It's the Holiday Season!
Perhaps it's just a natural part of being alive that we often pause to think about Christmases from our past... perhaps they happened during a more "innocent" time when we were children, or simply at a time before we became a little "jaded" by the hardships of life.
Don't misunderstand: I am still very fond of the holiday season... particularly the food! The only thing that feels a little 8old and "tired" is the eternal commercialism that seems to have become associated with this time of the year: Sometimes Christmas feels more like a "shopping contest" than an opportunity to celebrate with family and loved ones.
Mrs. Denmarkguy and I have reached a point where we really don't give "things" very much, anymore... we're more likely to give favorite foods and other consumable treats.
Truth is, I don't really need anything...
What's interesting is that when I cast my mind backwards to my childhood and youth, I also wasn't terribly oriented towards things at Christmas... most of my excitement and longing was related to the food we'd be having!
Whether it was traveling to my auntie's house to bake a vast selection of cookies and gingerbread... or simply the amazing food my mother and other family members would cook between December 23rd and New Year's Eve... I was all about the food, as a kid.
I still am. This week, we will be bringing in and putting up the Christmas tree... but, above all, I am looking forward to baking cookies, later this week.
Our family is somewhat small and widely scattered, these days... so this time of the year will be mostly quiet. The pandemic changed how we do things, for many families. Whereas I miss the family gatherings of yesteryear, one of the inevitable results of aging is that our children increasingly build their own families and traditions... and their own ways to celebrate the holidays.
And that's really OK... as it should be. I wouldn't want anyone to feel "beholden."
Sure, our kids will make it over from nearby Seattle "sometime" around Christmas... and that will be lovely. But we will still make the foods of yesteryear for Mrs. D. and myself... and enjoy them fully.
We have some close friends who'll be coming to spend Christmas Day with us... and that will be lovely.
Mostly, we try to find gratitude for the small things, during these turbulent times in the world. Gratitude matters... and this is the season to express that gratitude.
Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of your week!
How about YOU? Do you have any special tradition or plans for the holidays? Has the pandemic changed how your family does the holiday season? Do leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation!
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Created at 20221213 23:42 PDT
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Christmas is my favorite time, it is a nostalgic month, it has changed a bit, part of my family has emigrated, I miss my older sister, I headed to be alone and found herself in distant lands, she had the need to find herself, the more that passes As the years go by I value family moments more, my girls grow up and I know that the least expected day they will leave and form their own family or take their own path, I don't know if they will be at the table sharing a Christmas dinner, I must respect their decisions, while I will try to enjoy the present to the maximum.
Cheers
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