Happy Holidays!

I remember many traditions we had for the holidays during my childhood, all of them treasured though some of them have been discontinued. For example, although we were decorating fiends when I was a child, I don’t decorate much for Christmas or New Year’s, although that was a major part of the holidays when I was growing up. However, we never traveled during the winter holiday season when I was a child and now Hubby and I do, so decorating is something we’ve only done a couple of times in the many years we’ve been together.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m not mooching off relatives during this festive time of year. I’d love to have the holidays at our house, but it just never seems to work out that way. There’s always someone moving or having a baby or something that makes it impossible for them to travel, so we go to them. It makes it kind of nice, actually. While there’s something comforting about settling in around a Christmas tree that you’ve put up yourself and having all your loved ones tucked safely in upstairs or in the spare bedroom, there’s also something exciting about heading out to someone else’s abode to enjoy time with those we don’t see often enough.

One of the most enduring Christmas traditions I remember from my childhood was holding hands around the Christmas tree and singing carols. I couldn’t sing well, but it didn’t matter. We all sang anyway. On New Year’s Eve, we always sewed new pillow cases and slept on them that night. I’m not sure where this comes from, but we did it every New Year’s Eve for as long as I could remember. If anyone knows the origin of this custom, please share!

I guess one of the most important traditions that resonates with me for Christmas and New Year’s was that we made sure everyone was taken care of, even the animals. I know it sounds odd, but as long as we were all together and okay, that’s all that mattered, and that included our critters. On that note, I will leave you with some Christmas critters who desperately want to wish you Happy Holidays…either that or they have to poo-poo. LOL

Happy Holidays!