Holiday Traditions...

Holiday traditions are something that we remember for a lifetime. Even if those traditions are not always positive. Growing up candles, bowls of hard candy and people coming over were things I could count on. My folks had friends that would come and play cards till the wee hours of the morning and we would have candle burning and holiday lights every where.

As my own little family grew and we started our own traditions. We experimented with some of those held by my family and some by their dad's folks. The biggest one became that we travelled to the grandparents' homes and stayed till the wee hours of the morning. Of course we regretted disrupting the sleep schedule of the kiddos and there was all kinds of stress the next day, we still did it. Once I left for the army I was somehow exempt from the madness (why I did not go sooner, I'll never know!).

When I could I would fly the children back to Michigan to visit family. I myself would stay where ever we happened to be assigned for many of those years it was Colorado. I have been back a few times since leaving the service and had planned to go this holiday season, things change, but that is another post.

As I began to prepare and decorate for this Christmas I found myself unprepared for how I would feel having our first Christmas back on the property since the fire. Last year we celebrated in town and it didn't seem to have the same impact as this year is having. Of course last year there wasn't a virus bogging us down, kids were in school and it was easy to visit friends and shop (only 2 dogs back then). Just different all the way around.

This year my son will be in that house for Christmas and we are in our new home. Much more space to decorate and more time also as I am not babysitting four other kiddos. So why am I not ready? Partly, because we really had planned to travel. (Thank you covid)

So now that I have vented about my lack of enthusiasm for this holiday season I will tell you I have resolved to make some new traditions for the littles this year. They are super excited about the whole business of decorating and presents and all. So I think we should do something to make it memorable and reproducible next year. No shopping isn't it.

Shipping won't be fun as I have missed the deadline for on-time arrivals... but if my friend who is going to Michigan wanted to stop by and pick up a few packages to deliver... JK!

Well I must cut this post a bit short as my puppies are finally back from their morning carcass hunt. They have returned with a small rabbit and I pray they were not the predators that killed it. Hopefully they were only the retrievers... 

The Magic lives on!