T’is almost the season…

Yesterday as I sat watching Joel tear up another basketball court along with his teammates who seem to live to play hoops, I was chatting with one of our young mom friends. She asked me if I had started Christmas shopping. 

It was an ah-ha moment for me. 

I am feeling the impending crunch of holiday decorating, card sending, trying to squeeze in the things we still hold fast to (or try to if the calendar leaves us a window.) We did put the lights up outside on a warm afternoon but we won’t light them for a few more weeks. 

We are “after-thanksgiving” people. No judgment. I don’t care when you put your stuff up or when you take it down. Russ and I are in agreement and so we do things our way and enjoy whatever choices anyone else makes from afar. 

But this Christmas shopping idea grabbed me. I realized as whistles blew, shoes squeaked and buzzers blasted that I could definitely get that knocked off so that I have the bulk completed as much as possible before I launch into decorating the house. 

So it was I found myself in Target this morning with a general topic list of categories…ie, stockings, trivia weekly gifting (more about that later) and kid’s gifts. I may have looked like I was randomly throwing things in my cart, but there was purpose behind it. 

And so I found myself in several aisles running into a kindred spirit. Another grandmother about my age was doing precisely the same thing. Like me, she had roused herself on this glorious Monday morning and headed out with some rough ideas in her head of what she wanted to accomplish. 

We laughed several times as one or the other of us would turn into an aisle and there we were, both looking at the same shelves of things. As I was wrapping up my list, I got a call from Russ informing me that he was parking outside and would be joining me. 

I wondered if he would question my purchases, but as always he trusts my judgment for making Christmas happen around here. As I wheeled my cart into the check out line, I realized my shopping buddy was right ahead of me. 

I tapped her on the shoulder and told her I had gotten caught. We had a good laugh as she jokingly said she had made sure her husband was far away from her errand running. 

It was fun and that’s what the holidays should be.

 I am thankful for Russ and his support. I am thankful for the other people God places in my path along the journey to laugh with and feel connection to. I am thankful for a family for whom I am busy stashing bags of things away to gift in a few weeks. 

And I am thankful for this place on the internet to meet up with you and share a story or more. Right now, I am praying for how our Journey to Christmas will look this year. I am listening to what God might have for us. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

You are dearly loved <3