Our Narnian New Year

I have now finished my 40th annual reading of The Chronicles of Narnia. As I said in my previous post I've also read it multiple times to both my sisters and my children; so I've actually read it closer to 50 times, but this is my 40th wintertime reading. 

Just as I read the Hobbit and Fellowship of the Rings trilogy each fall, I begin each winter with Narnia. Some years I start on the first day of winter, and other years I begin the year with them. But I read them every year... they are some of my oldest friends. And yes my childhood Narnia books evaporated, so I did need to replace them several years back. 

These books are full of beginnings, renewal, discovery, and rediscovery... to me, they are a perfect way to begin the year. And in 2021, we decided to make it an official part of our family calendar. This is our fourth Narnian New Year!

Because Minnesota winters are SO VERY LONG; beginning as early as October and stretching as long as May, we break up our seasonal decorating to help keep things feeling fresh through the seemingly eternal cold. While December is full of pastel gingerbread, colorful houses, and candies, January is all white. 

We greet our guests with an Aslan wreath on the front door.

Across the marriage wall is a white garland; similar to Decembers, but more sparse. Rather than being heavily laden with bright colors, this one is decorated simply with white and clear ornaments, enormous snowflakes, and silver lions & icicles. The effect when light hits it, is dazzling. And in our niche sits a single white bird, and a snowflake garland. (This part is still a work in progress)

In the living room is a tiny vignette of white houses with my Angel of Hope, and the dining room has a small collection of wintry deer and houses atop our console. The sliding glass doors are lit for both December AND January with white snowflake lights, and two blow mold candles. It's my way of decorating "outside" without anyone needing to climb ladders in subzero temperatures. The goal is to light up ALL of our windows for the winter, one at a time.

Now that the books are read, it's time to re-watch the movies. I have a Pinterest board full of all-white foods to choose from, but we're in the middle of an Arctic blast right now and soup sounds rather good. I'm thinking roasted cauliflower white cheddar soup with fresh homemade bread, and cheesecake mousse with hot vanilla milk ought to hit the spot juuust about right.

We have decided to make our Sunday Movie Nights into more of an "event" and have thematically appropriate foods, turn the lights down low and the electric fireplace on, and make things feel a tiny bit special once each week. 

The details are still being worked out, but the idea is not to spend a lot of money, but to use what's already in the home... with the exception of groceries, of course. 

Between global pandemics, divorce, our church dissolving, and needing to restructure our entire lives, these past several years have been ones of contracting; pulling in, staying home, and digging deep. This will be a year of expanding. We have chosen a new church, the pandemic FINALLY feels as if it's in recession, books and therapy have begun to restructure a new and stronger mamahousemouse, and we are ready to begin leaving our cocoons.

This year, more than any other, feels as if spring is coming... Aslan IS on the move! 

After our long winter, we are ALL ready for our spring!