Things I Love (December Edition)
when God makes hard things easy, laundry, Christmas traditions and handmade things
This has been one of those months I will never forget. There are times in life when you are standing at the foot of a tall mountain, gathering your courage to start the climb, wondering if you will have what it takes to make it to the other side, when God reaches down in mercy, uproots the mountain and throws it into the sea. You are left, standing in the wake of his mercy, with a clear way forward and strength, provision, supplies you had expected to use up on the long, arduous journey.
I will share more as I have the words to articulate it in the weeks ahead, but for now, I will just say that God is at work in our lives. He is making things that have been hard—even impossible, from a human standpoint—not only possible but so much easier than the textbook scenario of what our life “should” be when you put it all down on paper. This week has been letting out a long, slow sigh of relief. I am so grateful.
It is funny that I should be writing these words in the midst of a week-long bout with a stomach bug here in this house. Thankfully it is nothing like the rotovirus from hell we all had last time we were sick. This is a 24-ish hour bug, which means that there are a few hours of high alert, and then there are hours of rest. Of course, in a family of 10, it gets complicated. Who sleeps where, keeping babies away from the people who are sick, keeping some people fed secretly while others are drinking clear juices, rotating sheets and blankets and covering every couch with plastic. And 24 hours x 10 people is a significant amount of time. I am praying the remaining four of us stay healthy.
But I feel so grateful that we are sick this week instead of two weeks ago. This will be a good time to tell you about some of the things I love.
Things I Love:
Doing the Laundry—I am telling you that I have been washing and drying clothes nonstop this week. Clothes, towels, pillows, blankets, comforters, couch cushions—you name it… Laundry that would have made me wring my hands and wail two weeks ago, when all I had was a broken washing machine and an old, exhausted dryer and no money to replace them. When I couldn’t even keep enough towels clean for us to take showers. A stomach bug two weeks ago would have been my undoing. Last week I shared the miracle story of God reaching down into our need. If you want to understand why laundry is at the top of my list, you will have to read it. (Hymns in the Hum of the Washing Machine) I am not lying when I say I like doing laundry now. It is holy work.
It’s a Wonderful Life—This is the only Christmas movie that I feel I must watch each December. I love the way the whole arc of the movie plays out. How 75% of it is back story, and you are enjoying it and then all the sudden you realize that the actual main storyline is being picked up at the timecode most movies are wrapping up. I always get chills at the cemetery scene, and I love when George kisses the bannister knob on his way up the stairs. Every time I watch it, I leave feeling grateful to be alive. I have had some moments in my own life where I have felt rich in the way George Bailey is rich, where kind and generous people have moved off-camera and the scene suddenly changes from hopeless despair to knowing that God is watching over my life. I’m left singing carols of joy.
*As a side note, I watched Citizen Kane the following week. These two films were so interesting side-by-side. It’s a Wonderful Life was released in 1946 and Kane in 1941. They felt similar in many ways, and yet one was the story of a man getting everything he wanted all his life, climbing to the top of the corporate world and social ladder, desperately looking for ways to buy the love of others, yet ending his life with nothing but the childhood memory of love lost. And the other was about a man with dreams and ambitions who laid aside his own plans for the good of those around him. He lived a humble life, dealing with pennies and dimes, meeting the needs of the people in his community, and in his real time of need, he realized that he was richer and more blessed than he ever could have imagined. This accidental juxtaposition of two iconic films brought up some interesting conversation at the dinner table.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens—Is there anything better than cutting and gluing paper at the table while listening to a masterful retelling of a classic Christmas story??? I have a potter friend who barters with me every year for Christmas presents. I make journals that she gives as gifts, and my family gets to go and pick out our favorite mugs from her shop. It makes me so happy to make things. And it makes me so happy to get to take all of my kids over to pick our their very favorite mugs for the year. (Sadly, several of them usually get broken as the year goes by. But that is what makes the whole exchange so wonderful.) I made journals at the table while we listened to this version of A Christmas Carol. The story feels very It’s-a-Wonderful-Lifeish… I love the scenes where Scrooge sees himself as a child. And again, the cemetery scene. And the language of the book is both laughably funny and deeply touching. I highly recommend this book if you are wanting a short read that will inspire you to living with more meaning and purpose this Christmas season.
Homemade Marshmallows! I don’t know why it took me so long to do it. I think it was originally the candy thermometer that scared me. And the fact that I never have (or plan to buy) corn syrup. I finally bought a candy thermometer and found a recipe that uses maple syrup, and they came out pretty good. But!!! I found this recipe that uses water, sugar, gelatin (I used grass-fed beef gelatin) salt, and vanilla. And there is no candy thermometer or specific temperature necessary. It does require 10-15 minutes of beating. Just keep going. The change will suddenly become magical. (This is a great job for a stand-up mixer if you have one, or an enthusiastic child.) These were absolutely amazing in hot chocolate.
