Third Week of Advent

This week of Advent my theme is "family love and joy". Most of the joy of the season is spontaneous and un-planable, but I do two things to create the conditions.

• First, I take care of myself so I can be calm and present for the spontaneous joy when it arises.
• Secondly, I take the time to consider what others- friends and family- will want most. In other words, I become less self-focused and more generous in all ways. 

These are obviously year-round aspirations, but I need a strict reminder now, because everything begins to seem so important: I must get this right, and it must happen now. (Do other people feel this way, or am I a crazy person?)

Agenda this week:
1. Daily meditation:
Meditation can be anything you want it to be. I don't need anything very structured- I just need to take time to center myself. I take a few minutes of quiet time to sip my coffee, write in my journal, and think about what is planned today and how I intend to behave.

2. Card-writing practice:
Christmas cards are a fulfilling way to touch the important ones in your life. People enjoy cards because they are pretty and personal. I especially enjoy getting cards with a brief hand-written note.

This year I painted a nice picture for my cards and had them all printed two weeks ago. I'm not sure what the hold-up has been, but not one card has yet been written or mailed. This week, after meditation, I plan to write a note in each card and send it on it's way with love.

3. Make simple gifts:

Gifts are one way to express love for family and friends. Remember that gifts come in many forms. Emerson said, “The only gift is a portion of thyself.”



Every gift is loaded with meaning, and so giving requires mindfulness. Finding the "perfect gift" requires that I take the time to get into the other person's shoes and think about what would be most meaningful and appreciated by this particular person at this particular time. Of coarse, the "perfect gift" is a mostly unattainable goal, but on the other hand, "It's the thought that counts" is a saying that only works if I have given it some actual thought.

I have found that most people feel loved if I give a small handmade gift, such as a candle, a sachet, a hat, or something from the kitchen. Other people especially like books. Some people value time spent together more than a tangible object. And remember that, while it’s more fun to send a gift, sometimes money is the most frugal and thoughtful option.

One small gift I've made this year is soap. I found an easy, fun way to make soap balls here, and I had lots of clear glycerin soap and soap colorant in storage, so my students and I have been making lots of colorful soap. (Note to family: Pretend you are surprised.)

4. Bake goodies:
Can't have too many goodies! Here's one of my favorite easy candy recipes- crunchy, chewy, and sweet.

Cranberry Snow Candy

 Ingredients:

• 1 (16 ounce) bag of white candy chips
• 1-1/2 c. dried cranberries
• 1-1/2 c. walnut pieces

1- Prepare a pan with wax paper. Break the walnuts up by hand into smallish pieces. Combine walnuts and cranberries in a bowl, and make sure the cranberries are not clumping together.

2- Melt the chips. Sometimes when I melt chips they get too hot and go brittle. Here's how to avoid that:

•  Heat water in the bottom part of a double boiler (don't put in so much water that the top pot will touch the water). 
• When the water is warm, add chips to top pot and stir. 
• As soon as the water begins to simmer, remove both pots from the heat and continue to stir.
• When chips are melted, remove top pot from over the water.

3-   Add the fruit and nuts to the candy and stir. 

4- Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper.