I know, I know what is a holiday without all the lights, food, music, and gifts giving?! Not a holiday that is worth remembering if you ask me. Well that is what I would have said before this last Thanksgiving. Yeah that’s right…the holiday we celebrated just 5 days ago. Those who know me personally have heard all about how sick my kids have been. I’m serious. A week of strep throat for my middle child, followed by a week of croup for my oldest and why not round off things with a third week with a sinus infection for my third kiddo (the baby.) Well right smack dab in the middle of all our sickie adventures was Thanksgiving. Guys we were supposed to host Thanksgiving this year! Instead we were FORCED to call the whole thing off because of the “highly contagious” state we were in. We stayed home with just our little family. No turkey, no football, no gatherings….nothing! And I can’t express to you how much fun it was.
We did turkey crafts, went on a family walk (which we have never done with the 5 of us) and even had some sidewalk chalk time. I didn’t race off to Black Friday Shopping like I normally do. And everything just seemed to be so wonderfully slow paced and quiet. I realized how nice doing “nothing” on a national holiday could be! I’m not likely to forget this Thanksgiving for a long time.
So that brings me to our Christmas. I’m envisioning it already. The racing around. Posing the Elf on the Shelf (who now comes with more and more accessories…no longer a book and an Elf). Stocking stuffers. Christmas jammie buying. Putting up Christmas lights. Tree trimming. Family photos. Card sending. Crafting events. Holiday parties. Huge family gatherings. None of it is that quiet and slow paced day full of love between a father and a mother and their 3 young children. I’m sure I will remember Christmas this year but just not in the same way I will remember our special, sickie Thanksgiving.
I think that I feel that it’s these traditions I mentioned above that make a holiday special. It’s already started for us with family photos but I will try to strive to make our family holidays less about all that stuff and more about us. Because that is where the memories full of love come from…just us.
I agree Rachel. The simplest things matter the most during the holidays. The kids will remember the feelings and time you gave them, not so much the dollar amount you saved standing in line for 2hrs to get the “last” hot toy for Christmas. You go girl, put your priorities first!