Things have been pretty dull around here lately. So dull that when I made hot toddies on Thursday night, it was the big event of the week.
(I made them with Celestial Seasonings brand rooibos vanilla tea, and OMG they were out of this world! Here’s the recipe I used.)
The other excitement of the week was getting our Christmas tree today!
Something Like Normal
We’re doing our best to keep things as normal as possible for the boys. They’re home all day every day and they don’t see other kids, which is not normal. But within that, we try to stick to a schedule.
I think that everyone finds some comfort in routine. It helps to normalize a very abnormal situation, such as this pandemic.
But a little change is sometimes called for, and this year we’re getting into the holiday spirit much earlier than I’m used to.
So, this morning we drove out to western Loudoun County and visited Milltown Creek Christmas Tree Farm. We got our tree there last year, and the familiarity of the place was good for the boys.
Also, the magic of it.
Even More Special This Year
This year, the comfort of the tree and the lights feels almost necessary.
Despite wearing masks the whole time, we felt normal, and certainly happy as we strolled through the rows of pines and firs trying to find the perfect tree.
(The Bear did complain of hunger a bit, but that’s all in keeping with the normal theme.)
The sun was shining, and though it was cold we were able to enjoy a complimentary cup of hot apple cider out in the sunshine before driving home.
Once home, we went through the process of taking out the box of decorations, rediscovering each ornament at a time. There’s always magic in that moment, but today it seemed even sweeter.
Craving Family
This will be the first Christmas in many years that we haven’t been with family. We were planning to stay put for Christmas this year anyway, but since we haven’t been able to travel at all since January, it feels wrong.
Normally, we’d have visited Spain in the summer, maybe even Switzerland, too. Staying home at Christmas would be a rest: a chance for us to relax as a family.
But after the isolated, socially distant year we’ve had, I miss family and friends more than ever. Though I swore last year I wouldn’t travel at Christmas for at least a few years, given the opportunity to do so safely, I think I’d jump on a plane tomorrow.
In Lieu of That…
We have ornaments. Gifts from family, friends. Gifts from my mother who always did her best to make the holidays magical.
And so we put up the tree today (two weeks early, in my books!), and it warms our hearts.
Looking at it makes our loved ones who are so far away feel closer.
