Holiday Traditions

Charly Brown Christmas Tree Circa 2013
"Give a skinny tree a chance"

Growing up our holidays were always spent with family. This usually meant that we drove 7.5 hours to Cape Breton to be with my grandparents or they made the trek off the island to come visit us. In most cases when we went to visit them, the holiday seemed rushed and the spirit of embracing the "family love" sometimes felt lost due to the traveling. There just never seemed to be enough time. So needless to say the holidays hold an odd spot in my heart.

More than anything I believe in the generosity of giving during this time of year. I take great pride in finding meaningful gifts that the receiver will appreciate and remember me (us = Adam and I) by. Because my holidays have always seemed hurried and the time with my loved ones seems to fly by, it's always been important that I spread the "love" of the holidays in different forms.

* I must side note that I married into a family that is EXTREMELY traditional when it comes to the holidays. As in the cookies they bake are usually the same, they attend the same Mass every year, they make the same Christmas Eve dish, they gather at my in laws to open presents and it is known that everyone should make it home for the holidays.

* Another side note to mention is that my family has had some "non traditional" holiday experiences. While traveling one year there was a major snow storm and we had to pull over and spend the night at a shady motel. We were quite young and my brother was tremendously concerned that Santa wasn't going to find us. We woke to snow completely covering our room door and what should have taken 30 minutes to get to my grandparents took us 5 hours!!! The chocolate bars for breakfast made up for the stressful/painful drive.
In 2005 we took off and spent the week in NYC, there my or may not have been a poop/plunger incident on Christmas day that the hotel staff had to take care of.

Anyway, Adam and I have started some small but meaningful traditions that we each look forward to and can be done anywhere we might find ourselves over the holidays.

1 - We were gifted a pop-up book of "Twas the night before Christmas" a few years back. Each December as we decorate our place, the book gets placed close to the tree. On Christmas Eve we read
it, then sign it. Hopefully, one day to add our children's names to the book and eventually to pass it along.

2 - With all the hustle and bustle of the season, we like to take a few minutes to really appreciate the time of year. On an evening days before the big guy arrives, we change into our pyjamas, load Ollie (our dog) into the car, grab some hot chocolates and seek out all the beautiful decorations and Christmas lights. We chat and reminisce about our past holidays and wonder what others are doing this time of year. We take time to appreciate how lucky/blessed we are, and thank each other for the support over the last year. It feels special to share the magic of the season.

3 - Christmas dinner. I know a lot of families that share in this tradition, and although it can sometimes be overwhelming it's delightful to mingle with your "crazy" relatives over the holidays. Last year, Adam and I stayed put for Christmas and invited friends over to test our first ever attempt at Christmas dinner. It was interesting, changing things up, I definitely missed the laughs I would have with our families but took time to appreciate the present moment. I'm thankful we chose to share our day with friends and we didn't even have to order in, the food was edible!!!

Where ever the holiday season brings you, take time to reminisce on 2015. Share some laughs with loved ones, express gratitude, take a drive and sing in the spirit of the season.

Merry Everything, And A Happy Always.
Erin