holiday's, expectations and letting go

Today is December 10th,2014.

What holiday traditions do you have for this time of year? Are you big on baking Christmas cookies?  Maybe you love decorating your home for the holidays. A tradition that I have adopted in my adult years is sending out photo Christmas cards, especially since having the boys.Last year was our first Rogers/Brachmann family card. We took a picture at sunrise on top of a volcano in Maui on Easter morning (freezing I might add). It is one of my favorites since you don't even see our faces, the image speaks for itself.

Establishing and fusing traditions is something we take on every holiday. For Christmas, every year, each of us pick out a new ornament for the tree. We write our name on the bottom and the year. Part of the fun, is looking at the ornaments from years past and what each of us chose. Being in the cozy bungalow this holiday season is a bit more challenging, you see all of our Christmas "stuff" is deep in storage. We are not able to get to the ornaments from past years, so this year we are having to keep the decorations simple, 2014 ornaments only. 

Living this our cozy bungalow has brought many a teaching moment to us all in the past several months. The primary one being that you really don't need all your 'stuff'. It has given all of us an opportunity to prioritize what is really important and what is fluff. This idea is holding true for Christmas as well. We are going up north for the holidays, so we decided we needed just the basics for the bungalow. Jack used some out of the box thinking to make the topper this year :)

I believe the holidays can bring out the best and the worst in people. I know statistically that there are increased strokes at this time of year due to increased stress. I witness people placing self-inflicted pressures on themselves during the holidays. The holidays are a magical time of year especially for those who have Santa coming on Christmas Eve. Parents wanting to make everything perfect for their little ones. I was no different!

Now that the boys have had the rose colored glasses removed. It changes the dynamics a bit. Lists are made but now mostly on Amazon wish lists. Jack was the only kiddo of the three that wrote the old school list to "Santa" which I might add included a puppy.... 

Since Scott passed away a few weeks before Christmas, the happiness of the holiday was effected, especially that first year. This is the third Christmas and in all honesty, having Steve's love for the season has brought a excitement and sparkle back to the boys.  While I make a point to remember Scott on the anniversary of him going home. I remind them of the quote from Dr. Suess,"Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened".

So while I don't quite know what our Christmas/New Year cards are going to look like. I know that I am going to stay focused on being thankful. I know it is a bit cliche to say that I have a blessed life, but in all sincerity, I do. I have love, I feel love and I give love. At the end of every day, that is what it is really all about.

I welcome you to take a deep breath and step back from your to-do list and think about all the blessings, big and small in your lives. This season is not about all the external 'stuff' like Christmas cards, decorating the house, picking out just the right present, etc. Its about being present in the moments you share with the ones you love, for that is truly the gift.

Wishing you all the best,