December Naptime Notes
A house of prayer for all people, Jólabókaflóð, and doll house renovations
The day William was placed in our care down in Florida was a Tuesday. The following Sunday, we took him to Mass with us for the first time. My head swirled with questions:
What if we need to suction his trach during Mass with the suction pump?
Will we know what he needs?
How will he do with an hour long Mass in a place he hasn’t been before?
What is our plan in case of a medical emergency?
Yes, his suction pump is loud. But it’s also what he needs to live. No, we didn’t know everything there was to know about William after only five days, but we were (and still are) learning.
There were no expectations of how the next hour would look. And although we had our fingers crossed that we wouldn’t need to do an emergency trach change like we’d done a few nights before, we were simply excited to bring our son to Jesus.
I knelt down, William in my arms and his medical gear all around us in the pew. I was a little nervous, but deeply aware that bringing William to Mass with us and teaching him about how much he is loved by the Lord is the most important thing we can do for him as his parents.
William swayed back and forth to the organ and was excited to find the hymn book to rifle through. He wears a speaking valve at the end of his trach, so he started making all sorts of new sounds. A few people turned around in their pew to see who was making all the noise, but we just kept praying and pointing out things around the church to William.
Then the words of Isaiah 56 hit me: My house shall be called a place of prayer for all peoples.
All peoples—no exceptions. Whether they can walk into Mass or have to be carried. Whether they breathe through their nose or through a trach. Whether they can hear or they’re deaf. Whether they can see or they’re blind. Whether they eat with a feeding tube or with a fork.
My house shall be called a place of prayer for all peoples.
Throughout Mass, I heard a kid sitting towards the back who also has some form of disability. Father said "Hello" a few times in his homily and this sweet kid somewhere behind us yells "Hello" back.
After Mass was over, that little boy who had been sitting behind us ran up the center aisle, shouting hello to a friend he was so excited to see. He had an uneven gait and his voice echoed through the church.
My house shall be called a place of prayer for all peoples.
I just sobbed and held our son, who belongs in a church where Jesus says everyone should be there, regardless of the way they communicate or their abilities.
His house is for them.
And for you.
And for me.
At that time, Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee, went up on the mountain, and sat down there. Great crowds came to him, having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute, and many others. They placed them at his feet and he cured them.
Matthew 15: 29- 31
Now, here is a little collection of books, poems, and podcasts on repeat here at our house. Thank you for reading along!
Songs, audiobooks, and podcasts I’m tuning into:
The books and articles keeping me up at night:
Old-Fashioned on Purpose: Cultivating a Slower, More Joyful Life by Jill Winger.
Sowing Anachronism: How to be Weird in Public, and Private, thoughts from
.Through the Year with Tomie dePaola by Catherine Harmon and John Herreid.
The books I’m reading (and re-reading!) with the girls:
The Mitten by Jan Brett. In December, we pause wherever we are in the The Peaceful Preschool curriculum and enter into Christmas School with Read Aloud Revival! It’s four weeks filled with books, ornament crafts, baking, and behind-the-scenes videos featuring some of our favorite authors and illustrators. We’re revisiting Christmas School resources from a year ago because my kids love Jan Brett’s books. Whether you’re dipping your toe into homeschooling or just want some fun Christmas activities to do with your littles, I can’t recommend Christmas School enough!
A Very Mercy Christmas by Kate DiCamillo. Mercy Watson is a beloved book character around here, so my girls were over the moon to discover that Kate wrote a Christmas book with all of their favorite characters. This picture book is significantly shorter than the Mercy Watson chapter books, which makes it a perfect bedtime read.
The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll by Patricia C. McKissack. Christmas dreams, sibling drama, and the importance of sharing all wrapped up in one beautifully illustrated story? Loved by everyone and a great conversation starter.
Stickman by Julia Donaldson. We’re big fans of The Gruffalo here at the Langr house, so all of the kids loved discovering this hilarious Christmas story by Julia Donaldson! It’s been a much-requested bedtime book this month.
The Night the Saints Saved Christmas by Gracie Jagala. When I pulled out my stack of Christmas books from the basement, this was the very first one the kids requested me to read. It’s full of beautiful illustrations and sweet rhymes. But it’s also a great jumping off point to talk with little kids about St. Nicholas’ helpers.
Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn Buehner. How do snowmen celebrate Christmas? What if they wandered the streets after all of the kids were asleep and decorated the town with garland and snowballs? This is such a cute read with little kids who are anxious for the next snow.
The Christmas Book Flood by Emily Kilgore. In Iceland, the celebration of Jólabókaflóð includes new books and cozy reading time for everyone. This picture book is an adorable telling of that tradition—which we love here at our house, too! If you’re looking for a simple, cozy tradition to add this year, Jólabókaflóð is for you!
A quick question for you:
I grew up opening gifts on Christmas morning after my family came home from Mass. But as my siblings and I got older, we started opening gifts Christmas night so we could stretch out the celebration a little bit.
A favorite gift from our Buy Nothing group:
I say it all the time, but our local Buy Nothing group is truly the best. Back in the summer, one of our neighbors gifted us a wooden Melissa and Doug doll house. Then another neighbor gave us some vintage wooden doll house furniture.
I know some people (Maeve) love pink and purple doll houses, but I wanted to try my hand at a little doll house renovation. It took me months longer than expected, but I finally put it back together this month and the girls have been playing with it non-stop.
There are still some touch ups I’d love to do (if I can sneak it away from my kids long enough) but it’s such a cute little house for their saint peg dolls.
Here’s the before…
And the after! I had so much fun laying floors (contact paper!) and putting in wall paper (scrapbook paper!) and doing a combination of hand painting and spray painting. There are doors missing and the balconies are in need of some wood glue, but it was the perfect creative outlet at the end of the evening this month and I love seeing it in our front room.
An eclectic collection of links to some my favorite things this month:
I cannot wait for Christmas to wear this elegant (100% washable!) silk skirt // My new kicks // We love this gorgeous Advent banner on our tree // These little Christmas stories are the perfect length for squirmy toddlers going to bed // Love this weekly email that comes with at-home date night questions and prayer prompts for your marriage // This literary museum for kids is coming soon and we have our membership ready for opening day! //
A quote I’ve been thinking on:
And when we give each other Christmas gifts in His name, let us remember that He has given us the sun and the moon and the stars, and the earth with its forests and mountains and oceans—and all that lives and move upon them. He has given us all green things and everything that blossoms and bears fruit and all that we quarrel about and all that we have misused—and to save us from our foolishness, from all our sins, He came down to earth and gave us Himself.
Sigrid Undset
A poem to leave you with:
Grateful for the Christmas cards that decorate our mantel and our mailman who brings them to us. Enjoy Christmas Mail by Ted Kooser. Merry Christmas, friends.
Cards in each mailbox, angel, manger, star and lamb, as the rural carrier, driving the snowy roads, hears from her bundles the plaintive bleating of sheep, the shuffle of sandals, the clopping of camels. At stop after stop, she opens the little tin door and places deep in the shadows the shepherds and wise men, the donkeys lank and weary, the cow who chews and muses. And from her Styrofoam cup, white as a star and perched on the dashboard, leading her ever into the distance, there is a hint of hazelnut, and then a touch of myrrh.
Thank you for joining for another month of Naptime Notes. May the last few days of your Advent journey bring you rested and ready to the manger.
In His Sacred Heart,
Chloe
p.s. Getting up at 5am to write this newsletter might seem totally crazy, but I always walk away from writing feeling refreshed and fully alive. I’d be honored if you’d support that writing through a paid subscription — and as a thank you to you for reading along, I’d love to offer you 30% off a subscription if you sign up before the end of the year.
Okay, that dollhouse before-and-after is PRECIOUS. I love it! Tate had that exact same dollhouse and she would love to see this now... Thanks for that brief, unexpected walk down memory lane.
Thanks for the mention Chloe:) This was a lovely, and moving, collecting of thoughts. We also enjoyed Jan Brett's story of the Mitten when the kids were little. We made a little lapbook to go along with it, which the kids loved to use to retell the story (I found some free printables of this in case you are interested https://cottonridgehomeschool.com/2013/03/06/the-mitten-by-jan-brett-preschool-lapbook-resources/). One of our favorite traditions is to do A Christmas Carol read-aloud together with family and friends (Not sure how old your kids are, but I have a free pdf for a 40-min version in my post here https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/from-digital-dependence-to-analog?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2). Merry Christmas!