The holidays are busy and full of traditions in our home. This year the traditions are shifting as my family continues to grow and change. As long as I let go of my strangle hold on "tradition" I am surprising myself and having lots of fun with the spontaneity that surrounds staying present in the moment.
This Thanksgiving we jetted off to LA for the weekend with another family to attend the Notre Dame USC football game. It was the first Thanksgiving we have celebrated away from family and though I was a little hesitant in the beginning, we had a wonderful time filled with laughter and gaiety.
The next tradition to bite the dust was our annual outing to pick out our Christmas trees. We usually do that the day after Thanksgiving and then begin decorating with egg nog, champagne and carols on Saturday. We flew back into town on Sunday and the older kids got connecting flights (*) or drove back to campus directly from the airport. When will we get the trees? When will we decorate? Will the spirit of Christmas be lost forever this year? Calm down Mom. The spirit of Christmas is as alive as ever and has nothing to do with the Christmas trees or the decorating. We still do not have our trees and I am ok with it! Not an anxious moment to be found. Victoria has to be downtown this weekend so we are driving her down and spending the the night and the next day shopping. The tree will have to wait until next week. And notice I said "tree", not plural! The traditional "kids" tree has been retired for this year. The kids voted on it. We will have one, gigantic and lavishly decorated tree in the family room. These new traditions are not as bad as I expected! Less work for me!
As I continue to amaze myself with my growing skills in becoming the mother of adult children, I am still nostalgic for the innocence of their childhood. Their shining faces and breathless anticipation. Their exclamations and voices squeaky with excitement as they unwrapped their favorite Christmas ornaments and stood on tiptoe to gently hang them on the tree. Those memories are my Christmas present to myself. I will keep them safely wrapped in the cozy warmth of a mother's heart and tied with sparkling tears of joy. I will take them out one by precious one, to be gazed at and then gently tucked away until the next time this mother needs another peek at her heartstrings.
(*) As you may notice in the photo, snow has arrived in Chicago's northwest suburbs. Alex started her return trip home to Indiana University at 8 am on Sunday morning and arrived in Bloomington at 11pm on Monday night. Welcome to holiday travel in the American Midwest!
Beautiful post, Kathleen..
Posted by: Julie Prichard | December 05, 2008 at 03:11 PM
I saw a television commercial recently of young children opening presents on Christmas morning and got all weepy and sentimental. My teenagers are getting a handbag and an iPod. They'll be delighted, but it's not the same as squealing toddlers. I'll always remember the Christmas morning my three-year old son was joyous over a toy sweeper and ran it all morning long in his footie pajamas.
New traditions . . . I must learn to embrace it, content in knowing we're creating a new kind of memory.
Posted by: Mayberry Magpie | December 05, 2008 at 08:32 PM
I agree - we have to embrace the change as our "little" ones are not little any longer. I am being gentle with myself when I get weepy and enjoying the new twists on traditions at our house.
Thanks for helping me to think about this.
Posted by: tami | December 09, 2008 at 11:44 AM
Hi Kathy...
Your words are a loving balm that ministers to my heart and soul...and I thank you. As you know, I too deal with this issue..adjusting to the changing times when our children are..grown up and living...away. Grace does breeze through us and offer Her gifts, and oh what a Blessing that is. Thank you for communicating it so beautifully.
much love...
Cheryl
Posted by: Cheryl | December 13, 2008 at 01:07 AM
I thought I had commented on this, but I must have read it at work and ran out of time... Your new traditions, if they turn out to be so, sound so exciting and fun... you embrace your life with such energy and acceptance. It is amazing how fast families change... Merry Christmas to you! Roxanne
Posted by: rivergardenstudio | December 22, 2008 at 07:05 PM