Christmas in Fall

This is a shot of my dining room table. It is a reflection of the full and busy days of fall leading into Christmas. While it disturbs me to see Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas displays together in stores, it doesn't bother me (much) to have them piled up on my dining room table.

My kitchen table is clean. My island is free of clutter and ready for homework and dinner prep. But, our dining room table is the place where all the works in progress go until they can be attended to. Side-by-side are Operation Christmas Child boxes (that must be collected by Sunday), teacher appreciation gifts that have no handwritten notes of appreciation yet, upcoming family birthday gifts, AWANA handbooks, Halloween costumes, candy, and the fillings of "Boo boxes", not to mention the posters that need updating for the Sunday School walls. (This is probably why we do much eating, but not much dining. That, and the fact that cooking really great dishes takes some forethought.)

One room over, my daughter practices "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Winter Wonderland" in preparation for a winter piano recital. In October, I drive around town listening to the music I am choreographing for the Singing Christmas Tree. Once home again, I review DVDs of past performances for inspiration. Mail-order catalogues come everyday urging me to start some shopping, but I can't think about thoughtful gift-giving that far ahead yet. I have already bought and stashed a few practical gifts throughout the year, but am not in full-speed-ahead mode. I focus on one thing at a time and try to enjoy fall before moving on to Christmas.

Today, I teach my Pilates class and meet my man for lunch. Tonight we carve pumpkins. Tomorrow we hike the mountains.

Somehow all that really needs to be done today gets done, and I sit on my back porch and notice that some sort of blackbirds are flocking in our trees, migrating perhaps to warmer climates. My nose is cold and my old fleece is collecting long red hairs that I am dropping rapidly. In the midst of busy and full, I choose to sit and breathe and notice for a while. The pile on my dining room table can wait.

Luke 10:42

But only one thing is really neccesary. Mary has chosen the better thing, and it will not be taken away from her.