Taking the magic out of Christmas ... and bringing it back. Part 9.

"You see, Mrs. Walker, this is quite an opportunity 

for me. For the past 50 years or so I've been getting

 more and more worried about Christmas. Seems we're 

all so busy trying to beat the other fellow in making things go faster and look shinier and cost less that Christmas 

and I are sort of getting lost in the shuffle."

~Kris Kringle (Miracle on 34th Street)

Part 9 is dedicated to making new traditions.  When I was kid, I use to think Christmas would remain the same, see Part 2 of this series to read about what Christmas was like when I was young.  Then, all of a sudden, it wasn't. Something changed.  I don't think I can really pinpoint the year it changed, but there came a point in time when Gram stopped making dinner, family stopped coming over and spending the day and it was just ... different.  Everything changed, but didn't.  Then we grew up, grew apart and now, if we see each other on the holidays, it's merely a coincidence.

So, Christmas traditions changed.  But it never seemed to be the same.  Then in 2001, when Gram died, Christmas would never be what she made it to be.  Christmas, as we knew it in our family, died, with my grandmother.  That first Christmas after she died was tough!!!  And my own Christmas traditions really didn't start to become real traditions until 2007, when I bought my house, could have a real tree again and decided that I would be the one making Christmas dinner every year.  The only thing that mattered to me then was that my daughter had a nice Christmas, and that she had some sort of tradition to count on each year just like I did.

As stated in Part 1, in 2004, my oldest daughter and I began our own new tradition of buying a new ornament each year for our tree, which I now also do with my youngest.  Their first year out on their own, they will both receive their ornaments as a set to remind them of our annual Christmas tradition, which I fully intend on continuing with them even after they are all grown up and beginning to make their own traditions.  I have made Christmas dinner  for the past 5 years and my parents, aunt and uncle come over and share in a feast.  This year is different, though.  This year, the difference is what has changed during this year.  A new beginning means new traditions will also begin. 

Now to get to my point of this post, as one tradition ends, it doesn't mean that Christmas isn't what it should be, it simply means it is evolving. Imagine if everything stayed the same, how boring would life be?  But there are certain things that people want to remain the same, forever.  Unfortunately, forever isn't, well ... forever. People get depressed around the holidays, they miss their loved ones who have passed, miss traditions of days gone by and this causes them to hate this time of year.  Holiday shopping becomes a hassle rather then memories to be made and people just seem to be too busy to really see the true magic of Christmas as adults.   It's time to wake up and smell that freshly brewed coffee you make everyday and realize that as one tradition ends, it is up to you to create new ones, with the people that are in your life today, they are the ones that are the most important and are the ones who will help make new Christmas traditions with you.  Whether your new traditions are similar to those of yesteryear or completely different, one thing is for certain, they are YOURS. And they are IMPORTANT.  Don't let the spirit of Christmas get lost in change, embrace that change and let the spirit of Christmas live within your heart and start making new traditions that can be carried on and shared with future generations.  

What has changed in your traditions and how have you made new traditions? 

Peace, Love and Light, 

Christine

http://www.lifetimememorieswny.com

Taking the magic out of Christmas ... and bringing it back. Part 5.

"Deck the harrs with boughs of horry, 

fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra ra ra"

~Waiters at the Chinese Restaurant in A Christmas Story

Part 5 is dedicated to the songs of the season.  I LOVE Christmas music!!!!!!  My absolute all time favorite Christmas song is "Baby, It's Cold Outside" followed closely by "All I Want For Christmas Is You".

"Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a lovely account of a winter romance and has been my favorite since I heard it many years ago!  And I can't even tell you how many times I've lost my copy of Mariah Carey's Christmas songs, but I'm pretty sure I'm up to 3 or 4 times.  I finally bought a digital copy of it last year, because I, yet again, lost my hard copy.  Ever since I heard "All I Want For Christmas Is You," I have LOVED that song!!! They both make me fall in love with being in love every time I hear them! 

Every year I have my radio station tuned to the one that plays the Christmas songs the earliest, usually beginning in November.  Then, the day after Christmas, it returns to normal programming.  This year, however, I haven't really been listening to it, so in an effort to return to my normal crazed Christmas spirited self, I created a list of my top 19 favorite Christmas songs on Spotify.  It includes my two favorites from above as well as several other classics, like "A Holly, Jolly Christmas", which is my dad's favorite song and "Do You Hear What I Hear," a church classic that I just LOVE to sing!!!!!! 

