Taking down the Tree and reliving the memories

It's time, again, to take Christmas and wrap it back up in the boxes until next time.  Our tree is filled with ornaments that were handmade or have sentimental value.  We also have an ornament for each year...we are missing a few but for the most part they are there. I have several that the girls made throughout their childhood and in girls scouts, each one reminding me of them at that particular age.  Others were made my mother when she was big into cross stitching on plastic canvas.  I also have quite a few that were my grandparents that hung on my parent's tree when I was I growing up...makes me remember the times with them.  Of course, there are new ones that we have acquired over the years and from gifts.  Each one has a memory and when I put them up I recall those memories and smile.

Today, when I was taking the ornaments off the tree I held each one and thought of all the memories they had and wondered if my girls would do that when they have homes and trees of their own. They don't seem interested in assisting in the decorating of the tree or house and when I remind them of an ornament, they tend to listen but their mind is not there.

Does their generation not care about the history of their family or the memories of it all?  Are they too into their technology to stop and think about the past?

I guess I am being sentimental today.  Heck, I have been that way since Valerie started college.  Empty nest is still in full swing.

Later this month, I will be taking on the task of clearing out some boxes of items that I saved from their school years.  Organizing them and protecting them a bit better than they are.  I guarantee I will be using some tissues and will be texting or calling the girls to say...Remember this....OR...I can't believe we saved this...

Reliving memories is what keeps our history alive...I hope my girls do the same to their families in the future.

Taking down the Tree and reliving the memories

It's time, again, to take Christmas and wrap it back up in the boxes until next time.  Our tree is filled with ornaments that were handmade or have sentimental value.  We also have an ornament for each year...we are missing a few but for the most part they are there. I have several that the girls made throughout their childhood and in girls scouts, each one reminding me of them at that particular age.  Others were made my mother when she was big into cross stitching on plastic canvas.  I also have quite a few that were my grandparents that hung on my parent's tree when I was I growing up...makes me remember the times with them.  Of course, there are new ones that we have acquired over the years and from gifts.  Each one has a memory and when I put them up I recall those memories and smile.

Today, when I was taking the ornaments off the tree I held each one and thought of all the memories they had and wondered if my girls would do that when they have homes and trees of their own. They don't seem interested in assisting in the decorating of the tree or house and when I remind them of an ornament, they tend to listen but their mind is not there. At least that is what I think.  I have to admit throughout the years they have listened and even brought up memories on their own.

Treasure your memories and share them often....they do listen.

Does their generation not care about the history of their family or the memories of it all?  Are they too into their technology to stop and think about the past?

I guess I am being sentimental today.  Heck, I have been that way since Valerie started college.  Empty nest is still in full swing.

Later this month, I will be taking on the task of clearing out some boxes of items that I saved from their school years.  Organizing them and protecting them a bit better than they are.  I guarantee I will be using some tissues and will be texting or calling the girls to say...Remember this....OR...I can't believe we saved this...

There is something about taking the tree down that reminds me

Christmas Stress

Every so often I get frustrated with my family. I am sure we all do. It just seems like through out the year they don't appreciate what I do for them (not talking about the every day things) BUT at Christmas, you would think they would see I need help with all the traditional things we do and the shopping, wrapping, etc. Never fails, I do it all. Mark's answer when I say I have this and that and this and that to do is "don't do it. " Meaning, it's ok not to. BUT heaven forbid if I forget to do this or that. One child said she would help make cookies...I have rarely seen her since she came home. The other child when she comes home is really here to rest...she has it tough in nursing school plus a job. So I do really feel bad asking her to help. BUT the way I see it, is this...they should be asking me what they can do to help. I shouldn't have to ask for it, or rather beg for it.

I seriously love the Holidays but this is getting old. I am getting old and tired. Yes I said old. I won't admit that anywhere else. So far, no cookies are made.

Every year I say, "Next year I am not doing this."

I still do. Bah Humbug.

Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays

I have been a bit silent on here and everywhere else lately. I guess I am going through a bit of a funk. I have been busy of course, with Holiday this and thats but really I have been biting my tongue because some of the statuses I see I just want to smack people for. A friend of mine has a saying, "Stuck on stupid" - well a few are just that and you can't fix stupid. How on earth do you get it into someone's head that what they are doing is wrong and it shouldn't be rocket science. Grrr.

Anyway, I also have a bit of a bone to pick with this whole Happy Holidays thing that people get their panties in a wad about. First of all, I am a Christian, you all know this. I say Merry Christmas because that is how I was raised...if I were Jewish, I would be saying Happy Hanukkah. I am part Ukrainian Orthodox as well and growing up I had two Christmas, if you will. Dec 25 and Jan 6. I was also raised to say Happy Holidays because traditional Christmas had already passed but the "reason for the season" was still going on with the Eastern Orthodox Christmas which is celebrated on Jan 6. What some people don't realize is that the precise date of Jesus' birth is not known, it is argued by several scholars and they gave it a good guess based on the information they have from the Bible. Now i am not an expert on the Bible so I will not try to be.

