Okay - got my next assignment today - 31 days of prompts. Printed them out nice and big - now I have to decide how I am going to display them so that they will be a constant in my life. Briefly glanced through the cards, don't want to spend too much time on them or I will psych myself out of working on the project. Some of the questions frighten me a little. I don't come from a family that had a lot of holiday traditions. Most of my childhood holidays (July 4th, Thanksgiving, Christmas) were spent trying to avoid my alcoholic father. I was well into my 20's when we (my mother, sisters and I) finally told him enough was enough. We did not want another holiday ruined by alcohol. So, much to our delight, my father did abstain from alcohol for a several years {holidays only}). So when I look back I don't have warm fuzzy scenes of the family gathering around the tree, attending church, having a nice holiday dinner. Christmas Eve's were loud, angry and chaotic. Christmas Days were hushed (hung over), tense and draining.
That's probably why when my husband and I started our own family, traditions were very important to me. I know that when my children look back on their childhood christmas' they will remember going out to cut down the Christmas tree (maybe not fondly :) ), me baking christmas cookies, receiving their special christmas bulb on the 12th day before Christmas and receiving their Christmas pajamas from Kris Kringle on Christmas Eve morning.
We have started so many traditions with them - maybe that's what I will focus on the most.
- Putting up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving
- A manger scene and christmas tree in every room of the house
- Decorating for 2 days
- 12 Days of Christmas with Kris Kringle
- Buying everyone a special ornament to receive on Cait's birthday
- Buying of the Christmas p.j.'s
- Hanging the mistletoe in the door
- Hiding the "pickle" in the tree
We have so many traditions now, I really have to sit and think about all of them.
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