the Advent gnome.

Sunday morning was slow, a little lie in and a late breakfast. There was time in the woods with Jumping Mouse Nature Education for a Winter Tree ID workshop and then back home to a cozy fire, a little play, some soap making, reading and knitting. A pot of soup was made and the rest of the day slowly faded away.

How was your weekend?

Joining Amanda

{This Moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. Inspired by Soulemama.

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