I fondly recall each Christmas. My mother would pack the car; we’d pick up my dad from work and drive with sponge rollers in our hair five hours to my grandparent’s house. Christmas Eve was spent at Grandma’s with all of my cousins, aunts, and uncles. After a big traditional Christmas lunch we’d all gather in the family room to open presents, which were always clothes. My cousins and I (all girls- seven of us total) would each model our new Christmas digs. Our fashion show would turn into haste as we quickly got ready for church and attended the Christmas Eve children’s mass. After church we would all gather again for a snack of the days’ leftovers. We’d play and sing Christmas carols and then giddily go to bed anticipating Santa’s arrival.
The memories of my childhood always center on holidays spent with my family. I will cherish those memories forever.
As a mother of two, it is important to me to create traditions with my own children.
It’s a struggle for me as my extended family has grown and the ability for us all to gather has dwindled. I know in my heart that I must create new traditions for my family but I also mourn celebrating the holidays the way I always did as a child. I find myself stressed and having anxiety over what traditions to create this coming holiday season that we can continue each year through my children’s childhood.
Although we won’t do things exactly the way my family did when I was a child, there are a few traditions that I plan to incorporate. Thanksgiving lunch with traditional food is a must and watching the Cowboys and shopping the Friday after is just a given. Christmas we will definitely attend church and the day wouldn’t be complete without watching A Christmas Story. I’m also excited about new traditions such as donating food to a family for Thanksgiving and adopting a child to buy gifts for this Christmas.
I hope that when my kids are grown they will look back at our family holidays with warm memories as I do now. Memories are priceless and can’t be taken away, I thank my family for the wonderful ones I have!
Mindy Seals works in the information technology division at Texas Health Resourcesand is balancing work, married life and raising two kids.
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