It's December! Holy smokes! My last entry was in May which means it's been over half a year… lots has happened, but really it's the same ol' deal. Kids, school, work, family… and trying to keep it all balanced. The scales have been tipped dramatically while I've been in school and my family has been surviving without me. I have one month off from school and am planning on making the most of it... lunching and coffee with my pals, quality time with the kids, a date or two with the hubby and maybe I'll paint the front entrance that I spackled and sanded in preparation 4 months ago. But mostly, I want to veg out, take naps, rejuvenate the soul... Take Christmas for what it is and not get caught up in the chaos of it all. I'm feeling protective of my time off and if that means saying no to a Christmas party or two, that's fine by me. No point in getting back into the swing of things in the New Year feeling more burnt out than before.
Christmas for many is a religious holiday, but in our home it's about the traditions. Some old, some new, but never the less, it's about making memories. I've had some time this week to catch up on my design shows and am horrified by the holiday commercials. Thank god I have a pvr to fast forward through them, but one caught my eye and it's been bugging me ever since. The commercial was showing that cheaper prices at a certain store meant you could buy your kids more and implied that being a good parent means buying your kids Dr. Dre Beats headphones AND a new smart phone. What kind of screwed up message intended to send parents into a guilt induced fit is this?!? I've talked to too many parents lately that are stressed out at Christmas time trying to keep up with the Joneses. Well, I hate to break it to you kids, not in this household!
Believe it or not, Christmas is NOT about the presents. If that were true, Christmas would only last for an hour or two… tops. I want Christmas to last as long as possible (because really, when else can you drink Rum and Eggnog?!).
So on that note, here are my thoughts on what makes Christmas at the Sebel household:
New ornaments. For us, Christmas starts with making our annual trek to Hallmark to pick out the perfect ornaments for the tree. Every year when we decorate the tree, the kids put them up starting with their first Christmas and it reminds us what the kids were interested in each year. Two years in a row Aidan chose motorcycle ornaments. Try telling a 3 year old that the ornaments aren't toys. The missing handlebar and kickstand are proof that he couldn't resist and every year it makes us smile. This year Natalie chose The Little Mermaid (although I'm sure if they had My Little Pony she would have chosen that) and Aidan chose the Pirates of the Caribbean skull that plays the theme song. Although I pointed out to him that he hasn't seen the movie, he informed me that he wants too, which apparently justifies his choice. I'm pretty sure he just wanted a "cool" ornament, but either way, it's a funny memory and he left happy. I love this tradition that I share with the kids. Dylan has his own special things he has with them and this one is reserved for me.
Getting the Christmas tree! I am an advocate for real trees at Christmas. No offence to the artificial "tree-ers" out there, but it will just not suffice in our home. I have some notorious tree getting experiences that I've blogged about before, and there have been moments when I've threatened to buy a fake tree just so we wouldn't have to trek out in the cold, fighting about who has forgotten the kids' mittens. But nothing compares to the smell of a real tree, and what would Christmas be without wrangling a real tree in the stand to make it stand up straight. I have some definite ideas on what I like, shocking lol! A Fraser Fir is tall and slim, fitting into our small living room perfectly. The stiff branches leave space to hang our O-so-special ornaments that we have collected. And I should mention, the majority of my ornaments compliment the colour scheme of my home. (I did mention I'm in school to be an interior designer, right? Lol!)
Hanging the stockings. Years ago my aunt knitted matching stockings for every member of the family, each with a Santa and our name on it. And keeping up with traditions, each member that had been added to the family gets one made. Dylan's and the kids' are a lot newer than mine… My stocking has yellowed over the years and my pom pom is missing, but I love seeing them hung up by the fire. Even though they clash with my colour scheme, Christmas wouldn't be complete without them. ;)
Decorating the Gingerbread house. I am no Martha Stewart when it comes to baking and I will unabashadly state that I buy a kit from Superstore. And you know what? My kids could not care less. They love decorating the little house and I love not fussing with the baking. It's a win-win situation.
Advent calendars. I especially enjoyed advent calendars as a kid and it's no exception with my kids. When else do you get to have chocolate first thing in the morning, without asking your parents and not getting in trouble for it?! It's the build up of excitement and the anticipation of Christmas that makes advent calendars so special.