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs?

Peace, Love and Light, 

Christine
http://www.lifetimememorieswny.com

Taking the magic out of Christmas ... and bringing it back. Part 3.

"No! No! I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action 

Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!"

~Ralphie

Part 3 is dedicated to a tradition from my German roots.  The Christmas Pickle.  I don't entirely remember when this tradition began in my family, but it is something I have carried with me for as long as I can remember and enjoy with my girls. 

The legend of the Christmas Pickle says that the pickle, a symbol of good luck, was the last ornament placed on the tree (hidden deep inside the middle somewhere).  The first child to find the pickle on Christmas morning was rewarded with an extra gift left by St. Nicolas.  This tradition encourages children to appreciate all the beautiful ornaments on the tree, rather then just rushing to see what Santa has left for them. 

I can remember when we were kids, we'd go and get our tree, then we'd have to let it settle (so the ornaments didn't fall off when the branches dropped, or at least that was the excuse LOL) then when the tree was ready, we'd decorate it and the pickle was always the last ornament to go on the tree before we put our topper on.  I was always so excited when we put the pickle on the tree.  I think it was because it was just an odd ornament, a pickle.  But still, a tradition that we shared together as a family.  

A few years ago, I handed out Christmas Pickles to all of my family and close friends (who didn't already have one) so that I could share a favorite family tradition with all of them.  There are certain theories that this was not actually a German tradition, but one that originated in the USA, I still keep it in the German part of my heart ♥

What's your favorite family tradition? 


Peace, Love and Light, 

Christine
http://www.lifetimememorieswny.com

Taking the magic out of Christmas ... and bringing it back. Part 1.

"Oooh fuuudge!"

"Only I didn't say "Fudge." I said THE word, 

the big one, the queen-mother of dirty 

words, the 'F-dash-dash-dash' word!" 

~Ralphie

My oldest making Christmas Cookies in 2003

It's no secret that I am a Christmas fanatic!!!  I love everything about the Christmas season, snow included.  Christmas in our house is so much more then just Santa Claus and gifts.  I encourage my children to believe in the spirit of a man who gave to those in need, and instill what the real meaning of Christmas is.  

A real tree fills our home with the scents of the season and for the past 5 years I have cooked Christmas dinner, each year making a new traditional Scottish cuisine dish. We have turkey, ham and duck, stuffing, mashed potatoes (usually lumpy - I try, what can I say LOL), cranberries, the whole kit and caboodle.  It may seem like a lavish meal fit for a king, but it's just one meal shared at my table among family. 

Since my divorce, my oldest daughter, Caitlin, and I have shared a tradition of buying a new ornament each year, we pick it out together and she hangs it on the tree each year.  I started this with my youngest, Laurana, last year.   Christmas has never been about the amount of gifts under the tree or the money spent on them.  I have always tried to instill that Christmas is about sharing a special day and celebrating with family.

I feel that I lost a lot of my Christmas spirit over the past few years, without boring you with the fine details, let's just say I feel it was due to a period of needing to re-create myself.  I lost my way because I was so wrapped up in someone else's pain that I barely enjoyed my favorite time of year.  I felt very alone and without much love in my situation which is what took the magic out Christmas for me.  This year, however, I feel soooo different!!!!  I have that giddy, little girl feeling back again and I am in love with the feeling!!!! 

This upcoming weekend, I am fulfilling two bucket list items, to see the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center all lit up and to see a Broadway show, so what better show to see then my all time favorite Christmas Classic, "A Christmas Story"!!!!!  I simply cannot explain how excited I am to go to NYC and enjoy and experience this magical place during the Christmas season!!!!

Next week, I will be preparing my home to put up a tree and decorate it and for the first time ever, I am going to decorate the outside of my home as well.  So, what brought the magic of Christmas back to me, you might be asking?  There are many things that have helped with this, keep an eye out for new posts as I unveil what re-sparked my Christmas fire.

Peace, Love and Light, 

Christine

http://www.lifetimememorieswny.com