Work is crazy - but for the first time all year, there is an end in sight - a two(ish) week reprieve. On the other side of the break are all the things I'm going to accomplish in the New Year. The promise of a fresh start. Everything that was, is no longer. There promise and potential in the New Year that doesn't exist any longer in the now. That is work...
When I was a kid my family used to live fairly close to one other - all congregated in the midwest. We were lucky to be able to all come together to celebrate. There was the tradition of making and decorating cookies... the infamous Dolly Parton cookie. Yes, the walnuts were used as boobs. Also, we used to do a cheap gift exchange. This was great for me, because my feeling about gifts has always been to give something of me, to you. Unfortunately this isn't the expectation on the other end sometimes, but when I was a kid I would make bracelets or tie dye t-shirts for my family members. One of the greatest things about our visits was that it would be multiple generations. My grandmother, my mother and her siblings and us, the kids.
So this year is the first time in probably the last 30 years that we're getting together for this type of feel good holiday. 24 of us. Yes, we've grown to be 24. We lost our grandmother back in 1991, but have gained 3 daughter-in-laws, 1 uncle's husband, 1 cousin's husband (not sure what you call that), and 10 children ranging from 2.9-18 years of age. This is an amazing opportunity to refresh our relationships, to share ourselves and our children with each other. I am excited for Christmas, "the holidays" because for me, it is all about family, love, friends and well, of course, food!Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
