No, it’s not too early to begin thinking about Christmas. In our house, it’s the biggest holiday of the year. When I was little, we spent every Christmas Eve at my grandparents’ house. They were special times that I’ll never forget. My grandparents went all out on the holiday decorations, taking weeks to put them up. Their house was so decorated that everyone from the neighborhood made a special stop each year to see it. They even got written up in the paper once. From the fake Santa on the roof to the little child who actually “breathed”, my grandfather left no small detail undone.
Grandpa’s gone now and grandma has moved, but some of the traditions live on. My grandmother still makes gingerbread cookies for all the grandchildren each year, personalizing their hair, face, and clothes. It doesn’t matter that they’ve been sitting in a box for two weeks before we get them in the mail, gingerly wrapped and packed so they won’t break. The taste isn’t what’s special – it’s the time put into them.
We have our own Christmas traditions here. They’re not quite as elaborate, but I’ll share some in a few blogs as we get closer to the holiday. Some of our friends send us cards every year, with photos of their children. The ones I like best are those that are of good enough quality to use in crafts for the following year. And in our house, it’s “Merry Christmas” rather than “Happy Holidays.” I’ll be sending out cards this year, and was very happy to find a great sale on them. Christian Book Distributors has Christmas cards for .99 a box. Shipping is only $3.95 up to $20. So, four boxes including the shipping charges comes out to less than $8. ONE box at my local store is more than that. These are beautiful cards on heavy cardstock, and there are a lot of designs to choose from. At this price, you can afford to send them to everyone on your list!