Christmas traditions

Traditions are such an important part of family, and there is no easier time of year than Christmas to establish and hold to traditions. This year we started something new, that was so much fun.

In the past, and even growing up, decorating for Christmas was always a family event. And while putting up the Christmas tree is always something kids love, decorating the rest of the home always lost my interest. I found the same thing with my boys: once the tree is done, the party is over and mom is left getting everything else out.

A friend told me how she loves to decorate for any holiday she can. She hits the dollar store and spends about $10, then decorates at night after the kids have gone to bed. She loves to see their faces when they come down in the morning and discover a wonderland of colour in the reds and whites of Valentines Day or the green of St. Patricks or the pastels of easter or the fall colours of autumn.

So this year I thought I'd try it her way. While the boys were napping, I got everything out and decorated the house, including some new things the boys hadn't seen yet. Their faces when they came down were priceless. The look of awe and wonder glowing in their eyes as they bounded around the home, discovering each new thing will forever be imprinted on my mind. Then, altogether, we put up the Christmas tree, then waited for James to get home from work to decorate it. After the lighting of the tree, we all went out for Christmas dinner at Swiss Chalet. My hope is actually to make a big homemade Christmas turkey dinner to kick off the season, but the whole idea occurred to me too late in the day to get that together. But that's my hope for next year.