Valley Mama

Magical Christmas Moments

Yule Elf Mission Fun - Part 2

Yule Elf Mission #20: Christmas Train

Friends, carols, cookies, cocoa,
Heading down the track.
All aboard the Christmas train,
To the North Pole and back!

 

 Riding the Christmas train has become a family tradition the last few years, and Mason starts asking about it as soon as thoughts of Christmas enter his mind.  This year, we did not tell him about the train ride ahead of time, so he was surprised and super-excited to get this card.  He found the card as soon as he woke up in the morning beside one of his trains, and after hearing the contents of the card he jumped up and down and ran around the house.  

When we arrived at the train station that evening, he had another surprise...his friend Lily and her family were coming too...and on the same train!  We had a blast. 

 

Yule Elf Mission #21: Winter Solstice

In the cold of winter on the longest night,
As the light of the sun fades from sight,
Gather your friends and burn candles bright,
To welcome back warmth in the morning light.

On this day, in the evening, we gathered with friends and community members for a community winter solstice celebration.  Delicious food, candle-making, reflecting on the dark, welcoming back the light, and a little drumming made for a beautiful celebration.  This was a very busy day for me, and I realized late in the night that I had not taken a single photo, but I was completely OK with that.  Sometimes it's nice to just put the camera down for a bit and be a little more present in whatever moments arise.  

 

Yule Elf Mission #22: Everyday Acts of Love

Christmas day is almost here, so this simple mission I'll give - 
Let your light shine through acts of love for those with whom you live.

 

 

This was another more or less camera-less day.  A day for reconnecting with Mason after being so busy with other things.  We talked about how special surprises and acts of kindness for others were wonderful and fun, and, how sometimes it's nice to recognize all the countless little ways we show love and appreciation for those closest to us.  We built towers, played with action figures, and spent a lot of time cuddling...just what we needed this day.  

 

Yule Elf Mission #23: Cleaning Elves

Christmas eve tomorrow will come - 
Time to make ready your cozy home.
Clean your house from tip to toe,
To welcome the light and Christmas glow.

With all of our Yule Elf missions, holiday gatherings, and crafting business, the house was definitely in need of a little attention.  Thankfully the Yule Elf noticed this and gave us the perfect mission...honoring and caring for our home by spending time cleaning it!  Mason devoted much of his cleaning energy to organizing books and cleaning the bookshelf, while River enjoyed some time with the feather duster.  I'd like to say that the mountain of laundry on the couch got folded and put away as well...but that was to be for another day.  

 

Yule Elf Mission #24: Christmas Eve Cookies

A day of wonder and magic await, for those who can believe.
Fill your home with joy and love today on Christmas Eve.
Make room for the birth of hope and light, right inside your heart,
To be a beacon of Christmas joy shining in the dark.
Father Christmas will be here soon - finish the gifts you've made.
Make Christmas cookies together and leave a few out, and don't forget the hay!

Christmas Eve was a day of finishing up gifts, picking up the house and baking cookies.  Mason carefully chose some of his masterpiece cookies to leave for Father Christmas, and put a little hay on the front step for the reindeer.  We gazed at the lights of the tree and cuddled up to read a few Christmas stories, including a new favorite, The Cricket and the Shepherd Boy and Tasha Tudor's The Night Before Christmas.

 

 

Christmas Day

It's time to celebrate, Christmas day is here!
Many thanks for spreading Christmas joy and cheer!
Father Christmas is impressed with all that you've done -
Spreading love and light and lots of Yule fun.
Bringing hope to the world starts with one tiny spark,
That you kindle and nurture deep inside your heart.
Remember to let your light shine in all that you do,
And the spirit of Christmas will remain inside you.
Thanks again for helping, my sweet human child friend -
And keep spreading joy until we meet again!

Christmas day was wonderfully slow and relaxing.  Midway through the day we opened the Yule Elf card tucked into the middle of the tree and read the note.  Behind the note was a little gift from the Yule Elf...a wind-up flashlight that needs no batteries.  Mason said, "I bet the Yule Elf left this gift to remind me about letting my light shine all year long."  I agreed, and added that, like with the flashlight, the power to shine his light came from him.  

"Mama, I hope I do meet the Yule Elf again next year!"

"Me too, Mason...me too."

 

 Visit our Magical Advent post to learn more about what we did this year. 

Yule Elf Mission Fun - Part 1

I turned the computer off most of last week to focus on doll-making work, finishing up projects for our little people, and playing with those little people.  This, as I'm sure you can imagine, did not leave much time for blogging.  Blogging daily about our Yule Elf Missions, on top of actually doing them, became a little too much.  But what about the missions??  What happened with the Yule Elf?  I do know that some of you were enjoying following our Yule Elf story, and I don't want to leave you hanging, so, if you're wondering about how the rest of our Magical Advent season went, here comes an overview...in Two Parts!  

Yule Elf Mission #15: Sweet Treats

"The holidays bring many good things to eat -
Spread Christmas cheer with a special sweet treat!
Pie, cake, tart - which will you choose?
Give thanks for each ingredient you use."

 

We always have a great time with baking projects around here, and after hearing the Yule Elf card read Mason insisted that we needed to make an apple tart.  I agreed, and we decided to make a chocolate pie as well...just because.  It just so happened that we were going to a dessert and wine party that very night, so we were also able to share our yummy treats with friends!                                                                

 

Yule Elf Mission #16: Handmade Gifts

"Spend time working on a special gift
For someone you hold dear.
Use your hands and the love in your heart,
For Christmas time is near."

After reading this card, we sat down for breakfast and made a list of gifts we wanted to make.  Mason had already been working on several different things, but this gave us dedicated time to spend on them.  I love that Mason and River are growing up in a "handmade home".  When thinking of a gift for others, the first thought is always "what should we make?", instead of "what can we buy?"  

Mason knew that he wanted to make a ball for River (the girl loves balls), but he wasn't sure how.  We came up with a sewn ball make with felt and stuffed with wool...something he made almost entirely by himself.  He lost steam on this one a little, and he ended up making a football instead of a round ball, but she loved it just the same, and I know he was proud.  

 

Yule Elf Mission #17: Time Together

"With so much to keep us busy this time of year - 
Holiday parties and fun events with good cheer,
Take time today to rest and renew.
How about a game and hot cocoa for two?"

After some busy holiday days, a little downtime was needed...luckily that wise Yule Elf knew just what to do!  A game and cocoa with my boy was the perfect way to spend an afternoon (while River was napping). Mason chose a couple of his favorite games (The Kids of Carcassonne and Wildcraft) and we headed to the dining room.  I made the cocoa while he set up the first game, Wildcraft.  If you love plants, herbal healing and games (everybody loves these things, right?) you have to check out this game.  The behind this cooperative board game is that everyone has to make it to the huckleberry patch and back before sun down.  Along the way you gather plants and heal yourself as various troubles arise.  It's awesome.    

 

 

Yule Elf Mission #18: Winter Walk

"It's easy to stay inside when the weather is cold,
But a winter walk is nice with a hand to hold.
Bundle up the family and head outside,
Explore the season of stillness and quiet."

 

 It really is easy to stay inside on these super cold days of winter, but even a short time spent in that beautiful Valley sunshine and fresh air can bring a whole new level of awareness and shift of perspective to our days.  The little ones and I picked up Papa at the office and headed to one of our favorite it-town trails on the river.  It was a cold, lovely walk, and we had a great time.  I look at this photo and think, "is this really where I get to live? Where my children get to grow up?"

Feeling thankful, even for these cold days of winter.   

 

 

Yule Elf Mission #19: More Gift Making

Stitching, knitting, sanding baking - 
Time for little elves to get creating.
With the spirit of giving alive in your heart,
Make gifts with joy to brighten the dark.

 

I guess the Yule Elf thought we needed another day of dedicated gift making, and I had to agree with him. Mason spent some time in the day helping Aaron with River's Christmas gift (a Papa-built learning tower!) and then he spent much of the evening sanding some of our favorite branch blocks to gift to a special little boy.  I later discovered that he also worked on his gift for me...finishing up an embroidered sun he began in the fall.  I love seeing him work on projects like this...they are special gifts, indeed.

   

Up next, Part Two of our remaining days of Yule Elf Missions!

 Visit our Magical Advent post to learn more about what we did this year.

 

Yule Elf Mission #14: Carols to Sing

"When voices join together in song, magic fills the air.
Your heart is filled with warmth and love when Christmas carols you share.
Call someone who lives far away and sing them a Christmas song.
Then take your family and join with friends in a community sing-a-long!"

