Gindi Vincent

The Dish on Career, Fashion, Faith, and Family

christmas

Christmas 2019

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Merry Christmas.

I really have meant to write.

Upon checking, I’ve written two times in the past two months. A record low over the past 9 years. There were years I’d write four times a week.

Life happens. The holidays are crazy even though I had every intention of slowing down and injecting more meaning and less chaos. We have three ten year olds, two full time jobs, volunteer work, school activities, friends and family. It’s just busy.

It’s also been bittersweet. We’ve had uncertainty and family members struggling and people moving and then, this week, my best friend lost her oldest son.

There has been such joy. Gingerbread houses and school parties and dinners with dear friends and helping others. But then there’s just also been this cloud. Sun and rain.

Our church has a director of liturgy who has given us space this season for lament. Reminded us what ADVENT has stood for through the ages. Asked us hard questions and made us confront the commercial “merry little Christmas” gloss we Christians have put on a season with so much more meaning.

So I will write. I miss it. I miss you.

But not tonight. Tonight I pack to fly to Minnesota to attend the funeral of a sweet son and brother taken too soon. I pack the littles to go hunting with dad later. And then we’ll all be back together to celebrate the New Year.

We’ll pop fireworks and laugh and clink our champagne flutes together but we’ll also pray for healing and peace. In our hearts and in our country and in our world.

Until then, Merry Christmas dear friends. Where ever this finds you, I pray you can see God. Love to you all.

Christmas Recap

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Well happy vacation break, y’all!

Or for some of you – I know others, like my hubby, have had to work.  I have from the 24th to the 1st off and I’ve not even sat down at a computer.

So I have plenty of ideas for writing, but haven’t taken the time to sit down and jot them down.

First off today, a little recap for my own bloggy scrapbook.  This is our 10th Christmas with triplets – and at 9 years old with Santa still in full force, it’s fun.

Last year, because Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday and church wasn’t until the evening, we hosted a Christmas Eve breakfast. It was such fun that we did it again this year. Neighbors and school friends popped over for cocoa and coffee and the kids competed in a Christmas cookie decorating competition. All the grown ups voted and I found something last minute to give the holiday winners.

Our friends and neighbors – cookie competitors!

Christmas Eve evening, Bray’s parents joined us for candlelight services after we spent some time over at our dear friends/neighbors. And remarkably, the kids fell asleep shortly after 9 pm which is rare even when they’re not breathlessly anticipating Santa’s arrival.

I love Christmas morning. Santa’s presents are always left unwrapped by the fireplace hearth amid the cookie and carrot crumbles from he and his reindeer. All the kids got Fitbits, little did I know how handy that heartrate monitor would be this week, along with other goodies.

Because I hosted Christmas Eve morning and was hosting Christmas lunch, we didn’t do anything fancy for breakfast. We slipped on coffee while the kids slowly opened presents, and we read the Christmas story after my mom arrived.

Guess who’s going to Disney in two weeks???

The biggest hits were little bit’s new car for her dolls, the baby’s camera drone, and the eldest’s stockpile of LSU gear.

After a big meal with my family, Christmas evening we popped over to Bray’s family to exchange presents with cousins. I had a splitting headache but my sister in law’s litter of puppies snuggling on us all helped everyone pep right up.

The 26th I resuscitated a Christmas trend to spend the day at my favorite spa. Spa days are a real rarity and I loved every minute of the pampering and the quiet. One of my favorite friends joined me for the day and as busy working moms we felt every minute of this gift away. The 27th we got good news from a specialist I went to see. (More on that later). Having wonderful college girls help us out for two days after Christmas enabled me a day away as well as an errand day.

But by Thursday, the baby had gotten really sick. Whenever he gets sick, his asthma flares and this was a particularly bad episode. That landed us in the doctor’s office, putting him on a concoction of breathing treatments, steroids, and z-pac.

While that meant we stayed in all day Friday and Saturday (the three of us – Bray ran to the ranch and the eldest ran to the farm with grandpa), I had a chance to Mary Poppins the house. All our Christmas décor, indoor and out, got pulled down and put away, and the house really got decluttered and monumentally better before everyone headed back to work and school.

We had a wonderful visit with more family Saturday before we headed to the farm today which is where I write from the cold and gray corner in Louisiana. Hopefully, with my head full of New Year’s posts, I’ll get them all in. (WordPress debuted a new system which is a bear to figure out so hang in there.)

