7 Quick Takes: The Post Party Glow Edition

Life pretty much overtook the chance to document it, during Advent, due to extra commitments, medical appointments, and so on. Thankfully we had a wonderful Christmas holiday and a big part of me didn't want it to end. I'm optimistically (re)turning to rhythm and routine and awaiting a year of potential change, but today I may just bask in the post-party glow.

1.

I looked at my toenails today and they are still painted spangly gold (whilst dishwater long ago consumed the polish from my fingernails.) And I have no opportunity to show off my party toes other than the swimming pool.

2.

I no longer have a fridge full of leftovers so I can throw together meals as sensible as turkey and gammon pie or soups as random as celeriac, apple and stilton (currently simmering on the stove; last usage of leftovers. Sob!)

My celeriac looked more Ood-like than this (© Dr Who)

3.

I do however have an inordinate amount of decorations, wrapping paraphernalia and so on to cram tidy away nicely into "the Christmas cupboard" in the corner of the bedroom.

4.

My husband still has a stash of Christmas chocolate leftover so if, for example, we are catching up with the New Year's Day Sherlock special, I will beg and plead to be fed chocolate like a starved dog. (We don't have a dog, so, probably not quite like that, but that's what my imagination says.)

5.

Having devoured The Sculptor by Scott McCloud and Home by Marilynne Robinson in pretty much single sittings, because I didn't have to be doing anything else, it is now going to take me the whole of 2016 to finish (also by Marilynne Robinson) Gilead. (I deliberately read the books out of order; now wondering if it was such a good idea.)

What a read/visual experience!

6.

I was gifted a longed-for 5 year journal where one notes down just a couple of sentences a day - about the goings on, and what you are thankful for, if you feel so inclined. It's easier than opening up the laptop to blog, and I feel I haven't really had much to say really, but I hope to write things about life here in paragraphs in 2016 should I feel the urge!

7.

Finally, the laundry. Oh the laundry! I did run the washing machine a lot during the holidays, I know I did, but there are so many clothes that were worn - sparkly outfits, new clothing gifts, muddied articles, toilet accidents....and of course three lots of school uniform - I feel as soon as I make headway with the laundry hampers their contents replicate. And bizarrely, despite a ridiculous-but-works-for-me system of lights/whites, bright colours and dark items, which is meant to work in regular rotation, so much has been thrown haphazardly into the hampers and washing machine leaving not only others but me!!! with a bunch of odd socks and no matches. Today is the first day I can actually remember wearing odd socks because there is no other choice (thankfully I am wearing knee-high boots when I leave the house.) *becomes wistful* anyone else remember back in the 80s deliberately wearing one neon yellow sock and one neon pink sock because it was, ahem, on trend?!

Bright socks

What are you finding difficult about getting back to 'normal'? Do please leave a comment and join Kelly and other bloggers at the new and updated This Ain't the Lyceum for more Quick Takes.

7QT: The Black Friday edition

1.

I've seen posts from the USA and heard sentiments in the UK about how we should reclaim Black Friday and make it a time of peace, self-care and space rather than rampant consumerism. I can understand this sentiment. However, at a local supermarket early this morning - a supermarket that had advertised being open at 5am with sale items available - I peacefully shopped for cards and wrap, purchased my Christmas dress, and listened to festive music. The shop was busy, but not overly so, and I'm quite glad I had a little shopping to fit into my last free day before Christmas.

Because why would you need downtime from
 this calm and collected creature?

2.

It's true! There is no more time for me to scoot off by myself and get things sorted. So Black Friday is inadvertently a bit of a panic time for me. Yes, in a week's time I'm visiting Lincoln Christmas market and Cathedral with my husband, and having a company dinner at a good restaurant. And in two weeks' time (a fortnight, for the British) I am taking church friends to a Christmas carol concert at Southwell Minster because they bid for this trip at a church auction. And then a Quiet Day, for the last Friday before the school holidays, at a local convent, to truly prepare. Three Fridays of luxury, in different ways - but no chance for self-care or shopping!

3.

I am being forced sorry, encouraged to practice self-care though, regardless, because I have AquaZumba in the pool later which means the long-overdue razor is coming out as soon as I hit publish on these takes!

AquaZumba you say? Basically Zumba in the swimming pool for 45 minutes, which basically means mad cod-African dancing and jumping up and down as far as I can tell. But it's aerobic, and I'm trying to do it every Friday I don't have a date with my husband or a Quiet Day.

4.

