Family traditions are an important part of the Christmas season. Most families have some sort of tradition even if it is something as small as Dad always placing the star on top of the tree, or always spending Christmas day at Grandma's. Our family was no exception so I would like to tell you about my favorite childhood family tradition.
Santa Claus always managed to get to our house early on Christmas Eve. I guess he had to start somewhere, right? But with 4 excited, nosy, little girls of various ages living in the house there was no way he was going to sneak in and out undetected. Not to worry, this was never a problem. Every year as soon as it started getting dark, we would all pile into the car to drive around town to see the Christmas lights. It was a treat we always looked forward to as Mom and Dad drove us around our little town to see everyone's decorations and colorful lights. We were way too excited to figure out why we always had to wait for Daddy in the car.
So, in case you haven't figured out by now where this is headed; sure enough, when we returned home we would walk into the living room and find that while we were gone Santa had stopped by and left a room full of presents! Pandemonium then set in as packages were torn open and paper flew through the air at a frantic pace. Bedtime was late as there were new toys to put together and playthings to try out. Those are wonderful family memories.
As we got older certain details of the evening changed. After Jane married, her husband Gayle became our chauffeur for our trip around town and Mom and Dad stayed behind to greet Santa. Then when I became a teenager and sang in our church choir I would have to leave in time to attend our 11:00 p.m. Christmas Eve church service.
After we all grew up and had families of our own, we started out trying to keep our Christmas Eve tradition, minus the sight-seeing trip. Unfortunately, as our families grew and branched out it became harder and harder to keep our Christmas Eve tradition. We still always make time for our families to get together at Christmas but the date often has to change. The date isn't important. Family is what's important and we will always find the time to get together.
This year our family gathering will be much different. This will be our first since Mom was killed in a car accident. Mom was the heart of our family and she instilled in us the importance of keeping family close. Her spirit will still be the heart of our Christmas.
My wish for you this Christmas is that you will take time to appreciate your own family traditions. Remember the old ones and while you're at it, make some new ones.
Until next time...that's my view.
Kat
This Christmas, your family will be surrounded by the warmth and love of your Mom's spirit. She wouldn't have it any other way.
ReplyDeleteah, kat.. i am so sorry about your mom.... i hope you enjoy a peaceful and loving christmas with your family.... and reminisce about the wonderful things your mom did to earn the honor of 'heart of the family'... <3
ReplyDeleteoh, and awesome background.. red is my favorite, favorite, favorite color... :D
Beautiful memories. I know what it's like to face Christmas unexpectedly without a parent. It's not the same, but our gratitude for those that we have gets us through, along with the wonderful memories. Very heartfelt post and lovely pictures.
ReplyDeleteLiinda
I'm so sorry that your family has suffered such a terrible loss and is hurting, but being together will make this most difficult of Christmases easier. I hope the smiles far outweigh the tears. ♥
ReplyDeleteThanks Kelly. I know what you say is true. She will always be with us in spirit.
ReplyDeleteThanks Daphne. It's been a rough few months but we do have some great memories. Red is my favorite color too. :D
I love this walk down memory lane. I am so sorry you will be missing your mom and I am sure she will talked about and honored throughout the season. Really nice blog.
ReplyDelete@Linda - Thank you for your kind words. Friends have been a big help in getting us through the last few months.
ReplyDelete@ Beth - We are very blessed and have a lot to be thankful for. Mom's spirit will always be a part of our family gatherings.
@ Jo - Thank you Jo. She is never far from our thoughts and will still be a big part of our Christmas.
To all of my new Blogging friends - For those of you who are new to my blog, mom was killed in a car accident in July. Three weeks later I fell and broke my ankle and was laid up for over 2 months. That is when I started blogging. Some of my earliest blogs were about Mom and it has been really therapeutic for me. I am now hooked on blogging and so thankful for all of you wonderful friends I have made. Thank you all for visiting my blog.
When I was little Christmas day was our Christmas and dinner at two grandparents. When I got married I married a man that doesn't do gatherings (I knew this but thought I could change his mind....NOT!) anyways because we live so close to my family I spend time at my parents, granparents, uncles, cousins all the time so get togethers weren't quite as improtant as my marriage. When Mike was little we started Christmas on the eve. After dinner Mike would go take a bath and Santa always came while Mike was in there. Snow foot prints and all.
ReplyDeleteI know that this Christmas will be difficult for you all but thank God you have each other.
This is be a great Christmas, just a bit different.
Take care Kat and you're welcome for the addresses. I'll be getting to them hopefully this weekend. Blessings my friend.
I'm so sorry about your mother.. It must have been a terrible experience. Maybe it will be a great Christmas where you can come together and remember all the beautiful things about your mother. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry about the loss of your Mom. I lost my Mom in a fire Nov 2008. She was 80 years old. The pain of a sudden, horrific death is unimaginable until it happens. I'm sure you and your family had a difficult time adjusting, as I did. That first year is horrible, made even worst because less than 2 months after the death of Mom, my husband had emergency heart surgery with 4 bypasses, then another 2 months later, a second surgery for a heart defibrillator implant. There were a couple of other things that contributed to the stress. Although I had been blogging since 2007, that is when I began to write fiction. It was an amazing outlet to write something that was mostly fiction instead of writing anything about my real world. I say "mostly fiction" because there is always a little truth woven into my stories.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about your family traditions. You parents sound very much like my own were. I miss them both so very much.
Thank you for coming to my blog. I may not have found you otherwise.
@ Julie - Yes, when we marry we have to make new traditions.
ReplyDelete@ Maren - Thank you Maren. Yes, it really was a terrible time but we are doing okay. Christmas was very different, but was a time of healing.
@ Darlene - I enjoy your blog and am so glad you came to visit me. Thanks for your sentiments about mom. It was a difficult time as you well know. I am really sorry about your mom. Has your fiction been published?