Family time and yummy food, who could ask for more?
As a kid our family was rarely “home” for the holidays. Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, were all spent driving to a grandparent’s house, filling up on food and then making the trek home and hoping not to get car sick from too much sparkling cider. You see, our family is quite large, with 3 sets of grandparents and over a dozen aunts and uncles, holidays were quite the adventure.
What happens when you become an adult?
The first few years of adulthood, for me, never took away from the magic of the holidays. Even though I wasn’t waking up in a childhood bed and rushing out to see the tree surrounded by gifts, being with family was just as exciting for me. It wasn’t until I lost my first grandparent that things really started to change for me.
When your grandparents are your first best friends.
In early 2000 I lost my grandpa Bill. He was a magical man and I loved him dearly. Although we spent the least amount of “holiday” time with him, the first holiday season without him I just felt like so much of the holiday cheer was missing. Even as I got married and started my own holiday traditions, nothing was ever the same.
I thought I was going to have kids much earlier than I did. I was blessed with some amazing nephews however that revived so much of the holiday spirit in me. Of course, having my own kids also brought a new level of amazement. Creating new traditions with my nephews and my own children has been such a fun adventure.
Do you ever feel like the holiday magic of your childhood doesn’t measure up to what you want for your own kids?
For so many years I was struggling with making the holidays “more” for my own kids. Having my own business created a work-balance struggle, so many times I would send the kids off with another family member for all of those fun activities while I worked to help pay for them. There were so many times I was just simply exhausted, the holidays just seemed like more work than fun.
Changing times, creating traditions, and working with boundaries has been hard.
This year will be a new adventure in holiday traditions. We have lost a lot of family over the last few years. The holidays can be hard when you are missing the people that made it so special, so this year I have planned some traditional activities for the kids and myself, but I have also scheduled some downtime. We can get so caught up in the busy-ness of the holidays, sometimes it’s nice to slow down and just enjoy moments of peace between events.
So how do you holiday?
Are you ready to grub on holiday ham and turkey next week? I know I’ll be having a big helping of my dad’s mashed potatoes and gravy! Have you put up any Christmas decorations or do you have your tree all ready? Or are you having a quiet holiday spent with family or close friends? Whatever you do, from our family to yours, we wish you a happy holiday season!