Playing in the snow. Sometimes technology isn't the best thing and it's hard not to notice that we live in a society where our iPhone is an extension of our hand. I will be the first to admit I'm no angel in this category either. We have had a cold winter already this year, and for the past few days a little pond in the back of our town has frozen over enough for us to skate on. The best part is there is no cell reception which means you have to be in the moment! I did bust my phone out to take a few pictures and videos of the kids skating and I was a proud Mama watching them show off their skills. Aidan is quite the little hockey player and is completely obsessed! It felt like a true Canadian winter and maybe one day when Aidan gets drafted to the NHL, I'll show off these videos like Gretzky's dad did. Just sayin'. ;)
Letters to Santa (and sometimes technology is an awesome thing). A few years back I heard about a website where Santa sends your child a personalized video for Christmas. You can choose if your kid has been naughty or nice, which I will admit has been tempting lol! Last year I actually chose for "Santa" to let Aidan know that he thinks he could be a bit nicer to his sister. You should have seen the look of terror on his face! Poor kid, but I will tell you that his behaviour improved dramatically. I say, why get your kids to believe in Santa if you can't use him to your advantage? Lmao! Make your own video at http://www.portablenorthpole.com/home
Christmas movies. Polar Express, Narnia, The Grinch, Rudolph the Red nosed reindeer, Frosty the Snowman. What is better than curling up with some Hot Chocolate (with Bailey's for the adults) and watching movies about the Christmas spirit? This year it was way too cold to go to our local Candlelight Parade and the kids voted we stay home and watch Christmas movies instead. We had friends over to join us and I think we may choose to make this another holiday tradition!
Christmas shopping with my mom. Every year my mom and I take a day off in the weeks before Christmas to do some shopping on Robson Street in Vancouver. It started back when the kids and I would take the train into town to meet up with my mom. It has now become a girls day in town (without the kids) full of last minute shopping and lunch. I look forward to having this time with her, and my cousin, who has just moved to the area is joining us this year. I can't wait!
Christmas dinners. I of course love my family dinner on Christmas Eve with our German and Ukrainian dishes. Our family heads out to my Grandparents house in South Langley and after dinner, we pile into their tiny living room to open presents. It's total chaos cramming so many people (about 14 of us) into a super small space, but I can't imagine it any other way. The crackle and smell of the real wood burning fire is magic. But really, it's all about the kids presents. My mom gets so excited giving them their presents that she seems like a big kid herself. I smile every time I think about it. It's bitter sweet this year as my Grandpa's health is not so great and I can't help but think that this will most likely be his last Christmas with us. I'm going to soak in every minute of it.
Dylan and I have been lucky that our families celebrate Christmas on different days as neither one of us has to miss out on the traditions we grew up with. I'm lucky as one of my favourite things about the holidays is Christmas dinner at my in-laws. It's so different than what I grew up with but I love it equally as much. My family is fairly casual and what I mean by that is, you can wear your Sunday best or your sweatpants and nobody will take notice. It's about comfort foods, coziness and "cracked ice cake", my mom's traditional desert that involves Jello, graham crackers and whipped cream. Dylan's family is about the holiday dress, everyone done up to the nine's, the wine is flowing and the food is amazing as everyone brings one dish which means the food is top notch. It's loud and boisterous (usually about 30 people), we wear our tissue paper crowns that come out of the Christmas Cracker Snaps while Christmas jazz plays softly in the background. My in-laws have been putting the feelers out to pass down the hosting torch, but I'm holding off for as long as I can. It just won't be the same.
Christmas is not any one of these things, but a combination of them. It all boils down to one idea that the Grinch sums up perfectly…
My point is, I'm over trying to figure out what everyone else is doing at Christmas and we are doing what works for us. No guilt for not getting my kids an iPod touch. No excuses for wanting to stay home with my family in my sweatpants instead of going out. Enjoy your family because that is what it is really about. Most importantly, I want my kids to have wonderful memories and traditions to pass down to their kids should they choose to have families of their own one day. I want to show my kids that the value of something does not equal it's worth. Merry Christmas everyone!
What are your holiday traditions?
