preparing a place :: the calendar

:: playing “Joseph and Mary Have a Homebirth” see their fire? ::

no matter how simple your Advent plan, you can’t just plop it down on top of all the other things you do each day.  you may be able to pull it off for a few weeks, but what about the comfort and joy?  it’s just not sustainable.

so before Advent begins, you have to make space, real space for it, on your calendar.  you have to think about the one essential thing.  for us that means that school gets scaled back or at least refocused.  we don’t do any of our Story of the World reading or projects, using the Jesse Tree work as our spine instead.  our memorization work will be put toward learning carols, and our art and crafting, such as it is, will be focused in a new way.

here are a few other ways to keep the calendar under control.

• buy gifts ahead of time.  avoid the mall.  except to buy yourself an eggnog latte.  the internet is your friend.  shipping fees are a small price to pay to avoid that busy, loud, crazy-making, last minute trip to the mall.
• can any of your obligations be pushed into double duty?  if you are going to bake, can it be tied into a saint day celebration?
• just say no.  give yourself the gift of time.  let yourself prepare.  let yourself rest.