Three or four years ago, I decided to start a new tradition for my family. We set aside the day before Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve Eve) and I throw them a special party. It's just for my immediate family and not outside guests.
The idea started one day when I was bustling around cleaning and preparing party foods for guests, and grouching at the kids to get out of the way or to stop sampling the foods. I became ashamed of myself for preparing to treat guests better than my own family, whom I had been treating as if they were an imposition. Why not throw them a party and make them the honored guests?
So Every Christmas Eve Eve, we buy really fun paper partyware (I want to honor my family, but I don't want to double my workload during a really busy season!) and I serve a dinner of fun, premade appetizers and fingerfoods. You know, the fun stuff we usually only buy or make for guests. We turn the houselights down, light candles and Christmas lights, drink sparkling cider and sing Christmas songs. Well, THAT's the Norman Rockwell version. In real life, there's some friction now and then between kids, but that's life, right?
DS14 even turned down a chance to go out with friends last year in order to stay home with us, so I know it's an important tradition to him.
This year, maybe I'll pass out journaling paper and have each family member record their thoughts/feelings or draw a picture to add to an ongoing Christmas journal.
The idea started one day when I was bustling around cleaning and preparing party foods for guests, and grouching at the kids to get out of the way or to stop sampling the foods. I became ashamed of myself for preparing to treat guests better than my own family, whom I had been treating as if they were an imposition. Why not throw them a party and make them the honored guests?
So Every Christmas Eve Eve, we buy really fun paper partyware (I want to honor my family, but I don't want to double my workload during a really busy season!) and I serve a dinner of fun, premade appetizers and fingerfoods. You know, the fun stuff we usually only buy or make for guests. We turn the houselights down, light candles and Christmas lights, drink sparkling cider and sing Christmas songs. Well, THAT's the Norman Rockwell version. In real life, there's some friction now and then between kids, but that's life, right?
DS14 even turned down a chance to go out with friends last year in order to stay home with us, so I know it's an important tradition to him.
This year, maybe I'll pass out journaling paper and have each family member record their thoughts/feelings or draw a picture to add to an ongoing Christmas journal.
