Christmas Traditions

My mom and I had many plans this Christmas, for a silver-themed dinner table with glass and silver pedestals and cake plates, a fresh home-made wreath hanging on the front door, and Pumpkin Mousse for Christmas dessert.  We had excitedly talked about some of these ideas and others since Thanksgiving.  

We had big plans.

Yet, when it came down to the final week before Christmas, it was like time was a jet and it blasted away before we could get everything done.  Between us all working at my parents' art galleries by day and Christmas tree and gift shopping by night, there were some things that simply didn't get done.  Christmas came like a rushing wind, filled with too little sleep, loads of gifts, new family members (my brother-in-law and mother-in-law), lot's of laughs, and great food.

It wasn't until the day after Christmas, that it dawned on me that there had been no silver themed dinner table, some gifts didn't get wrapped (or made) in time, the boughs for my home-made wreath sat at the front door in a metal bucket, and we hadn't made any kind of Christmas dessert, let alone Pumpkin Mousse.

 And you know what?  It was totally fine.  

I listened to a man recently talk about traditions and how they can be detrimental when kept simply for the keeping.  Traditions are good, in and of themselves, when they point us to what is good - God, truth, family, close relationships and connecting with others, generosity, time well spent, etc.  When traditions are simply done for the keeping, they create bondage and become meaningless.

So, this Christmas we all woke up late after wrapping gifts until 4:30am, started unwrapping gifts after 2pm, ate Christmas dinner spread throughout the house, some in the living room, some at the dinner table (un-decorated), and the Christmas tree never got all of it's ornaments put on.  Yet, I doubt any of these things will be remembered shortly, for what really stood out was the coming together of two families newly related through marriage, generosity and love through wonderful gifts, laughing till we cried, a cozy, warm house, and an atmosphere of peace and thankfulness.

This Christmas wasn't about traditions and that was just perfect.

Maybe next year mom and I will do some of the things we had planned . . . and maybe not.

I hope your Christmas Day was filled with meaningful memory-making moments.

God Bless you all.

~Callie