A few years ago I created my own version of Christmas - a relaxed get-together with friends and family, maybe on December 25th but not neccessarily; what's wrong with December 24th or 26th? It certainly takes the pressure off that "big day". I stopped sending cards and replaced them with phone calls and merged my decorations with the candlelight festival of Diwali, plus lots of fresh flowers. We exchange gifts to express our appreciation of each other. The wreath on my front door is entwined with wattle one day, grevillea the next, gardenias as well. My kids happily accept Mum's crazy notions; they certainly appreciate the freedom to be elsewhere on Dec 25th if it suits them, as we will have a special meal at a time that suits us all. This year - Paull has his first New York City Xmas and tomorrow Eliza flies over to join him for three weeks. I'm honoured to be invited to join my brother's family for lunch on the 25th - after a webcam call from New York, of course!Wednesday 19 December 2007
Festival of Love and Family
A few years ago I created my own version of Christmas - a relaxed get-together with friends and family, maybe on December 25th but not neccessarily; what's wrong with December 24th or 26th? It certainly takes the pressure off that "big day". I stopped sending cards and replaced them with phone calls and merged my decorations with the candlelight festival of Diwali, plus lots of fresh flowers. We exchange gifts to express our appreciation of each other. The wreath on my front door is entwined with wattle one day, grevillea the next, gardenias as well. My kids happily accept Mum's crazy notions; they certainly appreciate the freedom to be elsewhere on Dec 25th if it suits them, as we will have a special meal at a time that suits us all. This year - Paull has his first New York City Xmas and tomorrow Eliza flies over to join him for three weeks. I'm honoured to be invited to join my brother's family for lunch on the 25th - after a webcam call from New York, of course!
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3 comments:
This sounds wonderful. Too many times our holiday celebrations fall short because of our expectations. To have the freedom to celebrate when it is right for you and in the manner you chose is a great gift to give your children. Breaking from so many traditions, to create your own. Way to go!
I'm all for downgrading the hype around Christmas and have done so in the past but I've found now that my children have children and they live near me, the expectations are back up there for the "big family Christmas celebration". One of my daughters in particular loves tradition and all that's involved in carrying it on. I would much rather celebrate the solstice and forget about Christmas altogether and I'm working on that...maybe next year I'll get there!
Good for you for honouring your needs around the craziness of the holidays Cate!
This sounds like a fabulous idea.
Christmas has gotten so commercialized, it's wonderful to take a step back and create a new tradition.
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