The Twelve Days of Christmas

In the middle of a back breaking work week, I decided to get creative.
Since I had to work yesterday all day and evening, I invited the family to meet me in the lounge of my office for a holiday-making activity.
For an hour, from 5 until 5:50 or so we took turns decorating a large piece of paper with all the things we want to celebrate during our 12 days of Christmas celebration, which kicks off tomorrow with a special family ceremony...
Aidan got really into it and drew beautiful pictures of sun and trees.
Kellen tried to help by holding a crayon, but it is hard when you are only 1.
After a while it was back to work...but I felt I had had a good dose of family time too.
I also learned that you can accomplish quite a lot in one hour if there are no distractions.
Today the wind is howling...
I'm starting notes for my new novel...
and trying to put the house, which looks like humpty dumpty After the Fall, back together.
We shall see.
* * *
The other jooy of the past 24 hours is that the fig tree is beginning to get leaves again!
Aidan and I are beside ourselves with excitement over this...
Aidan considers this tree his and calls it figgy.
Just now, the house is napping in its winter quiet--Kellen in his bed and Brian in ours with the cat curled under his chin.
Ah winter...
It's not so bad when it first starts, when the quiet falls as a netting over our lives, remdinding us to read and recharge and rest...
And for now, I'm not thinking about later, like February or March.
For now it is December, the month of my children's birthdays, a month of magic.