slow days at Christmastime

"Let's get an early start". 

We talked over soup and bread Friday night--planning out our Christmas Tree hunt for the next day. We'd all been anxiously awaiting the weekend and the weather was looking absolutely perfect. 

I woke up to sunshine at seven, and thought "who needs an early start!", and went back to sleep, taking full advantage of a day off. 

No one complained. 

We eventually all woke up, Robby scrambled eggs while the kids gathered up snowpants and boots and mittens. We loaded up the dog, sleds, a thermos full of cocoa, and headed for the hills.

Not far up the mountain we found SNOW! Gobs of it! We've only had one snow down in the valley, and it didn't stick around very long....so we were excited to get out and play. We parked the car and made our way through a clearing--our tracks were the first. 

We got into the trees--shady and cool--a surprisingly welcome break from the warm sun (it's funny how 30° suddenly feels hot when you're trudging through deep snow). The sun filtered through the forest ceiling and shone brightly in one spot--lighting up a lone pine. It was missing branches and awkwardly lopsided, about 4 feet too tall for our house.
It was perfect.

The kids took turns being lumberjacks and we all yelled "TIMMMMMBER!!" as it fell onto the soft snow.

We attempted some awkward family photos, and then half carried/half dragged our tree across the clearing and back to the car. 

And then the real fun started. 

The road was covered in snow, and we were the only people out for the day. We had a sled, a tow-strap, and two kids anxious for a good old fashioned sleigh ride. 

They screamed and giggled for miles. Their little faces froze as the car sprayed them with snow.....and all they said was "FASTER!" They'd fall off, and drag for a while before they let go. As we laughed hysterically at their shrieks, I couldn't decide if we were the best parents....or the worst. The sun finally faded down behind the trees and we stopped for our hot chocolate and donuts, and helped them pick the ice out of their noses and hair. 

Robby lit every single scrawny branch, we hung ornaments collected over the years, and topped it with a star. 

I love these days when time slows down. When it's just me and my people, doing what we love. The Christmas season gets so busy--parties, shopping, eating, playing--it's all good stuff. My school is just totally ridiculously a bit crazy as we wrap up the semester, the kids have programs and projects due at school, so I'm trying my best to cut out everything we don't need--even the good stuff. If it starts to feel like "too much", I wonder if we really need it.....we probably don't. Focusing on my family and reminding myself that THESE days truly are the best days, helps me simplify. 

Slow days at Christmastime, I love this season.

How do you slow down and simplify the Christmas season?
I'd love to hear.