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas full of giving and family and food. (Ours was maybe too full of food!)

I know a lot of us had rough 2018’s. A remarkable number of us. So we’re going to look forward in anticipation to a 2019 full of promise and restoration.

The Tension of Christmas

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Morning!

I’m pretty busy. You?

Yep, it’s that season.

The season when I read moving posts asking us to slow down and savor the season. Remember the real meaning. Don’t buy into commercial hype. Be intentional.

I love these posts.

And I really DO want to do better about all those things.

But at the same time, life.

I have a big job right now in an incredibly busy season for my project. December and January are mega work months for me this year.

My husband is slammed at work too.

I’ve had health issues which means super inconvenient doctors’ appointments.

This year, I happen to be the third grade liaison (think grade room mom) which means I’m organizing getting all the teachers and staff gifts from the third graders and developing the auction project and making sure info about the Christmas party and Christmas concert gets out to the parents.

I’ve declined most parties but we do still have work events and a holiday play with our dear family friends and a festive concert with school pals.

My kids are still full on board the Santa sleigh, which I love, but that means trying to navigate present requests that may be out of Santa’s budget range even though we all know he makes his own gifts. Who cares if that doll car is over $200? Santa makes it!

Deep in all that is the meaning.

And we talk about it.

The miracle in the manger.

But the reality is this: two married adults in their 40s with full time jobs; two sets of adult’s families and related holiday connections; a set of third grade triplets – two boys and a girl and all the school and merriment that comes with that; plus church and health and community and life.

This is the tension of Christmas.

Blessings, all. Still, each adds another layer of “busy.”

I sat in my office yesterday being “mindful.” A couple of minutes looking at a tree outside my window and focusing on my breathing while clearing my head.

It helps. I remembered all I am grateful for.

But I went home. Dirty dishes in the sink. Dinner needed to be made. Homework needed to be done. Errands still needed to be run but couldn’t because it was already after 6. I’m pretty sure no one took a shower. I make photo calendars for all the grandparents every year, and I really meant to do it late last night while the big sale was running on Shutterfly. But I didn’t because I had nothing left. I poured myself a glass of wine and watched an episode of This is Us from three weeks ago (because who can watch anything when it actually airs).

This is a temporary season.

I am acutely conscious of its fleeting nature.

When I bought a new car last month, it hit me. My old car, sitting at 150,000 miles and 8 years old, I’d purchased right after the babies turned one. This car, they will drive when they turn 16.

Flash. Blink. It’s gone.

So why am I writing?

Well, I want to let you off the hook. Maybe because I want to let myself off the hook.

It’s okay if you don’t sit in wonder in front of your Christmas tree while listening to swelling music and dwell contemplatively with your family tucked quietly by your side.

You aren’t missing part of your soul if you woke up and got your kid a cool present at midnight on Black Friday.

Don’t beat yourself up if your December calendar looks like a checkerboard on drugs.

It’s fine if dinner came from Chick Fil A and you missed reading together this week.

You’ll drink hot cocoa.

Decorate Christmas cookies.

String lights on a tree.

Watch Home Alone.

Slow down in front of yards with cool lights.

It may be messy and busy but we will find the meaning. We will give to those in need and to those we love. We will probably go over our budget and try to do better next year. I know that our family will light the candles at our Christmas Eve service and remember who is the true light.

That’s the tension of Christmas.

The beautiful, messy, lit up tension of Christmas.

Unpacking Christmas Early

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We put up Christmas decorations last night.  In our front yard.  While it was misting.  As dark fell.

Our neighbor to the right has her tree up.

Both of the two neighbors on our left have their trees up and their front porch decorated.

But this isn’t typical.

We’re unpacking Christmas early.

I’ve never put up a Christmas decoration before Thanksgiving.

And truth be told, I can’t recall anyone on our street having their decorations up the weekend before Thanksgiving either.

As we drove home from a Friendsgiving lunch (more on that tomorrow), I noticed several houses with Christmas décor up or going up.

Unusually early. They’re unpacking Christmas early.

I talked to my best friend the other day and she was setting out her nativity sets. Her husband refuses to let the tree go up before Thanksgiving.

In the halls of my office, I overhear conversations about the desire to get Christmas decorations up early.

In the grocery stores.

At church.

