Family Traditions

I have always loved family traditions. I didn’t really appreciate their importance until this year, when I will be alone through the Holidays. We moved away from family when my oldest daughter was first born. I had always been surrounded by family during the Holiday season and since that wasn’t going to be an option, I went straight to work on finding little things I could do for my own family to create traditions that would make our Holiday Season special. I quickly found that others gravitated towards my home during the Holidays; people who also did not have family to share the Season with. Now that I am on the other side of that, I can better appreciate what they must have been feeling when they came into my home looking for warmth and celebration. Every year the crowd that would surround us for the Holiday’s grew. Everyone was always welcome with open arms…so long as they brought an empty stomach! They would come early and stay late, and everyone was always stuffed by the time that dinner was ready. We were never short on laughter or room for those who wished to join us. I am missing all that this year. I am missing making the Holidays special for others who don’t have family to celebrate with. I am missing the warmth, the laughter, and the traditions. I am truly hoping that one day I can do that again. All the little things that I took for granted seem to have a greater significance now that I am not able to share the Holiday Spirit. Now, I am the one alone for the Holidays. When the day comes and I can once again build traditions and open my home, you can bet that I will be even more aware of those who do not have family during this time of year, and I will do everything I can to allow them to be a part of mine.