When it comes to the controversial topic of when it’s okay to start celebrating Christmas, ours is a house divided. I’m in the mid-November camp: don’t get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving, but I have no problem practicing gratitude and baking pies while listening to Christmas music and maybe even watching a holiday movie or two. I’ve won the twins over to my way of thinking. Luke and Charleston, on the other hand, are firmly opposed to anything remotely Christmas-y until the day after Thanksgiving. And so, in deference to my husband and oldest child, we wait until Black Friday to pull out our decorations, shop for a tree, and start watching Elf. (Although I won’t pretend that I haven’t already finished my Christmas shopping and wrapping, that my Christmas cards weren’t delivered last week, or that carols haven’t been streaming in my car since Halloween!)
Whenever you choose to start celebrating Christmas—whether you’ve been decking the halls for a month, or are still putting things off for a few more weeks—I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend and a delightful November. Here’s a look back at our month.
|| READING LATELY ||
My reading this month was eclectic and not especially satisfying. I did have success with Middle Grade, including this classic that was my favorite read-aloud of year, this wonderful historical novel that I read as part of my current obsession with the House of Tudor, a charming Christmas story from a new-to-us series, and a reread of this Christmas classic. In adult fiction, I read two seasonal novellas (this and this) that missed the mark and one wintery novel that I really enjoyed. I also read this slightly-terrifying book that looks at the dark underbelly of influencer culture and, on the opposite end of the emotional pendulum, I listened to two more installments of Emma’s journals that continue to delight.
As for nonfiction, I finished the devotional that was my daily companion for the last eleven months and that has me eager to read more from Frederick Buechner. I also read this book that was an excellent parenting pep talk and this one that was more of a parenting cautionary tale. I’ll be sharing full reviews of all of this month’s books in a Quick Lit post next week.
|| LOVING LATELY ||
BirdRock Baby Moccasins—Why are baby shoes so hard? I’ve had the toughest time finding shoes that fit Nico’s (admittedly chubby) feet, and when I have found pairs that fit, he refuses to leave them on. That was fine when he was newly crawling, but now that he’s standing, cruising, and on the cusp of walking on his own, he needs some shoes that fit and stay on his feet. We’ve had great success with moccasins from Freshly Picked with our older three kids, but those are *really* pricey. As an alternative, I decided to give this less-expensive pair from BirdRock Baby a shot and they’ve been perfect! They’re easy to get onto Nico’s feet but almost impossible for him to take off on his own. The 100% leather shoes mold to his feet and are super-duper cute, and the grey color goes with everything. He’s sure to outgrow them before wearing them out, but I like that they come with a lifetime guarantee. I can’t say enough good things about these mocs!
Our Holiday “School” Routine—Our family always takes the month of December off of school, and this year we reached the mid-way point in our curriculum a little early so that we could take off Thanksgiving week, too. Which means that we are already a week into our Christmas break and it has been so nice to relax our pace. I’ve found that we do best when we stick to a schedule, so we are still getting up and dressed each morning for our 45-minute walk around the neighborhood, which also serves as our time for practicing memory work (our CC subjects as well as The Sermon on the Mount, which we’re memorizing as a family). When we get home, the kids color or work on Christmas crafts for about an hour while I read aloud to them from holiday picture books or our current chapter book (we just finished this adorable book and are about to start A Christmas Carol). This takes us to Nico’s naptime, and we play board games or do some holiday baking until Nico wakes up. Once the baby’s up, it’s time for breakfast before moving on with whatever plans we have for the day.
This morning routine incorporates all my favorite parts of our school day without any of the curriculum or stress. Having this schedule in place keeps the “unscheduled crazies” at bay, and it guarantees we’re fitting in the things we love (reading, crafts, games) that we may not otherwise work into our day. Homeschooling—and getting to make our own schedule—sure does have its perks!
|| LISTENING LATELY ||
A few podcasts that inspired or informed this month.
