Holiday Traditions: Decorating for Christmas

Finding and implementing holiday traditions has been a bit of a struggle for us. We have things we want to do from our childhood, but some of them really don't work without kids so we couldn't do them at first. Some we found just seemed forced or overly trendy. We just didn't know what to do. 

So year after year we just kinda made it up as we went. And now, lo and behold, 10 Christmases later we're realizing we have traditions! Things that have stuck around each year, things we never really intended on being traditions have turned into family favorites. 

We don't have a set day that we decorate for Christmas. It varies every year. But, we've ended up with other traditions that are stable every time we decorate. The first year we were married we wore Santa hats while we put up our few and cheap decorations. The next year, we still had the Santa hats, so we wore them again when we decorated. And then the year after that. And by then it was a tradition. We wear Santa hats when we pull out the Christmas decorations and adorn the house. 

Last night we pulled out the box of Christmas decor that survived the pre-move purging and of course the top 3 items in the box were the beloved Santa hats! 

I didn't have makeup on that day and my hair was in a ponytail. I saw the pictures of Darrow and I that we snapped and my first thought was "Eh. I'll delete those and take nicer ones tomorrow when I've put some effort into my appearance." But then I realized that was dumb. Darrow isn't going to sit with his kids and show them pictures of Christmases as a kid and point out how bad his Mom looked because she didn't put makeup on to decorate the house. He's going to smile at his grin, at my small hat, and at the memories. In this age of selfies, digital cameras, and Photoshop we forget sometimes that pictures serve more of a purpose than to show our best selves to the world. They are there to preserve memories, to show family history, and to capture moments. The shot of Darrow and I captured a fun memory and a cute little boy who giggled when he said "Ho! Ho! Ho!" It's one that I want to put in a family memory book. Don't get too caught up in getting perfect holiday shots. Get caught up in the memories, the moments, and the emotions. 

It's not an elaborate tradition, but we love it. It brings back memories of previous years and celebrations. And now as parents we'll get to see how the family grows and how the kids age year after year in the Santa hats. 

And someday, maybe someday, I'll find a Santa hat that fits my over-sized head. :)