Homemade Hot Chocolate—My mama made hot chocolate on snow days and on the day we decorated our Christmas tree. It is tied to my memories of the Christmas season. She made it simply and deliciously. Per person, you use 1 tsp. cocoa, 1 tbsp. sugar (I use coconut sugar), and 1 cup of milk (I use almond milk and put a splash of half and half in at the end). In a saucepan, mix up the sugar and cocoa with enough water to make a syrupy paste. Heat until sugar is dissolved. Add the milk and stir frequently to keep it from burning. (Another great job for an eager helper!) When it gets as hot as you like it, pour it in cups and enjoy with (or without) homemade marshmallows.
Carcassone Game—I think Randy could be the spokesperson for this board game. If he writes a song about it, will they give us all the expansion packs??? We play board games in cycles. We have had seasons of Scrabble and Boggle (I like word games) and Chess and Connect Four. But this has become our go-to game when we are in the mood to sit and play. The game play is both strategy and luck, and you are basically building the gameboard with tiles, so each time you play it is different. I also like that even my 7-year-old can play, even though she may not fully understand all the nuance of her choices. It is a really fun family game.
Drawings by 4-Year Olds—Especially my own four-year old. Rune is a super-imaginative, intensely creative and focused little boy. I love that I am getting to peek into his mind through his funny drawings. They make me laugh out loud. He is curious in the way he draws because most young children don’t draw what they see. They only draw from their imaginations. But he actually looks around and draws the things he sees around him. He also draws the things he is doing or the things he just did. He has amazing stories that go along with each drawing. If I didn’t have anything else to do in life, I could sit and look in his eyes and listen to him talk all day long.
This Song—When I’m Thinking About You by The Sundays. I have liked this song since Randy first introduced me to The Sundays 25 years ago. But something touched me this week when I finally decided to read all the words and see exactly what it is Harriet Wheeler is saying, instead of just singing along on the lines that come out clearly and guessing at the rest. It is such a beautiful, poetic, moment-in-time song about driving in traffic, being content, thinking about the person you love. I love her voice—it is one of my favorites. And her melodies are unbelievably, achingly gorgeous.
Breakfast Dates with Old Friends—December is a time when I tend to carve out a little more time for meeting up with friends. I have been contemplating the treasure of having a friend over the course of a decade or more. To know someone over time, and to be known and loved is such a gift. To have people who have seen you in many seasons of your life and can still speak into who you are at the heart feels like an anchor. Seasons can be so hard, they can change the whole landscape of your life. And yet, to have someone sitting across the table, reminding you of who you are… This is truly something I love.
Friends, thank you so much for being here. I love writing these weekly letters, and it means so much to me that you are walking out to the mailbox (so to speak) and are happy to see my letters there. To my new subscribers, welcome! It is an honor to have you join me here.
I pray that your preparations for Christmas are sprinkled with cozy, slow moments of connection. That you are finding some time to sit across the table from those you most love, that the love of God would surround and comfort and wrap you up in this season. And that you will find some new things to love in the days and weeks ahead.
Sending love and light, hope and peace for this Christmas season,
Mackenzie
New Dolls By Paloma!
My daughter, Paloma (age 14), just listed three new handmade heirloom felt dollies and some bunny friends in our online shop. Is there anything that isn’t sweet about these dolls? Each is one-of-a-kind, imagined and crafted by Paloma, handsewn with love. Shop for dolls here!
From the Family Archive:
A live recording from 2020, this is a little song that is about walking to town, being in love. It was inspired by Randy’s new shirt and the color of his beard and captures one of those moments-in-time from our love story, 20 years ago.
From the Podcast:
(Originally posted Sept. 2022)
Today I send my most vulnerable and intimate words out into the world, written at moments in my life when grief was shaking me down to the very core. In this chapter of my book, I share about miscarriage and the death of my beautiful mother. These words chronicle the numbing pain of loss, the raw and hollow ache of grief, a hope that life could be beautiful again, refusing fear and regret, and allowing grief to lead me to a place of gratitude. It is my true hope that they will bring some comfort and will be an anchor if you feel tossed about and lost in a sea of grief.
(*This recording was made before my book was actually published, when I didn’t know if it ever would be a book in my hand. But it is actually here and exists in the world now. You can find it at amazon or wherever you shop for books online, or click the image below to purchase a signed copy from me directly and I will send it your way!)
Girl, you got me with Run’s drawings. Last time that l was there, I made a few videos of him drawing and telling me about all the details. Sweetest thing ever!
Few little ones are so observant and insightful! That is a special gift, and God will use him greatly.
Excited to try the marshmallow recipe!