christmas parade 'after party' photos..............

This year was the first year for the Christmas parade 'after party'! I thought it would be a fun time to have everyone back to the house for some hot chocolate and cookies to warm up with after standing out in the cold watching the parade. And I also gave Brody his advent calendar this night so that he can start counting down the days to Christmas soon! This year the weather wasn't too cold but the wind was wild! We almost got blown away! All was well though and we had a fun time especially with Brody watching this year and being able to take it in a little bit more.

Our table was set with yummy cookies all ready for eating. My 'melt in your mouth' butter crescents looked like they had snow drifted on them :)

Hot chocolate was ready for all to enjoy too! Brody loved the marshmallows!

My pretty girl Brianne enjoying some hot chocolate!

Here's my little Brody enjoying his 'warm' chocolate and cookies too!

Megan, Wil and Brody enjoying family time together.

We all had a great time and I look forward to next years Christmas parade 'after party'! Another family tradition for all to enjoy! May your family or friend traditions rise up to meet you and bring you joy now and all year long!

Blessings............

Traditions........

I've been working on a project for the last several weeks that has been very special to me. It was a hand crafted Christmas advent calender for my grandson Brody. It's not so much the project that is important, but rather what the project means to me and hopefully to him and even his family as he grows older and the tradition it will bring to each Christmas observed.

I need to start out by saying that I have a very small immediate family. It consists of only myself and my three children. Add to that my partner Jim and my daughter's fiance and we number 6 people. And don't get me wrong, I'm not longing for a big family or anything of that nature because I love my little family just the way it is. I'm not sure I could adequately express in words just how much they all mean to me. So as a way of expressing my love for them I truly enjoy our times together and try to make any occasion special. It is twofold in essence because I want to create these experiences for all of them to enjoy and remember and yet all the joy that it brings returns itself to me. A little selfish maybe but it's ok I think.

This leads me to tradition.....family traditions. 'Tradition' is described as 'a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past'. The word 'tradition' is derived from the Latin tradere or traderer , literally meaning to hand over, to transmit or to give for safe-keeping. Traditions are most often carried forward from many generations past and are present in families today and move forward from there again. It's a bit different for my family in terms of the fact that I am the one creating these traditions for all of us and with that I feel somewhat a sense of responsibility as the matriarch of the family.......a good responsibility though. For me it is a wonderful gift that I can give to my family and have them take these traditions into their future lives.

We are social beings who all want to feel a sense of 'belonging' and 'connection' in a world where there is such a huge level of disconnect from others. With traditions we can come together as a group where there is a common element and it bonds us together even for a short period of time. Imagine for a minute that something gets in the way of a family tradition. It can create a sense of loss and disappointment and it could feel like something is missing. There is not a whole lot left in life that can be considered a constant. Traditions can be that way though. At least that's what I think. For myself I believe our traditions as a family keep us together and make us stronger.

My hope is that my calendar for Brody will bring with it a tradition that he and his family will look forward to each and every year. It is my gift to them.

My hope is that you have traditions in your life that you look forward to and can carry them in your heart with love and remember them for years to come.

Blessings to all...........

tradition.....

Each year my daughters and I go shopping. We don't go far, but we take the day and shop our hearts out and have lunch together somewhere fun. It's a day we all look forward to and mark on our calendars with excitement. And today is the day!!.....yay!!!. It is our 6th year to be spending the day together and for me it is most about making memories for all of us. I guess especially for them to remember long after I am gone and maybe if they have daughters they might also continue the tradition. I have found that as I grow older I want to create tradition for my small family. Tradition creates bonds between people and links us together. That is what I like about our shopping day.....it's a chance for us to spend time together doing something we all love to do mixed in with lots of laughs to nourishing our mother/daughter bonds. I want my girls to look back on these days and reminisce about all the fun times we spent together. It is a blessing to share in those memories......

....this is now a post script. Our day is done and wonderful memories were made. Every year there is new growth in my girls both in age and spirit. This year my oldest daughter is a new mommy and my youngest is a career woman on her chosen path. For myself this is a day I treasure. We as women and family take the time to spend this day together. It's perfect. It's one of my favorite days of the year. Thanks girls for this special time we share together. I hope you continue with this tradition even after I am gone. Love you both!