This is not about commercial stores and sales throwing up all their tinsel and snow the week after Halloween. No, that’s long been their habit.

This is about individuals. People saying let’s pull Christmas out early this year. We just can’t wait until Thanksgiving. Even though we always have before.

Everyone is unpacking Christmas early.

Why?

Why is there a swell of people needing to dust Christmas off and put it on display before they carve the turkey?

I have a theory.

This has been a hell of a year.

Brutal.

Better for some than others, as all years are, but as years go, if you’ll excuse my language, this one sucked.

In my close personal circle (my family, my extended family, and my close personal friends), this year has contained: death of children, suicide attempts, death of parents and grandparents, major health crises, job losses, surgeries, depression, marriages in tatters, legal battles and natural disaster.

Then add in the dark news in the world around us.  Fires and floods and shootings.  Poverty and politics and war.

Just. This. Year.

Do you know why Christmas is coming out early?

People need some hope.

We’re looking for more than holiday cheer.

We all need the promise of something new before we sit around the Thanksgiving table and share why we’re thankful.

Every single person on my list of crises above would tell you they are thankful. I would tell you I am thankful. And it’s not a lie. Or a mask of superficiality.

But I bet they’d also say, I’m thankful but boy things are hard…

Even in families where the children in the family aren’t directly going through the crisis, they feel it. They sense it in their families and their friends families. And they want to unpack Christmas early too.

It’s more than the hot cocoa and popcorn. And we sure had that last night after the wet cold work in the front yard.

It’s more than the happy Christmas songs we all sang along with while decorating. But that was ever present.

I believe it’s about what Christmas is. The heart of Christmas.

The baby in the manager. Christ with us. Christ for us.

It’s joyful memories. And hope for the future. It’s love and friends and family and presents for those in need and those you love.

Last night, I had four kids (one on loan) laughing as they wheelbarrowed out snowmen and candy cane lights and the nativity scene. They debated the placement of the Santa and the ornaments. We bemoaned the lights that went on the walkway snowflakes. It was unadulterated joy.

I felt elated. Overwhelmed at the joy and mirth and uncomplicated fun. Even though I’d been in an emergency room six hours earlier.

Christmas is hope.

And in a dark year, people crave something bright. Brighter than the lights on the tree. Cheaper than a stack of presents (free!). Even in the suffering, there is a great desire for joy.

So around our streets and cities, and maybe in yours too, we’re all unpacking Christmas a little earlier this year.

Maybe it’s just in the nick of time. It comes tumbling out right before we sit down to offer our thanks.

Maybe we all needed to look a little deeper this year to find our thankful. Maybe it’s laying in that manger.

I can still hear my grandfather’s rich voice reading this passage, and I find my own thankful in this early Christmas:

Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savoir has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Luke 2:10-12

Merry Christmas 2017

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Merry Christmas, friends.

It’s a full year.  A hard year.  A different year.

It’s also been a good year.  A growing year.  A year with travel and friends and new paths.

I’d be lying if I said I was sad to see it go though.

Bring on 2018.

But today, reflecting on all of God’s faithfulness through the ups and downs, I am utterly and inexpressibly thankful.

We made it.

We are in good health.  The triplets are in 2nd grade at a school we love with friends we cherish.  Bray and I both have jobs where we’re learning new things.

I didn’t write my traditional Christmas letter with our cards this year because I wasn’t sure how to write it.  Harvey looms large over all of it.  But we had our Big Bend adventure this Spring Break.  Little man and I had our Lego adventure to San Diego.  Bray spent time with each of the kids solo as did I.  We had one last opportunity to hear Tom Petty for our 11th wedding anniversary before he passed away.

We have a beautiful remodel which I really will write about soon.  This summer we had time to spend together at the farm and the ranch.  Bray and I keep creeping further up into our 40s and the kids each had their first birthday sleepover.

They’re making good grades and love to read.  The eldest is still obsessed with all things sports, particularly LSU football (he was Les Miles for Halloween).  The baby is still a renaissance man with big emotions and he loves to FISH (all the time if he could), cook, play sports and engineer complicated Legos.  The little lady is a great joy – all girl with American Girl dolls and dance – but also a total tomboy with cowboy-ing with the men, riding horses, and shooting hoops with the boys.

Under our tree was full, but our hearts are full because God filled a manger over 2,000 years ago.

In the words of Paul in his second book to the church at Corinth:

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!