And you are probably wondering where I am going with this. Well, I guess I am just really naive but if you are Muslim you shouldn't be offended if someone says Merry Christmas to you, if you are living in this country. Same as if they were to say whatever it is they say on their birth of their god's day to us...it is who we are, no matter our race or religion. It's our culture to do as we were raised to do. I think it is a matter of knowing who you are talking to. I have friends of all religions and I mean all religions. I treat them as I would want to be treated. I respect their beliefs and they mine. I learn all I can about their celebrations and culture as it is interesting to me and i want to understand it and them. Not one of them has ever gotten offended when I said Merry Christmas to them, knowing that they do not or may not celebrate Dec 25 the way I do. In fact, they do say it back to me. There's that respect thing!

I think it is narrow minded people not to mention the media making a fuss about them who make this an issue. Think about it...do you really think if you said Happy Holidays or Seasons Greetings you are taking the meaning of the day Jesus was born away? Geez Louise! If you believe in God and all that he said and done, then you know that Jesus is real and you aren't going to be slighting him.

If that were the case, my great uncle who was a Ukrainian Orthodox priest should be in Hell because he rarely said Merry Christmas - it was always, "Happy Holidays, this is the day the world received the greatest gift, Jesus." The birth of Jesus is a Holiday and it is a Happy one, so....yea.

There are a few people on my list (and again it isn't any of you lol) who really get my goat by typing things like Merry CHRISTmas or Don't forget that CHRISTmas is .... etc/ Geez Louise again. I know how to spell and I see that Christ is part of the word. I also know who he is, thankyouverymuch. Sorry, that kinda just came out - off topic.

No matter how you celebrate Christmas or what your greeting is, you know why we are celebrating and the reason for the season...but to be honest, we should be remembering the reason all year long anyway. HE is the reason for all.

Off my soapbox now.

Christmas Traditions

We all have them. Big, small, detailed or not. Growing up my parents and I had a few. Of course there was the tree decorating. Every Christmas Eve we would have snack foods for dinner and open one gift each. Christmas music or show was on in the background. Younger me would set out cookies and milk (and carrots for Rudolph) for Santa and then head to bed. Christmas morning breakfast was cookies and whatever candy I had in my stocking with abundance of batteries for whatever game/gadget needed them and some piece of jewelry. Dad would be cooking Christmas dinner and Mom would be playing Greensleeves on the old electric organ she had. I was just playing with my toys.

When I was younger and my dad's parents were alive, we would head to Delaware to spend Orthodox Christmas with them in January. They were Ukrainian Orthodox and my great uncle was a priest at the church we attended. We would go to mass and I would sit up in the balcony with my great grandmother and sing the holiday hymns. Of course it was in Russian and I had no clue what I was singing but it was wonderful. The smells of the incense and the organ playing. My great uncle giving the sermon in Russian was simply beautiful. There was another mass where he said it in English but we always went to this one. Afterward we would make the rounds visiting the aunts and uncles and cousins. To this day I can feel my Aunt Kate pinch my cheeks, I can feel the warmth of my Aunt Anna's house, hear my Uncle Nicky's laugh as he told some joke, and the arms of my godmother and Aunt Rose. It was a great time and memories I cherish.

Having a family of my own now, we have our own traditions. Girls and I make cut out sugar cookies and decorate them....looking forward to doing that very soon with them in fact. When they were younger they would set out cookies for Santa and reindeer food that glittered so they knew the way to the house. They would leave Santa a letter and get a reply in the morning. We kept the snack food dinner and opening one gift going from when I was young and added watching Annabelle's Wish while eating. Playing board games follows that.

Christmas morning, of course they eat cookies and candy but I also make breakfast. One year we went to Waffle House...nasty...won't do that again LOL. After all the gifts are open, we tend to just relax. As the girls got into their teens, we found they would migrate back to their rooms and I was not liking that. So, we have added going to a movie on Christmas day...it's quite fun and you'd be surprised as how many others are there too.

This year, I am not sure when Jennifer will be home for the Holidays. She has mentioned she would like to work on Christmas (big bucks for Holiday!) and a few other days. It would definitely be odd not to have her here on Christmas Eve and Morning but nothing says we can't do it again when she is here. It was very odd not having her with us in Wisconsin. All part of them growing up and being on their own I guess. I am glad she was with her boyfriend and his family and not alone though.

What are your traditions???? I anxious to hear some of them!