December 1 always seems to come in a rush and catch me by surprise. Just as soon as the Thanksgiving dishes are all put away, in blow the Christmas bins spilling over with excitement.

 

This year’s Advent will start off differently…since I won’t be there. A sweet friend of mine won a trip to spend a day with Sally Clarkson and invited me to go with her! We can’t wait to sit around the table from someone who has taught us so much from afar. But the timing does throw a kink in our traditions.

 

Since I won’t be at home the first 3 days of Advent and trust my husband to do evvverything I would normally do, we spent this evening breaking a few rules together. We decorated before December 1. We bought a live tree for the first time in 12 years. We used my fancy bargain glasses for Advent eve ice cream! I’m always up for new traditions involving ice cream!

 

I made a front door swag from the excess branches in 5 minutes flat.

Faster than my husband got the tree in the stand straight. (Not that it was a contest!)

 

But after the bustle of moving things around to accommodate the tree, I realized I was feeling a little sad about missing out on being with them the first 3 days of celebrating Advent. So we sat around the coffee table with our ice cream and I asked them what they like most about this time of year. They are ecstatic to decorate. Their room is already a death-trap of hanging lights. And I wondered in their opinion why.

 

 

They surprised me by saying our slow approach to time together creates suspense and that’s what they like most. (Really- an 8 year old said that!) They like talking about the Jesse Tree stories and having to pay attention to answer questions all while sitting on pins and needles to open the cross box and see what’s inside, merely a few Legos or a chocolate.

They also said they like the slow approach of opening one gift at a time on Christmas morning, playing with it for a long time and then opening something else. It makes the suspense of Christmas spread until afternoon. We snack and play and recall the Jesse Tree ornaments in order, with no anxiety to get up. Again, from the mouths of children, we hear them say what they want is unhurried time.

And that seems to be the most costly treasure these days. I’ve had to make myself just stop, sit on the floor or get eye level with them, hear their ideas and quit worrying about perfection. But their responses tell me it’s worth it.

What aspect of Christmas do you think your child cherishes most?

Why not ask them today?