For the last several years we have participated in what, to me, is one of the sweetest community events of the entire holiday season...the Milagros Christmas Carol Sing-a-long.  One of our favorite places, filled with many of our favorite people, singing carols together.  Add some Christmas cookies and cocoa and really, what could be better?  It is an event where you can truly feel the love and warmth of our community. Somehow, the Yule Elf knew about this, ("Mama, that Yule Elf just knows about everything!") and gave us a mission of singing carols for day number fourteen.

There was actually quite a bit of caroling to be done that day.  We sang songs around the house and in the car.  Aaron recited a line from the movie Elf...something like, "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loudly for the world to hear."    

In the afternoon we went to visit a dear friend who lives in an assisted living facility close by.  They were having a Christmas party and family and friends were invited.  We sat around and traded stories of Christmas's past, sang carols to the piano, and had a few treats.  I wish I had a photo of Mason's face when he saw the food table, but some days are just not camera days for me, and this was one of them. River walked around the room visiting people, checking everything out, and bringing smiles to more than a few faces.  

That evening after dinner we headed over to Milagros for the sing-a-long.  I was a little sad that the amazing Don Richmond was not there to lead the caroling this year...it is in part his sweet spirit and sincere, humble way of being that makes the event so special, and something we return to every year.  Even so, we had a great time with wonderful friends and Christmas cheer all around.

Mason had a wonderful time with his friend Jonah.  They might have spent more time building spaceships than singing songs, but I'm sure they absorbed it just the same.  Mason has not stopped singing since, and neither have I, for that matter.  If singing does truly spread Christmas cheer, (and I'm pretty sure it does), we have certainly done our share around here.   

(Also, if you look closely to the right of Mason's head in the photo, you'll see one of his stars in the window!)

   

 Visit our Magical Advent post to learn more about what we're doing this year.

Yule Elf Mission #13: Ornaments for the Tree...and the Birds

"Make new ornaments to shine on your tree,
And some for outside, made of ice and bird seed!"

Wow.  I'm so far behind on our Yule Elf posts!  

I absolutely loved our day 13 project.  We try to make new ornaments for our tree each year, and this year I was inspired by this post on the Sparkle blog.  We did not have much citrus in the house, so we headed to the grocery to pick out some fruits to use.  We ended up with oranges, limes, lemons and two kinds of grapefruit.    

Our first step was to cut them in rounds slices and dry them a bit.  I sliced while Mason arranged them on our dehydrator sheets and turned it on.  He worked in his bumblebee wings...of course.  These really are the pefect Mason ornaments.  He is our bright yellow, warm, sunny, fire child.

Once they were dry we coated them in mod podge and glitter, one side at a time.

Once the mod podge was dry, it was time to string them and hang on the tree!

We love the way they turned out...little sparkling suns in the darkest time of year.

Part two of our mission was equally fun.  Ice ornaments for the birds!  We took the extra citrus slices and ends and put them in muffin tins and little cake pans along with some cranberries, birdseed, water, and string to hang them with, and let mother nature do the rest of the work outside.  Once they were frozen we hung them in the trees....and the birds are loving them!

Since we were freezing things we thought it would be a great time to make our annual ice wreath for our door.  Evergreen, cranberries, water and a bundt pan...so simple and yet so enchanting.

The next day we took our beautiful ornaments and wreaths out of the pans for hanging.

 

Seeing our ice wreath up just makes me smile.  If we're going to live in a place this cold, we might as well have a little fun with it, right?

And that was our Magical Advent day number thirteen (which actually stretched out over several days, but I'm sure the Yule Elf won't mind). 

 

Visit our Magical Advent post to learn more about what we're doing this year.

Yule Elf Mission #12: Art with a Special Friend

"Friendship is a beautiful gift,
That warms and fills our heart.
Invite a friend over for a special lunch,
And save some time for art!"

Mason saw his Yule Elf card as soon as he woke up.  It was taped to the loft ceiling directly over his bed! He gave a sleepy smile and reached up to grab it.  He came over to cuddle with me and handed me the card to read.  After hearing it, he said, "Let's invite Keenan over!"  I told him that while that was a great idea, Keenan was at school today.  I asked him if he could think of another friend who might enjoy coming over for lunch and art.  His eyes lit up and his said, "I know!  Lares!"  I told him that Lares was the perfect person to ask, and we went downstairs to get the phone and invite her.  I dialed for him, then he did the rest, and was thrilled when she said yes!  