+ Focus on the Family with Jim Daly—Inviting Strangers Into God’s Family
+ Everyday Educator—Family Traditions to Start Today
+ Happier with Gretchen Rubin—A Little Happier: A True Story of Redeeming a Loss Through Sacrifice
+ The Alisa Childers Podcast—#343 Candace Owens, Discernment, and the Crisis of Critical Thinking
+ Pints with Aquinas—The Truth, Reality, and Conspiracy Theories (Joe Heschmeyer) | Ep. 553
|| MONTHLY KID-ISMS ||
CHARLIE-ISMS
+ In an oral spelling test. Me: “Spell future.” Charleston: “g-o-o-d” Me: “Spell government.” Charleston: “I-n-f-l-a-t-i-o-n C-a-u-s-i-n-g.” Me: “I think you’ve been watching too much Tuttle Twins.”
+ When we read about an “old people’s home” in a book: “I hope they don’t really call it an Old People’s Home, because they wouldn’t attract many customers.”
+ “Mom, I have a question. You have four kids and yet you’re still sane. How do you do it? I only have three siblings and I’m going crazy.”
+ Me: “Charleston, be nice to your sister. We only ever say KIND things to a lady.” Charleston: “What about a lady’s clothes?”
+ “Every device has its quirks that only the owner knows.” Me: “Yep. Like how my Kindle always crashes when I open up the Bible.” Charleston: “I’m curious, is that a technological battle or a spiritual one?”
SULLY-ISMS
+ “Are milk and cookies basically all Santa eats?”
+ “I used to think that when it rained God was dropping buckets of water from the sky.”
+ When we saw an Angel Tree and I explained that we could buy a Christmas gift for a child in need. “I feel bad for those kids. Because they don’t get any Christmas presents. The only thing they get is birthday presents.”
+ “When was cheese invented? I wish I was born back in the before-cheese times so I wouldn’t have to eat it.”
+ While watching a (mostly tame) romantic scene in the movie Jack Frost: “Wow. That’s a lot of kisses. It’s, like, fifteen.” (Goes to rewind the movie to count.)
+ “The white Christmas lights aren’t bad, they just aren’t very colorful.”
KALI-ISMS
+ “If Santa dies, does that mean Mrs. Claus has to do all the work?”
+ “What is the most important color? Is it red or black? Because red is for Valentine’s Day, but black is for a broken heart.
+ On sleeping on the wall side of the bed, which she shares with Sully. (They do have their own beds but prefer to share.) “I’m afraid of monsters on that side. So I like this side so Sully can protect me.”
NICO-ISMS
Our little guy isn’t fully talking yet, but he has a lot of individual words, and he’s always babbling away in Nico-speak. He’s had some adorable moments lately.
+ I love how he smiles and waves, saying “hi! hi! hi!” anytime we cross paths with another person(whether or not it’s a person he knows) and “bye-bye” with a wave and blown kisses whenever we leave a room.
+ He excitedly points out every animal (“Arlo!”) and bird (“baa!).
+ Nico loves sitting in the middle of our family circle each night when we do our bedtime blessing. He knows that we end our prayer time with a hands-in cheer of “Jesus!,” but he always tries to do it early while we are still praying. We can’t help but laugh when he throws up his arms and shouts “yay!” while Luke is is mid-prayer.
+ He loves holding hands to pray before mealtime and has started to point to the table and say “Amen” when he’s ready to eat.
+ Anytime he likes or wants something, he points to it and says “mama.” I’m not sure if I should be annoyed or flattered to share my name in this way?!
+ He likes to make a monster sound when he takes bites of his food and finds this hilarious.
+ He regularly puts food pouches up to his ear like a phone and says, “hi!”
|| HAPPENINGS AND HIGHLIGHTS ||
My parents were visiting us the last week of October/first week of November, and on their last day in Texas we all headed to Sweet Eats for some fun on the farm! (This is one of my favorite hacks: go to the pumpkin patch AFTER Halloween; all the fun, without the crowds!) We did a corn maze, cheered on racing piglets, went on a tractor ride, pet baby animals, and watched the kids ride horses, get their faces painted, and play on the farm’s many swings, slides, bouncers, and other play equipment. Sweet Eats has become one of our favorite spots, and I was glad we got to enjoy it with my parents this year.
