When It Doesn’t Feel Like Christmas

December 19, 2012 ~ Emily ~ 2 Comments

Less than a week until Christmas? I still can’t believe it. It doesn’t feel like Christmas.

Christmas is generally sunny, about 70 degrees. Christmas is waking up, romping up and down on my slumbering brother (yes, I did this in my twenties – don’t judge), and opening stockings before breakfast. Christmas is lights in Naples, gum drop trees downtown, and a post-meal walk up Big Dalton canyon.

None of that is happening this year. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t feel like Christmas.

I’m stuck in the sentimental space between Christmases past and Christmases in the future. For a newlywed, this space is called Christmas Present. As the marital status implies, everything is new. New spouse. New lodging. New responsibilities. New life.

Christmas Present is new, and for a holiday built on traditions and memories, new can take the feelings of Christmas right out of Christmas.

So, how do you get Christmas back in Christmas? Since I am currently waist deep in Christmas Present, my advice is fairly raw and being tested as I type. In any case, here are the ways I’m approaching my first married Christmas:

Know that your feelings are okay. Marriage is a huge adjustment and holidays are part of the adjustment. You are simultaneously mourning Christmas Past, trying to make it through Christmas Present, and hoping Christmas Future is better. Give yourself a break.

Be honest with your spouse. Your feelings effect them, too! I hesitate to talk about Christmas feelings because I don’t want Tim to feel bad. Withdrawing (which is my default) makes him feel worse. Communicate!

Be honest with God. If you’re not used to speaking candidly with your Abba about how you feel, let David speak for you. The Psalms are full of his heart, mind, and soul in song form. If David can ask God, “Why?” and “What gives?” (Emily paraphrase), then you can pose the same questions.

Let God work on your feelings. Trying to force yourself into Christmas cheer isn’t going to get you very far. If you’re not feeling how you want to feel about Christmas Present, ask God for peace and joy, even in the newness. If you’re feeling like me, you can even ask Him to help you want to have joy and peace in the newness.

Embrace the new. Don’t try to replicate Christmas Past. I have a good imagination, but jacking up the heater to 80 degrees, importing some palm trees, and creating cardboard cut-outs of my entire family just wouldn’t be the same as Christmases past. Trying to recreate a SoCal Christmas in Northern Idaho is disappointment in the making.

Transform traditions. Is opening stockings your favorite part of Christmas morning? Stuff a stocking for your spouse or family member. Always decorate Christmas cookies with your mom? Host a cookie exchange for college gals who might also be away from home. Not Christmas without a ham? Try your hand at tamales instead.

Make new traditions. They probably won’t fill the Christmas Past void, but overtime new traditions will be special. In fact, they will become the new Christmas Past. I know I will look back with fondness on the first time Tim cut down our own tree, the first year our tree fell over, the first time Tim and I made Christmas dinner together, and our first Christmas in Coeur d’Alene.

Newlyweds: What are you doing to make Christmas Present feel like Christmas?

Married folks: What did you do to make your first married Christmas special?

When The Tree Falls Over

December 17, 2012 ~ Emily ~ 2 Comments

All Charlie Brown Christmas trees are not alike. There’s copious charm in the original concept – a tiny tree with baby branches, scarcely decorated with budding greenery. The small frame looks cheery despite bald spots and piney peach fuzz. But, the cartoon charm doesn’t always translate to real life.

What happens when the Charlie Brown tree hits puberty? You end up with a tree like ours – a tall tree with skinny frame and gangly limbs. Pine needles are sprouting but in all the wrong places.

A couple more years and our Chuck Brown tree would likely live up to its Noble namesake, but for now, we have a teenager tree making himself at home in our living room.

This is my portion of primitive – Christmas style.

I love picking out a tree, but my normal practices don’t usually involve a four hour tromp through the National Forest with a chainsaw.

Instead of standing up a bunch of trees at the local lot to find the fullest, greenest Fir, Tim and I roamed the woods looking for a tree that had enough branches to hold all our ornaments. Instead of being bound and tied to the car roof, Tim forded a river with the tree hoisted on his shoulder before it was thrown in a trailer. Instead of burying the lights deep in and out of the close packed branches, I struggled to hide plugs in the sparse foliage.

As much as I enjoyed the experience of chopping down our own tree (and only spending $5), I wrestled with the imperfection of it all. Branches drooped under the weight of lights and ornaments. Longer decorations couldn’t hide bare patches. The entire tree leaned to one side.

I professed appreciation for the Charlie Brown resemblance, but secretly wanted the trimmed and shaped Noble Firs of years past.

Then, in the dusk of evening, when those pesky lights were plugged in, I was mesmerized by the beauty of that tannenbaum. Bright bulbs cast a glow overshadowing the imperfections. In fact, the soft glow of the colored lights made those gaps and gangly qualities seem intentionally unique.

I started to see what light can do in the darkness of flaws.

Nature groomed our tree to be a stunning representation of what our lives look like to God. Our Charlie Brown qualities were hand-crafted by Him and look especially lovely in the light of His love.

