Saturday, December 01, 2007

Advent and birthdays

Amelia's birthday is today! Happy Birthday to you! She was having a massage (that should be interesting) and a pedicure (she can't even see her toe nails!) -- a purely pampered day because, she says, there is no telling when she will have the opportunity again. We are still hoping the baby will arrive around the 11th, as the doctor said it was possible, but that is almost two weeks before her due date...so who knows. We are hoping, anyway. She and Chris will be having dinner at The Village tonight. Her gift will have to wait until tomorrow.

Fee's birthday is the 22nd. He is a child of the Winter Solstice, and last year on his birthday I decided that in the future, I would celebrate his birthday each day from the first day in December until December 22...kind of a very personal advent. Today, his gift is some ivy plucked from the garden and a note that says that ivy symbolizes the season and stands for fidelity, protection, honor, marriage, and good luck. Tonight we will be grateful for the beginning of the Christmas season, the Winter Solstice, the first day in the count-down to Fee's birthday, the birth of Amelia ___ years ago today, Chris's birthday in a few short days, and the prospective birth of our third grandchild. We will remember his mother who was also born on December 22; he is actually a second generation Winter Solstice child. My mother, too, will hold a special place in my prayers because she died December 16th in 2005. Both mothers will be a cherished part of this tradition.

Last year I jotted down some simple gifts that had to do with the Winter Solstice, so Fee will receive a little something each day. It will, I hope, become a ritual...and I wish I'd thought of it years ago.

I won't post this until later tonight after the fact. :)
--------
We had a lovely first of December evening browsing Sam's (I have the raspberries for a cobbler now), then out to eat. He seemed quite pleased with the ivy and the note. And so until tomorrow evening's gift...

7 comments:

  1. What a lovely tradition.

    ReplyDelete
  2. what a lovely idea! Sounds like tremendous fun for both of you. Amelia's smart to get pampering time for herself while it's still available.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for being someone who celebrates the Solstice season. Can't wait for the other gifts ! What a wonderful idea!

    ReplyDelete
  4. what a wonderful new tradition.... december is such a powerful month for so many - in your simple gifts (ivy plucked from the garden with a note) you embrace the joy of the season if only others can celebrate as you do and not get sucked into the snare of hyper-consumption.

    like zquilts sense a 'theme' in the bayou for december and look forward to learning of the daily celebrations!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Rian - I decided it wasn't too late to begin a new tradition, and I'm having such fun with it!

    Acey -- I've enjoyed the planning and preparing so it is really special that he seem so grateful for such small things.

    Amelia is doing everything she can to psychically influence the baby to come ASAP!

    Marie -- I've always loved the idea of the Winter Solstice, the longest day of the year, the idea of fresh beginnings, but have never consciously planned a celebration before. The fact that it can be combined with Fee's birthday and Advent makes it especially nice.

    kimy -- I love the idea of rituals, but have always been a little reluctant to create new ones. This actually makes me reach for creative ideas that can be carried out on the cheap. I do have a couple of purchased surprises, however. Nothing is big, but hopefully all will be meaningful.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a wonderful and beautiful way to honor and celebrate with Fee. My husband birthday is on the 21st... maybe I could try doing that for a fortnight this year.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Kim - I swear, he has enjoyed this more than anything I've ever given him -- and most of it costs nothing. I have a few gifts that I've purchased, but all are inexpensive. Maybe because his birthday often gets lost in the holiday rush, he has been absolutely child-like about this.

    If you have time, I bet your husband would enjoy it, too. And a fortnight has such a nice sound...I always think of Meg from Little Women when I hear it!

    ReplyDelete

Good to hear from you!