Christmas Memories of Yesteryear

It seems like just yesterday the children were little and would decorate the tree with me…one year we had such a tight budget we decorated our tree with paper and seashells and this particular Christmas was one of the best Christmases ever for our family. My husband went out to the beach and collected oysters and he actually collected enough for us to make oyster chowder, we had crackers and dip, and of course we made homemade cookies and a gingerbread house but the best part of all of this was our childrens’ passion for the magical day ahead. We even spent Christmas Day at the beach collecting seashells and making memories.

 I actually wrote a guest post for Cottage Making Mommy about the year we decorated our tree with paper, popcorn, and seashells so check it out here

 Our children would walk around the house with hushed whispers storing their presents in their drawers and would wrap them with newspaper, fabric, bows, or whatever else they could get their hands one. They would practice holiday plays with the neighbors and perform them and we even had a neighbor that would make a Birthday Cake for Jesus and invite us all over for the party it was a very festive time when they were growing up! We knew all about how to keep the holidays frugal but I don’t think we ever really talked about it and actually the only time it ever came up was one year when my daughter wanted a particular pair of boots and well she felt like Santa did not come through for her. I think everyone has a Christmas like that they remember and then over time the family memories far outweigh the tangible items they didn’t receive.

 I can’t really pick one favorite memory there were too many but I will say the years we put the train set under the tree or one year we put reindeer on the roof of our house our children in particular loved those years. Heading towards Christmas at 45 years of age I look at the holidays with a completely different lens; my kids are adults now and well the things that are important to me have changed. My daughter actually asked me the other day “Mom what would you like for Christmas?” and I said…”Well I would love it if you came for a visit on Christmas Day!” and for a minute I stopped and realized I sounded just like my Senior Residents and what they wanted for Christmas years ago when I worked in property management. We need to value the wisdom of our seniors they have lived long enough to know what’s valuable and what is not and I can tell you for sure that they were accurate.

Last night I was hanging the stockings on the chimney with care, my 2 lb batch of chex mix was made which my son loves, and all my gifts for the most part had been purchased I realized as we head into the empty nest and beyond that it’s okay to change up and evolve our traditions to what brings us joy. This Thanksgiving holiday we combined our family dinner with another family and it was such a wonderful time and we created new memories! Don’t worry about what’s always been traditional and that includes your diet too. If you want to have a gluten free or a paleo holiday go for it! Do what works for you and your own family!

 Here’s to wishing all of you a beautiful holiday season! Whether you are baking cookies with your children or going Christmas shopping with your Mom, playing scrabble with Dad, or just spending time with your spouse or significant other no matter what you do I hope you enjoy time with them and make beautiful memories for you to treasure. I wish you all a beautiful week until next time!

Fondly,