As The Year Winds Down

Today is the last day of 2011. So much had happened this year, but yet so little had changed. The year seemed to throttle past us in such a swift manner that I seemed to be stumbling along, making poor attempts to catch up with time. 

It felt like it was only yesterday that we were busy with festivities celebrating the arrival of 2011. And now we are making preparations to bade farewell to that very same year. Where had all the time gone to? 

And sadly, when I look at my children now, I am sometimes jolted with surprise. I mean, they both look so big now, even when their images in my mind are those of them as little babies. And they will forever be my little babies to me, no matter how old they are.

Sometimes, I have this uninhibited urge to rub my eyes furiously and relook at them again. Just to make sure those years of growing up in such a rapid pace were not figments of my imagination. 

I will not take stock of 2011 yet. For there is still one more glorious final day of the year left for me and my family to enjoy. 

The only way to battle rapidly trundling time is only to enjoy every second of the present, to indulge in the now and the current - and not to let our minds be distracted in any way. Easy thoughts to utter, a whole load of effort to implement, of course. 

But just for now, I would like to let my mind be transported pleasantly back to a week and a half ago, when I was on leave from work and being truly able to enjoy the sheer joys of spending extended and luxurious days with Hubby, the Bees, my parents and my closest friends in many different ways. Days spent like this were longer and more beautiful. 

This year, we decided not to put up our Christmas tree, so Hubby had this brilliant idea of chasing these triangular emblems of peace and joy all around town and encapsulating these Christmas trees in myriad shapes and sizes in photos with the Bees. 

Truly on a blazing trail of twinkling enchanting trees. 

The Bees were able to appreciate the different embellishments of the diverse trees and we did a little craft on Christmas trees. But most of all, they learned about the true spirit of Christmas, which was not what all these rampant commercialism of gift exchanges and crazy shopping was about. 

Which was why, for the first time in years, the Bees did not receive any Christmas presents from us this year (only one from Santa for being good little girls - haha - and another from a gift exchange at a gathering with good friends). 

We are also spending a quieter New Year's Eve this year, just to wind down from a wintry holiday - so I am still thinking of what to do with our little family of four to ring in the new year! Pure simplicity, simple pure pleasures. 

Happy New Year, everyone :)