Christmas Decorating - Finally!

When Erin was in 4th grade, Ms. Payton joined us the afternoon we decorated gingerbread houses.  She so enjoyed the experience that I thought we'd invite her back this year.  She is, after all, the only teacher at Irving with the distinction of being the 4th grade teacher for all 3 Shattuck kids.

Ms. Payton wasn't the only guest, as Kelsey and Erin both invited friends over to help them decorate their gingerbread houses.

The mood was festive as the houses were transformed from plain brown shacks into candy-coated wonders.

Once the gingerbread houses were done, it was time to trim the tree

As I sat in the living room with the house lights off and the Christmas music playing in the background, I couldn't help but admire our newly-decorated Christmas tree with its lights all a-glow.  At long last, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas inside my house!

The Walnut Room Tradition

After Thanksgiving, 1995 (the year Kelsey was born), my friend EG called and said, "I'm taking S to The Walnut Room at Marshall Field's. Can you and Kelsey join us?" Since I didn't grow up in Chicagoland, I didn't realize there was this whole tradition about taking your children to see the windows at Marshall Field's, eating in The Walnut Room, and visiting the Field's Santa. That first year, Kelsey and S weren't even one yet. EG and I carefully planned the trip around the girls' nap schedules and she showed me the ropes. It was truly a special time, and I understood right away why this was such a big deal for families.

Fourteen years later, I'm still taking my kids to The Walnut Room. While it's no longer Marshall Field's and the traditional roasted potatoes with rosemary are long gone, this is still a tradition our family observes every Christmas. Each of the kids has a collection of mugs and buttons for every year that they've experienced this tradition, except for years when Macy's, not understanding the importance of these things, either didn't offer them or ran out.

Let me be clear here. The food is mediocre at best, with a menu that promises far more than it delivers. The lines are dreadfully long, at a time of year when there's not a moment to spare. And that's just The Walnut Room piece. Waiting in line to see Santa with thousands of other families is a whole crazy adventure in and of itself. But there's still magic.

There's magic in getting a coveted table right by the big tree. There's magic in seeing the kids anticipate the next window outside, even when it's freezing cold. And there's magic in the smiles of the kids when they finally see Santa.

Have I mentioned how much I love this time of year?

5 Golden Rings

When I was in high school Home Ec class back in the day, I was introduced to a recipe for poppyseed cake that was unlike anything I'd ever had before. Instead of lemon flavored, it was almond flavored, and it had an orange glaze. It was incredible. We started making it at home and it quickly became my favorite cake. I've been making it ever since. I took dozens and dozens of batches to the law firm where I worked for 13 years. Baird has taken dozens more into his office around Christmas time as a little something special for those in his department. And many more batches have found their way into Irving School over the past nine years.

When I make a batch for just my family, I usually bake it in a loaf pan. At Christmas time I turn batches of poppyseed cake into mini bundt cakes, glaze them, wrap them in colored Seran Wrap, tie a ribbon around them, and add a cute little Christmas tag. This project tends to take over my entire kitchen. By the time the kids come home from school there are little poppyseed cakes everywhere, in various stages of development.

This year I needed to make at least six batches of poppyseed cake in order to get everyone (work, school, friends, family) covered. I made three batches today. As I was glazing the cakes, setting them into pans to dry a bit before wrapping them, it occurred to me that these little cakes look like five golden rings. And it's the fifth day of Christmas. How cute is that?!

Gingerbread Houses

Years ago when Kelsey was just a baby, I went to a Pampered Chef party and picked up a mold for a gingerbread house. I totally bought into the vision of making my own gingerbread for my kids. I had fantasies of gorgeous works of gingerbread art gracing our home. I thought each piece would be lovingly decorated, transforming ordinary gingerbread into gorgeous works of art.

The reality is that my girls would rather eat the gingerbread than decorate it, and Drew would prefer to eat the decorations rather than "waste" them on the house. So, Drew decided to go for the minimalist look this year. Believe it or not, this is his finished product.

First Sunday of Advent

I didn't grow up with the tradition of Advent. The church where Baird and I met introduced me to this centuries-old tradition. Over the years, I would sit in church the four Sundays before Christmas, watch the lighting of the candles, and listen to the meditation. I began to anticipate this special ritual.

For those who may not know, Advent is marked by a spirit of anticipation, of longing. The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in His First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in His Second Advent.

The first week of Advent focuses on expectation or hope. This expectation goes beyond counting down the days until the presents are opened. We look forward to the time when the Prince of Peace will bring true peace, justice and righteousness to this world.

Every night during Advent, our family lights candles, gathers around our manger scene, and recites the Christmas story from Luke 2:1-20 and Matthew 2:1-12. Then we read from The Advent Book. It's a time to reflect on what's truly important this time of year.