Dirty yet #Festive? #SundayStills

How can anyone living in a tiny camper on a dirt lot building a house be festive? What does being festive mean anyways? We have been in the dirt which has now turned to mud for 6 months. Some days we witness progress on our new shouse build. Most days progress is elusive. What isn’t elusive is the days speeding by and here we are so close to Christmas, I can taste the candy canes. Technically, I prefer peppermint bark or even peppermint cocoa, both standing holiday favorite treats this time of year.

Speaking treats, food overall certainly plays a role in many festive moments. Starting with Thanksgiving feats all the way to New Year’s eve dinners. Feasting is and always will be a part of our festivities. Even in the dirt, we don’t need a holiday to festively feast! Gifting ourselves a Blackstone Griddle made for some delicious outdoor meals including potato, sausage, onion, peppper hash topped with eggs. Yum!

I love the culture of grilling. It creates an atmosphere that is festive yet casual.
-Bobby Flay

Our griddle has been wonderful as we’re continue living in this tiny camper. And although food can creative a festive mood, there’s a few more important ingredients to feeling festive during the holidays. My ingredients include: Getting grounded, introspection or reflection of years past, and simply find joy in the day to day holiday sparkles, lights, and local events.

Ground myself in my faith and the reason for the season
Reflect on past holiday memories and give thanks for family, friends and major moments that have made up my life
Relish the world around us, take in simple lighting displays, partake in a holiday event or two or three

Even from a dirt lot, I can absolutely feed the festive need this year. It does not matter if there’s a home to decorate, a kitchen to prepare a family feast, or time to travel and celebrate with grown kids and extended family. Because my top three ways to feel festive do not need a physical home base.

Ground

Celebrate the season with a Christmas Eve service is something I always strive to do. It may not be your thing and that’s ok, but it love how it feeds my soul. Planning to lock up the shouse this week, means I can plan to visit a local So Cal church service with hot cocoa in hand. No fleece lined pants, winter gloves or hats will be required but the story telling, music, candle light service will fill me up.

Reflect

Holiday memories always seem to take a more front and center position during the holidays. As time goes on, it is challenging to remember how we spent the holidays every year. My tree and it’s ornaments hold the keys to releasing the memories. I have built up a tree full of holiday ornaments from places I’ve been. Trips with my young family all the way to more recent trips are reflected in many of the ornaments. Ornaments with pictures of pets and major milestones like a babies first Christmas or a graduation.

This year, I didn’t believe I would get to unwrap those memories and hang them on a tree. But, there’s still a chance I can pull it off. But, if I can’t get back and have time to unwrap the memories this way, I will certainly queue up Christmas playlist and review numerous holiday photo albums.

Relish the World Around Us

Magic is all aglow at Christmas time!

Festive images from the past. I don’t know when it started, but around 23-24 years ago, our family would spend the holiday time off from work and school on a trip. We’d split the years between a trip to visit family or a resort type of trip. In all cases, it is quite fun to just get out and enjoy the many magical decorations. Once immersed in lights, trees, red and green it’s hard not to find your festive mood.

Festive Snow Fall

Here’s us and our shouse build taking shape. Although, I don’t enjoy the cold, I can’t help to smile when the snow falls turning our leafless trees into sparkling, white giants.