Lares is one of our close family friends who is also a special grown-up friend to Mason.  She's known him since he was born, lived with us for a few wonderful months when he was four, and always takes extra time to connect with him.  One of their favorite activities to do together is art, and he has a couple of pieces they've done together displayed in his room.  My favorite is the woodpeckers painted on wood.

He was very excited for her to come over, and this can often lead to a boy bouncing off the walls, so we put that excited energy to use with with planning a menu and preparing lunch.  He said, "We have to have bacon...Lares loves bacon."  So bacon it was.  He also decided on crepes, so we ended up having a brunch menu of crepes with raspberry cream cheese filling and a scramble with bacon.  He made the batter for the crepes, adding all of the ingredients to the Vitamix.  Yes, I use my Vitamix to make crepe batter...and it is awesome.  It was a big day for Mason.  It was the first day I've let him crack eggs all by himself!  

When Lares came in Mason nearly tackled her with a huge hug.  He is always so excited to see Lares. She was wearing an awesome Christmas sweater and had her bag of collage stuff...it doesn't get better than that.

At first Mason really wanted to make rockets, so that's what they did.

Then, after a delicious lunch, Lares pulled out her collage things.  This is exciting, because Lares's collage things include some really awesome books....that you can cut up!  Mason was especially drawn to the dinosaur book...

They sat together for a while, cutting, pasting, and chatting.

And what was River doing during all of this paper-cutting fun?  After she ran around the kitchen for a while saying "Lares" over and over, she snuck off with some scissors and a page from a book to try this cutting thing out...

Mason did not want Lares to leave when it was time, but after agreeing to have some play time really soon, he said goodbye.  A little later, I heard him say (to himself, I think), "doing art with Lares is the best thing in the whole world!"

I feel so blessed to be a part of the most amazing community of people I can imagine, and so grateful to have friends like Lares in our lives.  

Thank you Yule Elf for reminding us how easy and wonderful it is to have a friend over for lunch and art!

 

Visit our Magical Advent post to learn more about what we're doing this year.

 

Yule Elf Mission #11: Soup

"When outside is so cold and the wind it does blow,
Seek out the warmth in a world of snow.
Make a big pot of soup and enjoy some cocoa,
Share with your neighbors and nourish your soul."

Mason found his Yule Elf card on the woodstove beside a wooden spoon.  "We get to make soup!  Can I help make the soup?" he asked.  I answered that of course he could help, it was his mission after all.  A few times during the day when I was in the kitchen he would call out "Don't start the soup without me!", or "Remember to wait for me to start the soup!"  The boy really wanted to make some soup.

That afternoon we got to work on our soup.  We decided on a simple, classic potato soup, with potatoes, carrots and onions from the garden (now in the root cellar).  Mason did the peeling and slicing (except for the onions and garlic, which I did) added everything to the pot, stirred, pureed and ladled it into jars to share.  It was very important for him to be a part of every step since making soup was his mission... the wonders of empowerment...something I can forget from time to time.  Thanks, Yule Elf, for the reminder.

Once he had the soup in jars he and Aaron delivered it to the neighbors while I set the table for our own dinner.  He loved his soup.  Loved it!  

I did not do the best job of taking photos this day, but I did get a couple of him prepping veggies...

He loved making his soup, and sharing something he made with our neighbors made it even more special for him.

Here's to spreading a little warmth in the world this winter season.

 

Visit our Magical Advent post to learn more about what we're doing this year.

 

Yule Elf Mission #10: Candy Cane Elves

"A secret gift is fun to receive,
A candy cane elf is just what I need.
Make candy cane treats to spread Christmas cheer,
Help others find the magic of this time of year."

"Mama, the thing I don't understand it how do we make candy canes...they are already made!"  This was Mason's question after hearing the card of the day, which he found on a table by two packages of candy canes.  I thought about it for a minute and then said that perhaps we could add something to them to make them more special, like a note.  We talked about it and decided we would tie a candy cane and a sprig of evergreen together with a ribbon and add a little card with one word.

Once we had a plan Mason really got into the mission.  The boy loves the idea of being a secret elf.  We sat down to work and soon had a basket full of little candy cane treats, to put on cars and hang on doors...all in secret, of course.

Mason loved cutting out the squares of cardstock and punching holes, to which I added a single word, such as love, hope, light, peace, etc.  

Our plan is to keep our basket in the car, and anytime we're out and about we'll leave little candy cane notes randomnly around town.  

