Tempus Adventus

The last day of Advent.

Dress: Vintage Neiman Marcus from Wild at Heart

Tights: eBay

Silk shorts (worn for safety!): Vintage

Shoes: missing

I don't normally dress up for the holidays. I'm not trying to impress anyone. Hence the no shoes thing. If it weren't for this little shoot on my family's little orchard in California, I probably would have been in my pajamas.

I like quiet. I don't like parties. I don't like distractions. I don't like tv and I don't like sports.

So what does that leave me with? Nothing, maybe.

But maybe not. I still have my family and a handful of friends to be with, although I don't think the popular ways of spending time such as parties or television are a sufficient way to spend quality time with people. It provides time in large quantities, but not enough in quality. In preparation for Christmas this year, I ask that you reevaluate your interactions with the people you love. Although some things do work better for others -- don't get me wrong. My time tends to be best spent talking for a long time after a movie, face to face dinners, and strangely; shopping for treasures and antiquities.

I think it's also important to remember that the days leading up to Christmas are not actually Christmas time. It is Advent. A time of preparation for the coming of the most precious gift of all. Christmas day and after (Pentecost) is the real celebration. So why is there so much emphasis on family and gifts and such? Well, I believe it's because we're not automatically born with a family per say. Yes, we are genetically related to people by merely existing, but family is something that you work toward all your life. A family is a web of relationships that change and develop over time. It's important for us to work toward a family rather than just expect things from people. To work toward any relationship, you have to give yourself. Whether it be time, money, work, gifts, or praise. You have to give all of yourself in order to fill yourself. (You can slap my hands for being cliche now.)

I haven't been the best at it, to be totally honest, so I suppose you could call me a hypocrite. 

My biggest problem is time. I'm always biting off more than I can chew and losing track of huge amounts of time. I love giving gifts and doing favors for my family and friends. But I'll go weeks without communicating with people under the assumption that I just spoke to them a few days ago. That's what's so important about this time of year, though. We get lost in ourselves, so at the end of the year (ironically) of all times, is a time to step out of ourselves for at least a day. 

I hope I don't come off too preachy in this. There's a lot more to say about Christmas, but I'm no Carol Brady.

I would also like to mention a couple of very beautiful and special gifts from a couple of my close friends. I feel so strange about them -- I love both gifts to death but I also feel so unworthy and undeserving! I'm not sure how or why so many fantastic people ended up liking me.

The antique Italian glass rosary is from my friend and fellow artist Ophylia. Her gypsy grandmother prayed with it every day! Can you believe that?! How special! The silver is from another good friend and fellow artist, Kindra. She hunted down this antique set for me and proved that she knows me way too well. I love them both so much, guys! Thank you!

Meanwhile, I just finished up wrapping! Wee!