the holidays

do they stress you out? not me... i can't wait for them. i love christmas so much. love puting out the decorations, decorating the tree, the christmas lights, sipping hot chocolate and apple cider around the fireplace watching old christmas t.v. shows and movies. listening to christmas music and the fun walking down candy cane lane here in town. all the festive baking and treats is a favorite as well. the top of it all is the fact that i finally get to see my entire family for one time during the year. i am extremely family oriented and it is the one time i get to see my aunts, uncles and cousins as well as my mom, sister and neice and my own family in one room together. i miss all the christmas's as a young girl spending it with my family. we used to have people with us that are now no longer with us like my dad, my maternal grandma and grandpa and my paternal grandpa. i miss them all so much.

my sister started a tradition about 6 or 7 years back and i am so glad she did. that year in about 1999 or 2000, she asked each of us to go into a room by ourself and grab a round christmas ornament (they were red shiny ones) and use the metallic felts she gave us as well as white glue and sparkles and decorate it however we wanted and write our name on it. we all did. she had a total of about 15 or so. last year when she set up her tree i was at her house and she put my dad's and my grandpa's ornaments on the tree front and centre. i saw my dad's writing and his drawing and i started to cry. it is like a piece of him lives on with us at the holidays. it is very comforting to see it there. it feels like they are there with us. i know the holidays are not easy for everyone. i challenge you to try this this year. make the effort. it is easy and very inexpensive and very fun to do. trust me, when you have them you will be glad you did when one year one of those people is no longer with you.