So.  Much.  Fun!

 

Visit our Magical Advent post to learn more about what we're doing this year.

 

Yule Elf Mission #9: Clothing/Toy Donations

"With so many things to play with and wear,
Time to go through and choose which things to share.
Into a box place some books, clothes and toys,
Perhaps to become another child's Christmas joy."

I admit I did not think Mason would be super-excited about this Elf Mission...and I was completely wrong! Upon hearing the card read, he said, "Oh great!  Let's go get started," then he headed to the playroom and began going through his things.  It did not take long at all for the two of us to fill up a box with toys, books, and some clothes.  

The most interesting part of this process was that when he was on the fence about a whether a toy should stay or go, he was often concerned about other kids who enjoyed playing with it.  He would say, "Bella really likes playing with that one," or "Those are Simon's favorites."  He did not want his friends to be sad about not having their favorite things to play with when they are here.

This is something we do fairly regularly, so we don't have an over-abundance of toys we don't play with, but we still managed to find enough to fill up this box...

Then we took the box to Rainbow's End, a community thrift store that sells low-cost goods, and whose profits go to La Puente Home.  Mason was very excited to take his box in...

We started the Yule Elf to bring the spirit of giving to life in our home, and it has been wonderful to watch Mason embody this.  He has hardly even mentioned presents for himself this year, and really gets excited about these "missions" of giving.  I hope the Yule Elf becomes a holiday tradition for years to come.

 

Visit our Magical Advent post to learn more about what we're doing this year.

 

 

Yule Elf Mission #8: Tree

"When the days get short most green does flee,
But not so with an evergreen tree.
A reminder of the green that will return once more,
Choose a tree for your home to decorate and adorn."

"Mama!  You'll never beleive where the Yule Elf card is!  You've got to come see this," came Mason's excited voice from downstairs.  That silly elf had left the mission card hanging from the loft by a ribbon! Now how to get it down...

Once Mason sorted out how to reach the card (got it swinging then grabbed it from the couch), we read it to him.  Oh was he excited.  "Does this mean we can get our tree today, and decorate it?!  Oh boy, oh boy, we get to get our tree today!"  And so it went for the next few minutes.  

We set out in the afternoon on our tree finding adventure and headed towards the mountains.  We jumped out of the car in the frigid cold and began suiting up the kids.  As sometimes happens, I brought every article of snow gear the little ones might need and got them suited up, only to discover that I didn't really bring snow gear for myself...oh right, I need to be warm and dry too...

We started hiking up the trail, snow coming to our knees and higher in some places.  Next year we'll bring the snowshoes.  It was really cold when we started, and I wasn't sure if Mason and River were going to be able to handle it, but you know, they both did great.  River was on me, which made walking through snow difficult, but at least she was warm.  She was not so sure about this cold, windy outing, and spent much of the time nursing...

Warmed up from the exertion of walking through the snow, Mason had a blast.  He did request carries a couple of times, but pushed through and ended up carrying a big armload of boughs all the way back to the car.  We found a beautiful little tree growing in a big clump of trees and decided that was the one. Time to head back to the car to warm up, gathering boughs along the way.

 We brought our lovely tree back home and had a quick dinner.  Then it was time to decorate the tree!  Mason has been ready to bring out the boxes of ornaments and decorations from the closet for a while now, and was overjoyed that is was finally time.  He began looking through everything while Aaron and I got the tree all set up.  River quickly caught on to how much fun this was, and began dragging everything she could find all over the house.  Aaron put on the Beach Boys Christmas album, which was his families tradition growing up, and so has become ours, and the fun began!

 

River may have had more fun trying to climb the ladder than decorate the tree...

At one point, when we were almost finished with the tree, Mason said, "Mama, it's like the card said, sometimes it's for my own spirit to nourish."  It took me a minute, but then I realized he was remembering the line from the Yule Elf's first note, and he was recognizing that this act of bringing in a tree and decorating it as a family was nourishing to his spirit.  

 

One of my favorite parts of the evening was when Mason asked me to please not look at what he was doing, and went off to do something in secret.  This is what his came back with:

He said he made it for me to bring me love and joy all year round...not just at Christmas.  Oh this boy.

We sat around for a while with the lights out admiring the tree, then went up for storytime and sweet dreams, a beautiful end to another magical Advent day.

 

Visit our Magical Advent post to learn more about what we're doing this year.