Welcome to Mommy Mondays, the designated day of the week when I muse over all things motherhood.
Christmas used to mean that I got several weeks off of school. Later it meant that I got to crash at my parents house and sleep until noon while my mom cooked and did my laundry. Later still it came to mean the one week a year when I tried to nurture twenty years worth of friendships with harried visits and guilt about not spending that time with my family.
Finally, I've managed to take the things that are important to me about all of those scenarios and make it a happy, peaceful season. We'll still go to Oklahoma (our loyal house-sitters will get the Christmas day Laker tickets, much to The Gorilla's chagrin) where my mom will cook wonderful food. We'll nap and spend whole days in our pajamas, as is my family's tradition. I'll laugh with old friends.
We are in that blissful parenting stage where Pigtail makes the holiday magical and meaningful, but the pressure is off since she doesn't understand anything. I figure this is our last year of such holiday freedom.
We did manage to pull together two things that were utterly neglected last year: a trip to see Santa and a homemade Christmas stocking. We commissioned the stocking to more capable hands and I almost cried when they presented it to me. It's just perfect. Every detail hand-stitched with love.
Looking forward to a week of love and tradition. I want to be mindful that I only get one chance a year to make these holiday memories for myself and for my family.
It doesn't have to be perfect, but "special" requires some effort. What a revelation that all those childhood memories didn't just happen naturally.
What is your holiday shaping up to look like?
