Written by Rowonna McNeely – I love Christmas time. Seriously. I really, really love Christmas… No; I’m not being sarcastic.To me, it’s truly an amazing time. I love seeing the lights on houses and Christmas trees. There’s just something about the glow and the color that brings a sense of joy to me.
I enjoy ringing the bell with Kiera for Salvation Army. It’s a great feeling to watch someone so focused on their day to day activity be so quickly changed by something as simple as the phrase “Merry Christmas.” I’ve witnessed many people slow down, smile and offer their own “Merry Christmas.”
One of my favorite things about Christmas is giving gifts. I truly enjoy thinking about what a person would like and then finding them the perfect gift. Some people are more difficult to shop for than others, but it is the thought that counts.
Kiera is picking up more on the spirit of giving this year. Aaron and I are constantly being told to “look the other way” as she slides a color page under the Christmas tree for one of us. She has made a bracelet out of ribbon with big, glitter stars glued to it for me. Don’t tell her I know though. I won’t ever be able to wear it, but I will treasure it forever.
We have several Christmas decorations that come out every year. Obviously, our Christmas tree and many decorations are the first out of storage. Next, is Kiera’s train set that encircles the base of the tree.
There are several other odds and ends that we place around the house. One of my favorites is my Christmas village. I’ve always been fascinated by the little Christmas villages.
When Aaron and I were married, I only had a few small pieces to go with my village.
Since then, every year, he usually buys me something to add to the village scene. One year, he even made a small pond to place in the center of the village.
Normally, when we would set it up, we would first lay out a layer of fluffy, white, fake snow. Then we would place the people, trees and houses around and finish the scene with handfuls of glittery snow.
You have to be careful when you sprinkle the glitter snow; otherwise, your carpet sparkles for the next six months. There’s not a vacuum cleaner in the world that will pick that stuff up.
My little village is not without flaws though. I have several little people who have been broken and glued back together over the years. The man that sits in front of the market peeling carrots… he lost his head at one point. One of the ladies carrying her basket was minus an arm for a couple of days, until we were able to locate it.
The culprit to the mass maiming of villagers was not Kiera, but our cat, Gracie who tends to think of herself as a spy or assassin. I am fairly certain that she bides her time every year until Christmas. Then she waits until the lights go out around the house, hears the sound of faint snoring and begins her sneak attack on the poor, unsuspecting villagers.
This year though, things have been a little different with the Christmas village. As Aaron and I put the Christmas tree together and fluffed out the branches, Kiera pulled out the Christmas village.
Joy was all over her face as she pulled out each villager and their respective buildings. Her little voice rose in excitement as she announced each villager. As she gently unraveled them she placed them on the side table that is reserved for them at Christmas.
This year, there is no pond in the village, nor is there any snow. Kiera never made it past the people and buildings. This year my little villagers are getting lots of love. Every day, Kiera picks up the different men, women and children from the village and takes them in and out of the stores. She places them around the village Christmas tree where they sit and talk.
They interact with each other instead of sitting in their designated places throughout Christmas and then placed gently back in their boxes.
And you know what? I am good with that. I want Kiera to have wonderful memories of Christmas. By the time she is old enough to have her own place, maybe, just maybe, she will be able to take the Christmas village with her. That is if they survive the assassin.
