Christmas at the Hammonds

Every year when the weather starts turning and the leaves start changing and the birds start migrating I always think, “It’s here!”. Finally, the time I have been waiting for. Cold weather holds a dear place in my heart. Everything is more exciting and alluring. Hunting, bon fires, cane grinds, football, hot chocolate, soups, parades and parties. Call me crazy but right before Fall hits and it’s slowly rolling in but still hot outside, I can smell it coming. There is one day every year that I will be outside and a breeze will drift by and with it this specific scent that instantly brings back warm memories of what embodies cold weather. Its kind of like how an arthritic person can predict rain from the pain of their bum knee. Are you following me here?

With the changes of the seasons bring a large amount of prepping. Who’s idea was it to put Thanksgiving on the doorstep of Christmas?? Why couldn’t we have had the fourth of July be the fourth of November? The fourth of July is great and all but its one day then its over. Great grandma doesn’t call everyone and insist they all be together even though everyone lives out of town and would then would have to stay in great grandmas small back bedroom or try to book a room at the bed and breakfast (because no hotel will build in a town that small) that only has three rooms available so its basically like rolling the die for comfort or convenience.

Thanksgiving is slowly being pushed out of the way anyways. I mean, people are putting up Christmas decor the week before Christmas! Whoever does that, shame on you. Thanksgiving deserves its spotlight. Then you get the thanksgiving traveling and gathering done and the world doesn’t let you take a breath because Christmas is right around the corner. It’s tiiiiiimmmmeeeee. As Mariah Carey would say. Parades, festivals, the fair, football games, candlelight services, intense gingerbread house competitions and Christmas parties to name a few. Add traveling to see family AGAIN and you have your your holidays wrapped up in a bow. A very tired, stressed and overstimulated bow.

Even though it is insanely busy, and more so if you have kids, Christmas time is my favorite time of year. Its all just so…magical to me. There is a spark in the air. I love that spark so much that I want to add my own spark (and raise my blood pressure) by hosting a Christmas party! It took me a long time to be comfortable with hosting. Lots of trial and error but here we are! Three (or is it four?) years of hosting a Christmas/New Years party and I’m a pro. 

Jk.

Luckily, you don’t have to be a professional to host a party that your guests will have fun at. All you have to do is relax and make some food and come up with some games! And have a playlist. And candles. And run a kids Christmas movie by all of the parents coming bringing their kids and getting their approval. Oh, and cleaning the guest bathroom. That’s an important one. Because I haven’t cleaned it in a week. Or was it two? Listen, I have three toddler boys, two of which are potty trained (that does NOT mean ‘accident free’) and the third is in diapers and he sees every room in the house as a challenge to conquer and leave his mark on in some way. Most ways being playing in the sink and getting water everywhere but other days its pulling things out of the cabinet or painting himself with the foam soap or playing with the toilet scrubber, which we all know is not bone dry so that means nasty, old toilet water everywhere. Therefore, it gets hard to see the point of cleaning really consistently since it literally never stays clean more than two days tops. (Deep inhale) Therefore, I do not want to see all of those judgmental raised eyebrows on the weekly cleanliness state of my bathroom. 

So maybe relaxing isn’t a part of the Christmas party equation. (Shrug) 

The most important part to focus on, in my opinion, is who you invite. We have an incredibly amazing friend group that the Lord has blessed us with and we are so thankful for that. Throw in some of our close family members and you have your party. Almost all of the people we surround ourselves with are devout christians like ourselves so when we plan for this special night, the meaning of Christmas is not lost on us. Its not the candles, the slow Christmas jazz or even the wonderful companionship with family and friends that brings us together. Its Jesus. It’s His birth that brings us together in thankfulness for Gods mercy on us as sinners. Santa Clause is just a story. This, this is history. The true meaning of why we gather together. To celebrate His life. Merry Christmas everyone!