Quest Notes : Images of Christmas (Updated as a Link-up!)

Welcome! 

Today I'm linking up to "What I'm Into" which is hosted by Leigh Kramer at Hopefuleigh.  Now and then I put up a "Quest Notes" post, which is essentially the same thing as "What I'm Into", so this morning I thought, why not join in the fun? 

My husband and I have cut down our own tree every year since we were married in 2001. 

A very special job.

Our hero.

When you wait until Dec. 23, most tree farms will give you free stuff. We walked out with the giant wreath on the right and a wreath making kit -- as well as complimentary hot chocolate and cookies, of course.

The Christmas tree at the top belongs to my 3 yr. old. And he's reaching for more cinnamon candy!

Here's what we ended up reading for our Advent Literary Countdown. The larger books contain classic Christmas chapters.  The only one we never got around to opening was Little Women! Alas! One of the best! Oh well, maybe next year. The titles highlighted in green are the titles which kept our attention from beginning to end, warmed our hearts and enriched our minds -- they are the books we will reread next Advent.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson

The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams

Christmas Around the World, Lesley Sims -- This just skimmed the surface. We all wanted to know more. 

Samantha's Surprise: A Christmas Story, by Maxine Rose Schur -- My boys were bored with this one.

A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens (abridged and illustrated) I adore Dickens, but my kids couldn't hang with this. We read one chapter.

The First Christmas, by Lynne Bradbury -- Too cartoonish.

A Year Down Yonder, by Richard Peck (Chapter 4, "Away in a Manger")

Little House in the Big Woods, Laura Ingalls Wilder (Chapter 4, "Christmas")

Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery (Chapter 25, "Puffed Sleeves")

Silent Night: The Song and Its Story, by Margaret Hodges

The Nativity Story (a companion book to the film from New Line Cinema)

Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend, by Julie Stiegemeyer

How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Dr, Seuss

"The Night Before Christmas", by Clement Moore, illustrated by Tomie De Paola (We also shared copies of the same poem illustrated by Tom Browning and Mary Englebreit which I picked up from the library. Next year I think we'll try the Tasha Tudor version.)

"The Little Match Girl", by Hans Christian Andersen (The copy I have is from 1967. Next year I will try to obtain the version I linked to -- illustrated by Rachel Isadora.)

Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree, by Robert Barry

A New Coat for Anna, by Harriet Zeifert

Once Upon a Company, by Wendy Anderson Halperin

"The Gift of the Magi", by O. Henry, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger

Stranger in the Woods, by Carl R. Sams II and Jean Stoick

A Cowboy Christmas, by Audrey Wood -- Think sappy TV drama. 

Jesus' Christmas Party, by Nicholas Allan

A few years ago when we lived in a tiny 2 bedroom farmhouse, I hauled our scroll saw into the dining room to make these cutouts. Now I use them for our Advent reflections.

I won this at a "white elephant" party!  I could not have been more thrilled/surprised/grateful! It was hand woven in Kenya! It  now serves as storage for our wooden Advent cutouts.

My mother-in-law has always kept us well stocked with snuggly Christmas PJs. Right after Thanksgiving I put them in a central location. My toddlers especially love to put on their PJs mid-day and cuddle down with a sippy cup of milk.

My treasures: This is the first year that my oldest two kids (ages 9 &10) completely surprised me with gifts they picked out and purchased with their own money. How delightful!

I finished The Return of the Native today. The Classical Quest Synchro-Read on Facebook has really helped me to stay on track with my reading goals during this busy season. A big thank you to everyone who chimed in with encouraging words and insights!

Hope you are enjoying a wonderful holiday season! I'd love to hear about your festivities.

Blessings to all!

Quest Notes

{My weekly Classical Quest status update}

A gift from my husband...just because.

✒ Finished Anna Karenina this past week -- and I loved it. Now I'm busy chipping away at the  final inquiry post. (Although it will still be a while before I finish all of my Anna Karenina themed posts.)

✒ I've been thinking more about establishing excellent habits since I wrote this post. I'm working on an "Excellent Habits" page to challenge myself to be more disciplined in various areas of life. Love this post -- "How to Cultivate the Habit of Focus...in an Age of Distraction", by Ann Voskamp.

✒ My heart and mind is turning toward Advent which begins Sunday, December 2nd. I was not raised with the Advent tradition. When my oldest kids were babies I brought home a wooden Advent calendar and chocked it full of treats. Of course the tradition stuck -- they wouldn't let me forget! However, with each passing year I find that the spiritual significance of Advent has struck a deeper chord in my heart. This year, I'm hoping for a tender spiritual event to strengthen my love for God and to increase our feeling of anticipation for the message of Christmas. I plan to memorize this passage over the coming weeks.

✒  Working on my own version of  "The Road to Bethlehem", inspired by Godly Play. This is a once a week (Sunday) activity so we'll definitely have time for another fun idea -- A Literary Countdown! 

✒ I saw this at The Modern Mrs. Darcy today: wrap one holiday book for each day of Advent and place them under the Christmas tree! I found seventeen books that will work on my bookshelf. A trip to the public library should easily get us to twenty-five! A couple of our chapter books like A Year Down Yonder and Little House in the Big Woods have excellent Christmas chapters which could be read as excerpts.

✒ "Blush: Part Two" should be up Wednesday. And yes, there will be a Blush: Part Three. I've counted eighty-one pages from Anna Karenina with the words "blushed", "flushed", "reddened", or "crimsoned" on them.

✒ Trying to avoid stores as much as possible this year! I'm thinking hard about what to buy online for each my five kids. I'm going for a "less is more" theme. I hope to find some timeless classics that they will come back to again and again.

✒ Auntie Leila from Like Mother Like Daughter had surgery last Tuesday. This blog has been a huge inspiration to me as a mother/homemaker. This coming Thursday I'm going to participate in the "Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real" link-up with a special post to say, "Get well soon Auntie Leila!".

✒ I'm planning a tight synchro-reading of The Return of the Native, by Thomas Hardy. I think I may need some hand holding through this one! I will start putting up comments chapter by chapter on my Classical Quest Facebook page starting December 1. (If you haven't visited the Classical Quest FB page yet, jump over and check it out. While you're there, click "like" and make my day!)

✒ Not sure yet if I'll go see Anna Karenina, the movie in the theater. (We almost never pay full price for a movie out. Dinner + movie +  baby sitting for five kids = "Why not have a nice date-night-in?") I was expecting it to be a another film which glorifies lust and carnality -- a liberty which  film adaptations of classic novels often take, leaving the viewers with a utterly different impression of the story than the author intended (i.e. The Scarlet Letter). However, after listening to this interview by screen play writer Tom Stoppard, I admit -- I'm intrigued.

✒ But first: the inquiry...

Perhaps you would like to start your own "excellence habits list". What sort of habits would you like to cultivate?

What are some of your all time favorite Christmas gifts for kids under age ten?

Have you seen Anna Karenina, the movie? If so -- thumbs up or down?

Would you like to join me for a "The Return of the Native Synchro-Read" on Facebook?

(Answer any or all or none! If you want -- just peek your head in and say hi! Blessings, friends!)