Christmas is nearly upon us. Is anyone else having a different sort of Christmas this year.....again? I gave leave to my three sons several years ago to stay in their own homes now that they were married and two had children. It was only right because after I left home I never went home at all at Christmas. My parents lived a day's drive away as did Ken's parents, but even if they'd lived closer I wanted to make my own Christmas traditions.
It was ten Christmases before we had a child to celebrate with us so our tradition was to go out to eat at a lovely restaurant in an old mansion that we only dined at on Christmas Day. Then we'd drive into Washington, DC to view the National Christmas Tree and all the beautiful decorations. Sometimes we'd go to see a heartwarming movie.
After we had children Santa Claus took center stage after all the church activities leading up to Christmas had taken place. I'd be up late Christmas Eve writing a poem with clues for each child's presents that I'd hid about the house.
With the boys celebrating in their own homes now, we're gathering as a family earlier in December to celebrate together. Because of the Pandemic, we are once again celebrating individually with each son and his family. It certainly is less hectic! But there is something about being all together that makes Christmas for me.
❤️Home is where the Heart is❤️
Ultimately, Home IS where the heart is. Today with FaceTime and Zoom we can not only hear but see our loved ones when we can't be with them. And those that have gone on before us never leave our hearts, so they, too, are with us, only in a different way.
I'm wishing each of you a special time of your own making this year. Whether it's being with family and friends, writing Christmas newsletters and cards, baking cookies, reading special Christmas stories (I'm enjoying Louisa May Alcott's Christmas Treasury), binging on holiday movies (Loved A Boy Called Christmas on Netflix), watching YouTube vloggers share how they prepare for Christmas (here's one I loved: Girl in Calico), participating in church activities or community get-togethers (hopefully, masked), or helping the less fortunate, may your endeavors bring Joy and Peace within and to all those you encounter.
If you have time to spare, I'd love to hear what you're doing this year to make Christmas special for you and your loved ones.
Take Joy!
Christmas has always meant being with family for me as well, Cathy. May you and your husband enjoy a most glorious day filled with JOY!
ReplyDeleteThe same to you, Martha Ellen. Thank you! ❤️
DeleteWell Cathy - for the second year in a row, our family is sitting out our Thanksgiving & Christmas gatherings. We're all vaxxed and most are boosted as well - I get my booster Dec 29 - but with the stories we hear about Omicron, we all agree it just isn't worth it. So we're each having our own special treats in our own homes - and will text back & forth on Christmas [and New Years]. I'm going to make Swedish meatballs with noodles - and have some treats while I watch the traditional Christmas movies. Thank God for the Internet - can you imagine coping with all these COVID challenges without it? I rarely leave my apartment now - it's a good thing I'm a homebody and can always find something to occupy my time too. But even I'm getting a touch of cabin fever, now that we're approaching the 2-year mark on this whole business. I think we'll all appreciate being "free" again when everything is over - just being able to go out without having a mask along for the ride will be a relief. I enjoyed reading about your Christmas traditions before & after having your boys - the idea of having a special dinner together & then going to see the National Christmas Tree is a particularly romantic notion. You must both have some great memories of those times. When we were little, my grandparents decided it was easier for them to go out on Christmas than to have my Dad & his brother pack up 10 little kids between them & truck to THEIR house, so they visited us on Christmas Day, bringing mountains of presents to each house. They came to our house right after breakfast & would have lunch with our family - and then would go to spend the afternoon at my uncle's having dinner with them. We did that for decades - right up until the time my grandfather died. Then we'd visit Grandma on Christmas as she didn't drive and was in her 80s by then. Our own immediate family began celebrating on Christmas Eve when I was in high school. We'd have a big buffet with contributions from the six of us kids & various in-laws - then opened presents. Christmas became a bit of an anticlimax - everyone with in-laws went to their homes that day - and those of us WITHOUT in-laws would go to Mom & Dad's to eat leftovers & enjoy a nice quiet day of movies & games. Hope you have a wonderful holiday and let's all hope this is the last year we have to make "contingency" plans for Thanksgiving & Christmas. I guess COVID is this generation's WWII - something we have to pull together & fight so we can get back to normal. Take care & again, the merriest of Christmases! ❤️🎄🎅🏻🎁🌟
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your Christmas tradition story, Janet. It's like reading a scene from a Christmas story. I'm reading Louisa May Alcott's Christmas stories and feel like I'm having Christmas with her characters. This whole pandemic thing is certainly teaching all of us how to live one day at a time and be flexible and grateful for the little things more. A very merry Christmas to you, too. ❤️
DeleteCathy with the pandemic still happening I think we all have experienced a different Christmas. I had hoped it would have improved but unfortunately things still remain dicey in gathering. It is wonderful with Zoom and such we can still be in touch. Praying for a better Christmas season next year. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteToday in the news I hear home test kits are going to be free and more available starting in about 2 weeks. That will certainly help getting together without worry.
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