Christmas at the Longs

I love fine china. When Deonne and I married, I had been living on my own for several years so I had a pretty nice set of "everyday" dishware. As a result, when the time came to register for china, I opted to select two formal patterns rather than one formal and one "everyday". I fell in love with the Lenox Hayworth pattern, for it's simplicity and elegant design of cream colored china with a thin gold band.

I especially loved how it paired with the Lenox Holiday pattern - probably my all-time favorite set of dishes. Ever.

(I know, I'm boring. I totally get excited about pretty plates and crystal.)

But, every year I look forward to the day after Thanksgiving when I clear the china cabinet of all plain cream Hayworth china and replace it with our Holiday pattern. I eagerly await the days when I unbox our Annual Holiday plates and arrange them on the glass shelves in chronological order.

When I look through all of our china, I'm reminded of those who generously gifted the different pieces to us at our wedding - both those who are still with us and those who are watching us from above.

I am reminded of all of the holiday and special meals we have shared on these pieces, and look forward to the meals we will continue to share. As a family.

The advent house is another family tradition we started a few years ago. One day Deonne came home from work and said he wanted to get an Advent house - something we could put little treats in for little fingers to find. We searched and searched for a while, before finally settling on this house from Sur la Table.

It's a fun thing for the kids - they take turns opening the tiny doors and windows, eager to see what treats they may find. The goodies vary, sometimes a chocolate morsel, sometimes a sweet package of Jelly Belly beans, sometimes a note forecasting a special Holiday event for that night (such as a visit to the lights at the zoo or tickets to the Nutcracker.) Whatever they find, they are delighted.

And we as parents get to experience that joy through them - and really, seeing their utter joy and hearing their peals of laughter is what this season is all about.