December wallpaper
Slowly but surely, I am starting to understand my detachment from the holidays in recent years.
Growing up I was surrounded by numerous traditions that were carried out, primarily, by my grandmother; Christmas stockings filled by Santa, a big turkey dinner surrounded by stuffing balls, fruit cake, warm mince tarts, finding treasure in the plum pudding, and – of course - Christmas crackers! But as she grew older, those traditions faded away. And, with her passing, those traditions are mostly all gone now.
Yes, I celebrate the holidays with my in-laws and extended family each year, but I honestly can’t help but feel like a foreign body amidst the chaos.
But this year has been different.
As I watch my LO grow, and get a better understanding of the holidays, I am remembering how important all of those traditions were to me as a child; so important that we need to start putting some of our own into place. For years I didn’t even feel like putting up our artificial tree (lazy, right?), but this year I am actually disappointed by our little 4-footer that I ran out and got for her first Christmas. I am honestly looking forward to getting a bigger tree next year and having her decorate it with me! So much so that we went out and bought a whole new set of ornaments ,but she could only put a handful of them on this tree!
And, ironically, I started to reminisce about the one day of the year I actually enjoyed going to church – Christmas Eve. She is a bit young to sit through a late night service, but I am seriously considering bringing that tradition back in the future, along with some others. In fact, I have already have a few surprises in store for this year!
Ahh, the magic of Christmas!
Growing up I was surrounded by numerous traditions that were carried out, primarily, by my grandmother; Christmas stockings filled by Santa, a big turkey dinner surrounded by stuffing balls, fruit cake, warm mince tarts, finding treasure in the plum pudding, and – of course - Christmas crackers! But as she grew older, those traditions faded away. And, with her passing, those traditions are mostly all gone now.
Yes, I celebrate the holidays with my in-laws and extended family each year, but I honestly can’t help but feel like a foreign body amidst the chaos.
But this year has been different.
As I watch my LO grow, and get a better understanding of the holidays, I am remembering how important all of those traditions were to me as a child; so important that we need to start putting some of our own into place. For years I didn’t even feel like putting up our artificial tree (lazy, right?), but this year I am actually disappointed by our little 4-footer that I ran out and got for her first Christmas. I am honestly looking forward to getting a bigger tree next year and having her decorate it with me! So much so that we went out and bought a whole new set of ornaments ,but she could only put a handful of them on this tree!
And, ironically, I started to reminisce about the one day of the year I actually enjoyed going to church – Christmas Eve. She is a bit young to sit through a late night service, but I am seriously considering bringing that tradition back in the future, along with some others. In fact, I have already have a few surprises in store for this year!
Ahh, the magic of Christmas!
“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”
Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
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| December 2018 |
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