Thinking about Calm

There is a strange calm this year around Christmas for me. My decorations are up, the tree has been trimmed, 90% of the gifts have been purchased and wrapped. My Christmas Cards are sitting on the table waiting for stamps. Our calendar is not too full (yet) and my blog background reads "holiday". How did I get so on top of things this year? We have even gone to see the lights.

It's also been interesting watching Blanche, as this is her first Christmas. Yet, it doesn't feel that way. She isn't a tiny baby is awe over the lights. Instead she is a mobile, nearly-toddler, snatching ornaments and shoving everything in her mouth as quick as she can. It almost feels like she is getting cheated out of her first Christmas, because she doesn't feel like a baby. She feels old enough to have one of these holiday seasons under her fat little belt. But, I suppose she is nearly 11 months old. She was born a mere few weeks after Christmas last year. It's unlikely Grandma will get the traditional picture of her on her back, under the tree playing with ornaments. Instead, she will flip over, pull up and gnaw on the branches.

I'm tempted to add more things to fill up the time, the season. Maybe I should be baking, or decorating. Maybe we should be shopping or partying. Yet, I'm enjoying the calm. Maybe, just once, I'll sit back and enjoy the season, rather than stress and let it overwhelm me.