Christmas has always been one of my favourite holidays, and it's not just about the giving and receiving of gifts that makes me love this time of year so much, although that was probably a contributing factor when I was a child. I think it has more to do with the jolly mood that everyone gets into, and there's no one more jolly than my father at this time of the year. As soon as Thanksgiving finished he and I would bundle up and go into the fields to find the "perfect" Christmas tree. As most of you know, it takes me about 20 times longer than the average person to make a decision, especially for something as important as a tree. We would walk around from tree to tree, short listing a few before circling back around to completely change that list and then repeat this process for the next hour or two, all while shivering away. The number one priority for me was to get the largest tree that would fit into our door. This usually ended with my father having to cut off a good portion of the trunk because I had yet again selected a tree that was too large for our ceiling. That evening, against my brother's wishes, I would play Christmas music on repeat while we decorated our beast of a tree. This usually involved hanging home-made gingerbread men that I made with my mother earlier in the day. (By the time Christmas arrived there would only be heads hanging on the tree as my father and I would sneak an arm, leg, body, etc., each morning to have with our coffee and hot chocolate.) My mother would put up the rest of the decorations around the house and over night our house was transformed into a Christmas Wonderland.
The house I grew up in was perfect for Christmas, I have many fond memories snuggled up with a cup of cocoa by the fire or a bowl of maple sugar on freshly fallen snow. The house was always toasty and warm, scents of freshly baked pie and cinnamon filled the air, and for just one month everyone seemed a little bit happier and nicer to one another. It is my ultimate goal to one day create this atmosphere for our family around the holidays, and yes we will eventually celebrate Thanksgiving at our house in England, even if it has to be rescheduled for the weekend.
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| Creepy Snowman Tahoe Christmas 2010 |
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| My home made advent calendar |
These memories changed as we got older and moved away but the traditions still remained. I, no longer able to be at home for Thanksgiving, don't go with my father any more to pick the tree. He still goes after Thanksgiving, but usually with my mother and they always pick a far more sensibly sized tree. There also isn't all the holly jolly around the Christmas tree as it gets decorated and gingerbread heads are no where to be seen on Christmas morning. However, when the whole family does manage to get together for Christmas it is much more special then it ever was. We now have significant others to join us in the festivities and instead of hot chocolate by the fire we have champagne and BBC which makes for a very "peaceful" evening ;) The house I grew up in is still magical at Christmas and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else then at home with my whole family sitting in the living room laughing and joking.
Unfortunately, this year we cannot be together. I'm too pregnant to fly, Benny is spending Christmas with his wife's family, Sarah, Joe, and Lindsae are at the in-laws, Heather and Hannah are with her dad's family, and Matty, Ami, and my parents are having a Holly Jolly Christmas in Olympia. It makes me sad but I suppose it is time to lay down some of our own Christmas traditions that we will be able to share with our baby boy when he is born, and the best part is that next year my brothers, and hopefully my parents, will be coming to England where I will host the party and transform my home into a Christmas Wonderland.
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| Our first Christmas Tree at Poorhouse 2012 |
As for Christmas 2013, it looks like it will just be Josh, Hobson, Felix and I this year. Despite the terrible state of our house, and our lack of a kitchen, I am determined not to have a miserable Christmas. Which is why I have created a
25 Days of Christmas List. It is my goal to accomplish all 25 items on this list to bring a bit of joy and warmth to our home this year. What festivities do you have planned for this Christmas?
- Have a festive brunch and listen to Christmas music
- Make and decorate sugar cookies to hang on the tree
Decorate a Christmas tree (Decorated our tree on 8/12/13)Hang and stuff stockings (The stockings were hung on 8/12/13)Drink hot chocolate and roast marshmallows by the fire (Made ginger smores with Josh 23/11/13)- Make a feast on Christmas Eve
- Make popcorn, watch Home Alone 1 and 2 back to back, and enjoy a cocktail (virgin for me) with Josh
- Go sledding, weather permitting, or take a long walk with Hobson in the snow
- Stay in my Christmas pyjamas until noon on Christmas morning
Go ice skating (Went in Blackpool with Josh, Jess and Eli on 14/12/13) - Go shopping for baby boy in Edinburgh and visit the Christmas markets
- Watch Elf
Donate toys to a local charity (Made a donation to Toys for Tots 21/11/13)- Make a gingerbread house
- Paint my nails red
- Take a bubble bath with Christmas scented candles
- Buy Hobson a large bone for Christmas morning
- Make or buy a wreath for our door
- Get crafty in preparation for the baby's nursery
- Make sugar on snow (if we get any snow)
Visit a Christmas tree farm (We picked out our tree on 8/12/13 in Cumwhitton)- Make home-made eggnog and a festive drink for our juicer
Have a relaxing day at the spa (I'll be having my Mummy to Be relaxing spa day with Jess, Marilyn, and Sally on 4/1/14!)Buy a pair of Christmas slippers (Marilyn bought a pair for Chris that ended up being too small for him so I got them :))- Ring everyone in my family on Christmas morning (that's a tall task for someone who doesn't enjoy talking on the phone very much ;))
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| Mountaineering in Cumbria 2013 |
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| Part of the family at Christmas :) |
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