I’m doing my best to drum up the Christmas spirit this week in preparation for everyone getting together for the holidays soon. The tree is up, the gifts are bought and the plans are made. All the elements are in place so I’m not sure why it’s such a chore to be joyous lately!

The little birds have been visiting every day to cheer me up and I even put this sign in their window to remind me…

I dunno. Maybe it’s just the empty nest syndrome thing kicking in, or maybe it’s because when I was cleaning out the sewing room I found some old photos and I’m feeling nostalgic again, but I am really missing the days when the kids were little and there was still lots and lots of holiday magic all around. It’s sooo hard to accept that those days have long since passed!

No hope for a time machine anytime soon, so I’m just left with memories and some pictures.

Sigh.

No signs of becoming a grandma soon, either, so I guess I’ll have to get my holiday cuteness overload supply from my forever babies aka the pups now…

They are always happy to oblige. 😄

Their joy is actually kind of contagious, especially when you take them out in the snow…

Getting a dog (or twelve) is a great way to fill that empty part of you when your nest is empty, from my experience. Especially around the holidays. They really can bring a lot of joy.

In some ways I envy those who have young families right now and I would do anything to go back and relive those days sometimes, but then I get over it and realize how lucky we are to have been there, done that and survived it all.

And we’ve lived long enough to have so many fond memories of Christmases past. ❤