My friend Cara (who lives in South Dakota) came out for a quick trip, and we LOVED the time we got to spend with her! Cara and I got to have a girls’ dinner out (my first in almost two years!), and she spent a day at our house playing games with the kids and letting them regale her with stories, entertain her with dances, and show off their various toys and tricks. Cara and I have been friends since high school and I continue to be so thankful for our friendship.
We kicked off Thanksgiving Day with a viewing of The Macy’s Parade. Believe it or not, this was the first time the kids have seen it, and I’m pretty sure it’s the first time I’ve watched it since Luke and I got married in 2008 since we’ve never had cable. This year Luke splurged on a month of Peacock so that we could bring back this tradition that was a big part of every Thanksgiving of my youth. And they loved it every bit as much as I always did! We also spent some time writing in the Gratitude journal that we update every year; it’s always fun to go back and look at our journal entries from previous years. The rest of Thanksgiving day was spent at my sister-in-law’s house, where we hung out with the cousins, ate delicious food, chased Nico up and down their stairs (a novelty for him since our house is single story), and played games. It was a really great day!
With Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror, the rest of the weekend was dedicated to decorating for Christmas! On Black Friday, we went to the Christmas tree farm to pick up our trees (one for the living room and a smaller kids’ tree for the playroom), and I put out all of our decorations—my display of our annual Christmas cards going back to 2015, another display of our Santa pictures, our various Nativities and Advent calendars, the Christmas stuffed animals that I’ve had since childhood, and various wreaths, linens, and other holiday knickknacks. And on Saturday we decorated our trees! I love this tradition that might be one of my favorite things we do all season. We munch on Christmas m&ms (peanut butter, because they are the best kind) and stream Christmas tunes, and the kids have fun reminiscing with each ornament we place on the tree. I get pics of the kids putting up their first Christmas ornaments, and they dance along to our ornaments that play songs.
Each Christmas we add at least one special ornament to our collection that signifies a special memory from the year. This year we added two new ornaments. The first is from Forest Home, where we attend family camp each year; it’s been a special place for our family since I was a child and somehow we never had a Forest Home ornament—but that changed this year! Our second new ornament is actually still in transit, but we will be adding a pewter Oak Tree to signify The Oaks Church plant that we have been blessed to be a part of this year. The oak tree will also remind us that 2025 was a year we put down roots in homeschool community and in faith, as the twins accepted Jesus into their hearts this past spring.
Once our tree was adorned, the kids got to open their first gift of Christmas: matching pajamas, a Lego advent calendar, a new Advent devotional, and a picture book (since we are going to see the live performance of The Nutcracker in two weeks). Somehow I accidentally ordered Sully the girl version of our new jammies and didn’t realize it until he’d opened them. He was a good sport about the mixup and had fun playing matchy-matchy with Kali for a bit before I repackaged the nightgown to exchange it for some boy jammies. It definitely made the present a memorable one!
|| ICYMI: NOVEMBER ON THE BLOG ||
REFLECTIONS
Twelve Things I Learned This Fall . . . About Classical Homeschooling, Spiritual Movements, Family Traditions, and Kids Doing What Kids Do “We cannot hear from God if our hearts are hardened by sin and disobedience. We cannot be full participants in the work God is doing if our hearts are not bent towards the Lord and His desires. We cannot properly engage with new believers and nonbelievers if our hearts are aligned with false idols or misconceptions about God and His will.”
Discipleship, Discernment, and Defying Disinformation “In an era of ubiquitous information pouring forth from highly unreliable sources, it’s more important than ever that these girls are developing strong Biblical literacy as they learn to turn to the one True Source for answers to life’s biggest questions. They need to know their Bible—what it says, what it means, and how to discern its truth.“
The Worship Problem “We solve our worship problem by deciding to worship God, and then acting wholeheartedly on that decision with every thought and action and moment in our lives.“
BOOK CORNER
Featured Book Review: Walking with God
What were some highlights of your November? What are you most looking forward to this December? I’d love to hear about it!
