Wednesday, December 2, 2015

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. :) 



6 comments:

  1. I love what you said about Darrow showing his friends these photos! It's a lovely tradition and all of you turned out great in the pictures. The genuine happiness of the moment you captured beats the perfection of a staged photo.
    As for the big head problem - why don't you sew your own hat? It can't be a difficult project.

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    1. I really do need to just buckle down and sew me one! Like you said, it really can't be that difficult (bahaha, famous last words, but this seems like two triangles with a band...). Maybe next time I'm near a fabric store I'll have to see what the nice plushes are selling for right now!

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  2. If you want a decorating idea for just your husband and yourself sometime, you should look into snowflake patterns for adults. I found these really awesome (free) Star Wars snowflake patterns on-line.

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    1. I saw the Star Wars ones!! Those looked awesome!

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  3. I think that's a great tradition. It's funny how traditions are born and how important they are. Merry Christmas!

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    1. It really is funny to see how traditions start! Merry Christmas to you too!

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