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| Our Beautiful Tacky Tree |
I love this season and its traditions. Not all traditions are great! The family fighting and backbiting and stress are all bad traditions. They are ones that I don't want to pass on to my children. I always envy those families who are easy going and not stressful. My family is not that way but alas it is what it is.
My husband and I have tried to start traditions with our kids that they will treasure and want to pass on to their children. We have decided to try and weed out the stress and turmoil and make things simpler. We are eliminating the situations that cause dissension and negative feelings. I know that family is important but what if it is not healthy? What, then, do you do? Keep putting yourself in those situations? We have decided, NO! Individually, family members are great and interesting people. But, put them in the same room and chaos and old feelings reign! I am not for it! We have made a choice to enjoy the holidays! The family that lives in my house is our immediate family and they are the most important! Period! I will do what is best for them and for us! Now, this has caused hard feelings and conflict but all in all, we feel like we have done what is best for us. I really do regret that some can't understand why we are doing what we are doing but I do not regret our choice. We don't want to hurt anyone but most of all we don't want our children to grow up seeing their parents stressed out and hurting.
Christmas is a time of joy! I want to experience the joy that Christ's birth brought to the earth. I have very few positive memories of Christmas and the ones I have, I cling to and have brought into my own family's life. Like silver dollar pancakes on Christmas morning and hand made ornaments and cookies. We have, also, brought in some new things. Santa's Riddle, each family member getting to pick out an ornament each year, helping those less fortunate than us, Christmas count down calendars.
What kinds of traditions do you have? I would like to hear them!
