It’s a Family Tradition
This blog post isn’t about home decor, it isn’t going to teach you anything it’s not full of tricks, tips and full of ideas to decorate your home. This blog post is just something to reflect on.
It’s Christmas time, and I can’t help but reflect on family traditions, the ones I grew up with and the ones we are creating with our daughter, each special each important and impactful…
What is a Tradition?
Well, by definition it is a belief or behavior passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance. Great, not as warm and fuzzy as I would have hoped, So let’s dig a little deeper shall we?
What is the big deal? Well, I’m a sentimental sap and I love things that bring my family and friends together to provide a sense of comfort and a sense of belonging.
Traditions nurture connections and bonds us to one another. By creating traditions we are creating meaning behind our celebrations. I’m not saying we can’t celebrate without traditions, because we can and they totally have their place. But, for Holidays I think it’s important to build and create traditions.
Do you remember your traditions as a kid? Do you remember how excited you were? Do you remember the magic and anticipation you felt? I do! OH EMM GEE THE MAGIC!
I’m Thankful for the family beside me and the food before us.
Thanksgiving where we would watch football and play, and connect, occasionally fight, play in the snow if we had snow that year. Growing up on a ranch in Northeastern Nevada we usually had snow. All of this happened while Mom cooked the most delicious meal full of traditions in and of themselves.
Then we would sit down together. That was a tradition, you see this meal was one that we took our time on, Mom would cook for days, and we would sit at that table for a good long time enjoying her efforts. My Dad was the slowest eater and by this alone, the meal would last a long time. We were not in a hurry on this day. We slowed down and enjoyed each other’s company, the food before us and the connection between us.
The Christmas Tradition
When I married my husband, I married a family who has a strong sense of family. That is their tradition. Sure we go to church on Christmas eve after a family sit-down dinner, wake up early to the smell of Nana’s pull-aparts coming out of the oven. We take turns opening our gifts so everyone can enjoy seeing our loved-ones opening that long-anticipated gift.
But the real tradition here is the family togetherness. It really doesn’t matter what we are doing, its that we are doing it together as a family. Life is busy and hectic and we are all going in different directions, but for Christmas, we are together and that is a very special tradition.
Raising a family, creating traditions
Our traditions with an 11-year-old have grown and changed over the years just as she has. When we were first parents, we would try to stick to the traditions we were raised with, and that was fine, but as we settled into being Gillins party of 3 we started to create something unique to the 3 of us.
Luci always gets a new ornament from her Elf on the shelf, Eloise.
We started collecting Star Wars ornaments.
We get an ornament from whatever family vacation we took that year.
We collect nativity scenes.
We catch the local highschool’s choir group sing their Christmas carols.
We host a huge good old fashion Christmas party in our home.
Luci decorates a gingerbread house with one or both of her grandmas.
We get a giant cup of hot cocoa and drive around our town and look at Christmas lights.
We adopt a family for Christmas in hopes to make theirs a bit brighter.
We participate in Operation Christmas Child, we each fill a box and we go shopping as a family
Luci opens one gift on Christmas eve and usually its new jammies and a book.
None of this is earth-shattering and none of this is out of the ordinary. Its simple, but these are the things that get us into the Christmas spirit and what is Christmas spirit?
It can be different for everyone, but for us, it’s the spirit of giving, the spirit of love, the spirit of togetherness. Christmas spirit is our tradition, although this list does happen every year we aren’t a sticker to everything, we allow ourselves to be in the moment. It’s the spirit of Christmas that we are a stickler about
LOVE, GIVING, TOGETHERNESS.
I wish you a very merry Christmas, I wish you joyful moments that become your tradition, and to keep the magic alive in your heart.
XOXO,
Iolanda