And as well as procuring my Christmas frock (it's red! and Christmassy! But mainly, it fits! Pretty much!) I have my 8-weekly trim and colour today because unlike others before me (my Mum and Kendra) I am hiding my hair greying behind pretty colours. Today could be the day I boldly go for a lighter undershade and coppery highlights. Or not. (Do you think they would clash?)

New. Christmas. Tablecloth, Sorry - Frock.

5.

But I truly hope that, wherever people are, whatever people doing, if they are buying gifts to celebrate the greatest gift, they are able to fit in something, whether it's shaving their legs, having a haircut, having some quiet time to pray or sitting having a cup of coffee with a friend. I know lots of people are clamouring that we should remember the reason for the season, and I think this starts with slowing down and realising that we don't have to get everything done today tomorrow....

6.

For example, last year I didn't give a single Christmas card to anyone I didn't see. But last night I sat and spent a couple of hours writing cards and even writing little notes in some of them, to people I wanted to write little notes to. It felt like a chore in a way, because I hadn't rested at all in the preceding days before doing it, and I would have much rather been in a dark room lying down with my eyes closed. But I did it because it is important to me to maintain connections with friends and family who don't live nearby. I didn't do it because I felt I had to. And I hope that this is something we can take from today, as we get ready to move into Advent - let's focus on the important things, that feed us and build up the Kingdom; let's take a while to love ourselves, in practice for loving our neighbour; let's sprinkle a few fun festive traditions in amongst the serious and sacred preparations, as we remember that we are excited about celebrating a special birthday, which heralded a radical message about how we should live our lives.

7.

And I really, really also think you should spend five minutes looking at what my priest friend (whose blog you should check out) posted on Facebook last night: 50 Nativity Sets you will be wanting to buy! (But not on Black Friday. No.)

The reason for the season. (Not vegetables.)

More (and possibly less preachy!) Quick Takes can be found at This Ain't the Lyceum.

7 Quick Takes: The Advent of Advent

1.

There are tons of signs I am getting ready for Advent. Firstly, I have gifts to wrap and cards to write and post, and in my head this is the thing I do before Advent, so I can participate fully. So guess what? Everything is just sitting there, with no time scheduled in to do these things. What a good starting point to reflect on my humanness and await the divine....

2.

But it has been Bonfire Night. I know in the USA that the holiday season – and Starbucks squabbles – hit as soon as Halloween was done, but here in England we had the death of a revolutionary to celebrate. Guy Fawkes’ Night meant two weeks of pretty incessant fireworks. We had spontaneous firework and bonfire craft at home, and FabDad took the three eldest sisters to a firework display. 4thSister and I watched one from the window.

Tissue paper bonfire and fireworks

3.

Speaking of dead revolutionaries, everyone in our house is being made to listen to Hamilton: The Musical which 1stSister picked up on even before I realised Hallie Lord had. My life may be complete – a historical musical with rap. It sounds terrible written down, but listening to it, it is amazing. The rhyming couplets and cheeky references (Gilbert and Sullivan operettas anyone?) are MAKING ME SO HAPPY.

4.

 It is another sign that I am ‘getting ready for Advent’ when I start to procrastinate and listen to musicals rather than actually doing much.

5.

Thankfully despite being on placement at a different church for the next month or so, I am helping with a Songs of Praise service on the 1^st Sunday of Christmas so I’ve just spent a couple of hours absorbed in Jesse Tree stuff, Bible readings, prayers and poems to celebrate Christmas – and if that isn’t getting Advent-y I don’t know what is J

6.

When my 5 year old asked whether we were going to get the candles of all different colours out and light them, I didn’t ask her seven times whether or not she meant the rainbow candle 1^st Sister had made, I straight away piped up “you mean the Advent Candles, don’t you?”

7.

Finally – there is an extra compline service at church for Tuesdays in Advent which is in my diary. I am finally back on my feet fully post-op and scheduling in time with friends, the outdoors, playtime with small children and enjoying dates with my husband. It is requiring A LOT of self-discipline to balance everything within our domestic unit so I am relying on a lot of prayer. Advent gives me an opportunity to revisit my rule of life, in a way that’s slightly less penitential than Lent and slightly more about delayed gratification (mustn’t eat the Christmas goodies before it’s time, now.) I don’t really want to wait to get my act together this year, because I want to make the time to wait on Him properly. It’s inevitable in my humanness that there will be things that slip through the net. I know regular prayer won’t get the gifts wrapped. But it gives me a starting point, the very best starting point of all.