Wasn’t it just yesterday that we stood at the kitchen counter together carefully arranging Santa’s cookies on the platter and pouring him a glass of milk?
It’s during the most wonderful time of the year that it hits us how much life has changed over the last twelve months. Suddenly your son is towering over you, and your daughter is more interested in clothes for Christmas than My Little Ponies. You look at your beloved babies a year older and remember how just last Christmas they still believed and felt the anticipation of Santa coming down the chimney.
New Changes
Every year brings changes. We lose people. We divorce. People are off traveling the world, away at school, serving in the military, or newly married. The face of Christmas may change year to year, but I firmly believe that if you keep the spirit of togetherness at the center of the festivities, you will always find joy amid the changing landscape.
When my kids were little one of our favorite traditions was making food for the reindeer and sprinkling it on our grass on Christmas Eve. Now teenagers, we no longer make reindeer food, but much to my delight they still enjoy gathering around the tree to decorate and admire their favorite ornaments. We reminisce about the vacation where we bought that one, or the friends who gave us this one. Sipping hot chocolate and listening to Christmas music, it is one of the best evenings of the year.
With one away at college this year, we have made a change and decided to wait for her to put up the tree. That means it may be up for less time, something I have adamantly opposed in the past, but this year it is more important to maintain our tradition than have an extra week with the tree. It’s a change, but I realized it isn’t about enjoying the tree for a longer amount of time. It’s about enjoying it together.
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Embracing New Traditions
I know as my kids approach adulthood that many more Christmas traditions may be altered or go by the wayside. While I will miss the “minute to win it” games on New Year’s Eve and the midnight gingerbread house marathons on Christmas, I know new traditions and festivities will take hold. New family members- spouses or even grandchildren- may come into the mix at some point and many of the old traditions will come to life once again.
Whatever happens, I know that so long as I can be near my loved ones during the holidays, it will be a time of joy and memory-making. Letting go of childhood is often harder for parents than the kids but embracing the new faces of Christmas is exciting and ripe with the mystery of what’s next in life.
Every Christmas.
If you start to feel stressed this Christmas rushing around to make everything magical for your family, remember that the time will soon come when they will want to sleep in until noon on Christmas morning. Enjoy the mess of the reindeer food and embrace the crazy merry making. Every stage of Christmas is beautiful, and I plan on being fully present for all of its versions.
