'Tis the Season

It's so easy for this time of year to get crazy.  Between holiday parties, buying presents, wrapping presents, making new recipes, birthday parties, and trying to maintain some sense of sanity, I'm exhausted.  I'm not sure if it was a conscious decision or one that has just fallen into place on it's own, but we are keeping Christmas low key.  We do not have any visitors scheduled to visit over Christmas (although we have three very special visitors coming the next week...I'm very excited) and at first this was depressing.  But it's not really.

Someone once told me, "Your family is your family, no matter where you live."  And this is very accurate.  I love my family.  I miss them dearly.  But, you know what?  They are still my family even if I don't see them on Christmas.  Instead of spending Christmas Eve at my mom's house our family is planning on delivering snacks and "fuel" to members of Jason's team.  I will likely spend it enjoying dinner with my husband and my daughters, quietly and excitedly talking about Santa. I'm sure we will discuss whether Jack (our elf) is going to tell Santa that Bella and Sophia were good listeners.  And maybe we'll visit our neighbors for dessert.  Maybe we'll hide the pickle ornament with them.  We'll read books about Sugar Plums and watch the Nutcracker.  And on Christmas Day, maybe we'll decide to wear pajamas all day and have ice cream sundaes for breakfast.  I'd like to open presents with my family via Skype. And watch our nieces open their presents across the miles.  We will establish new traditions.  Not better or worse traditions, just different ones.  We'll expand our circle of family to include those friends who have touched our lives and we will count our blessings.  There are many of them.  

This year, between the craziness I vow to enjoy the extra time with my husband and daughters.  I don't want to rush around.  I want to sit at home and watch movies together.  I want to cook easy dinners and play board games.  I want to show Bella how to put a ponytail in her Barbie's hair (think styling head Barbie) and I want to teach Sophia new words until her vocabulary is filled with words I suddenly wish she didn't know.  I want to laugh at them and with them.  I want to marvel at the bond my daughters have with each other.  I want to hold my husbands hand across a dimly lit dinner table.  I want to drink bottles of wine.  I want to ring in the new year around my coffee table, enjoying laughter and unhealthy snacks.  And I want to remember that this is not a time to be sad for what I no longer have in traditions, but a time to rejoice and be thankful for the many wonderful traditions this Taliaferro Quartet has created.