Christmas Traditions - Time for a Change?
This Christmas will look different. And so, will they year after next. And the year after next. You get where I’m going, right? When you grow up in a big family. Like BIG family, the holidays are filled with hustle and bustle. Multiple stops to see family and SO many photos especially when your mom forgets to put film in the camera. But more importantly the holidays are about traditions. The dictionary defines a tradition as the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice. So it seemed real fitting to talk about Christmas traditions this week.
The infamous Christmas card shoot.
I was going to write about all my favorite Christmas traditions like leaving cookies out of Santa, going to Aunt Janet’s house in my Rainbow Brite pajamas and watching The Night They Saved Christmas. But once I started typing my fingers and my heart had other plans. For me it all started with a pair of sleigh bells. The family legend is that those jingle bells were from Santa’s sleigh. They are weathered and old but damn those jingle bells can give you goosebumps. Not to brag but my family was onto the whole bell situation WAY before the Polar Express! Anyway - Christmas was always a special time of year for us and a big part of that is because of my mom. Christmas was her jam! From the perfectly decorated tree to the impeccably wrapped presents, she knew how to do it right. Year after year, our routine was the same. Matching pajamas on Christmas Eve followed by an early (4AM early) morning phone call to Nana before tearing into the presents. “That is quite the haul,” my Nana would say every year. And she was right. My Nana and Grampy were divorced for as long as I can remember. But guess who was there every year on the couch next to each other? You got it. Nana and Grampy. Whatever differences they had in the past were put aside on Christmas morning. I never gave it much thought until a few years ago. I realized that having them there was a little unconventional but it worked for them. And that my friends is the secret. Finding something that works for your family.
Looks perfect to me...and Rocky!
The last thing I want is for my son to feel torn especially during a season so filled with love and joy. So even though every other Christmas we will wake up apart doesn’t mean our traditions should change. I’ve told him about the lure of those sleigh bells and we’ve picked out the perfect tree. He’s mailed his letter to Santa and we’ve watched The Night They Save Christmas. Christmas is one day but he will be able to feel the Christmas magic whenever we are together.