As if I needed further prompting to embrace joy in my Christmas portion of primitive, our tree toppled head first into the middle of the living room just as National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation was starting.

Toilet Paper Roll Star

December 14, 2012 ~ Emily ~ 9 Comments

Judging by the Paper Bag Christmas Cards I made earlier this week, I like to use household items to make pretty things.

Hang it on a tree, tie it on a package, or set it on a bookshelf. However you display it, these stars (flower, maybe?) are lovely. and sparkly. and use book pages. and toilet paper rolls.

You’ll need:

1 toilet paper roll
ruler, pencil, scissors
glue – preferably with a pointed applicator
1-2 old book pages
glitter [optional]
button/pearl for the center [optional]

Toilet Paper Roll Star:

Flatten each roll and mark off 1/2″ segments along both sides of its length.

Cut across the roll using the marks as guidelines to make pointed oval (marquise) segments. You only need 6 pieces to create this star. Use leftovers for more stars or some other crafty project.

Place a dot of glue about 1/8″ from the tip of one oval and press it into the same spot of another oval. Wait 30 seconds or so for the glue to dry and continue the process until all the ovals are glued together (creating the star/flower shape).

As you continue to glue, the marquise shape will spread out to create the “petals”. You may have to help them along a bit so they don’t tear apart.

Let the star dry while you work on the book page center.

Book Page Medallion:

My method for making the book page medallion was very experimental. I’ll tell you how I did the one above, but would encourage you to check out any tutorial online for making paper medallions for a clear explanation of how you SHOULD make paper medallions.

I decided how wide I wanted my medallion and cut two strips of book page to that width.

Each strip was folded accordion style, about 1/4″ (ish) wide and then folded in half to create a middle crease.

The pieces of paper closest to each other in the crease were glued together, giving me two semi-circles of accordion book page. Glue the semi circles together and voila!

Star Construction:

I created a placket to attach the star and medallion because there are so many thin edges on both pieces.

Cut a square of card stock and glue to center of the star. Glue the medallion to the card stock.

Use a toothpick to apply glue to random edges and sprinkle glitter liberally over the glue. Let dry for a minute then tap off excess glitter. Tap over a piece of paper so you can recycle the glitter.

Add a button or pearl to the center.

I tied mine on to a package of gingerbread granola for a hostess gift.

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Fabric-Covered Christmas Balls

December 13, 2012 ~ Emily ~ Leave a comment

Since you have your fabric stash out after making some Christmas garland, why not use it to make these decorative fabric-covered Christmas balls?

Rip fabric into strips about 1/2″ to 1″ wide. The length doesn’t matter too much, but the longer they are, the less glue you will have to apply.
Use a dot of glue to secure one end to a styrofoam ball.
Wrap fabric around the ball until all the styrofoam is covered.
Cut excess fabric off and glue the fabric end to the ball.

The method is simple and can be repeated on different size balls (which can be found at craft supply stores).

My fabric-covered balls are in a ceramic bowl on the coffee table. Using the same fabric patterns as the garland ties the colorful decor together, creating nice Christmas cohesiveness in your house.

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Christmas Garland

December 12, 2012 ~ Emily ~ 4 Comments

I inherited my Gramma’s sewing skills. In other words, I can sew straight lines and that’s about it. I look up the directions for threading my little, purple sewing machine every time I sew something.

I saw some adorable fabric scrap bunting on Pinterest a couple months ago and immediately saw visions of this Christmas garland in my head. Even my basic sewing skills wouldn’t keep me from making this vision a reality. Heck, even hand-stitching would be an acceptable, albeit slower, option for those who are completely allergic to sewing machines.

Twine seemed like a sturdy stringing option and I always have a spool on hand. My mom, creator of my beautiful wedding ornaments, brought her stash of Christmas fabric when she visited last month. We ended up making three garlands.

The process is simple.

Create a template with the size flag (for lack of a better descriptor) you’d like. Mine are 4″ wide and 6″ tall (with the triangle point coming up about 1 1/2″ from the bottom).
Cut, cut, cut! Fold your fabric to cut out more than one at a time. Vary the fabric to your taste.
Fold down the top edge to create a 1/4″ opening. Iron the flags and the fold.

Now, the sewing part. I’ll admit it. My mom did all the sewing, which turned out great because my sewing machine had some needle issue that would have made me throw it all out the window before I got even one hem sewn on these cute flags.

Sew along the raw edge of your fold.
Keep feeding your flags through the sewing machine, until all of the hems are closed. You’ll end up with a string of flags connected by thread.
Cut each flag from the thread string.
Arrange the flags in a fabric pattern you find aesthetically pleasing.
Use a paper clip or safety pin to pull twine through each flag.

Spread the flags out along the twine and hang the garland. Stand back and admire your handiwork!

I draped mine behind the couch to give our normal display some Christmas cheer. I sent one to my sis and bro (in-law) and they hung it on a mirror in their dining room.

I love the folky aspects of this garland – no need to have clean edges or cookie-cutter flags. The imperfections add to it’s primitive charm.