A (Non) Traditional Christmas

I love the Christmas season. I love the idea that the theme of magic runs through this whole season. I love the idea that this is a time to make others happy by buying, making or creating gifts they will treasure. I love that the kids are excited to wake up each day in December (well, more on that later) to open advent calendars or find the Elf (also more on that later). This is the season where the Husband and I first started dating, so Christmastime holds extra special happy memories for me.

Since the Husband and I celebrated our first Christmas together, I have started building our very own Christmas traditions, beginning with a cute little artificial (Martha Stewart brand, because back then I was all about Martha), tree. Each year, that little tree emerges from our basement on American Thanksgiving to signal the start of the holiday season in our house. After the tree is up, and decorated by the kids with ornaments they have collected or created over the years, and the other holiday decorations are up around the house, we order wings from our favorite wing place that has existed since I was a kid, and watch National Lampoons Christmas Vacation – the Husband and I having a drink from our moose-shaped glasses of course. After the movie, the kids go to bed snuggled under their Christmas duvet covers I made 2 years ago (to use up all the fabric I had purchased to make holiday-themed COVID masks), content in the knowledge that the Elf would soon re-appear, and that the time to start opening advent calendars and having a chocolate to start the day was almost upon us.

The first crack in my holiday plans started to appear after the November long weekend. I realized with horror that I hadn’t purchased the advent calendars I have bought for the kids since my son was an infant (and the Husband was eating the chocolates). They were of course sold out by that point, and only a smaller, less chocolate-y replacement could be purchased. Then came the news that my son wouldn’t be home for American Thanksgiving – he would be at a basketball tournament with his team, not to return until Saturday night! As I got out all our decorations that Thursday, hoping to at least have the house transformed for his return from the tournament, to my greater horror, I realized the Elf had gone missing. Seriously, I am starting to believe that these little Elves are actually magical as ours is most definitely not in our house anymore . . .

Fast forward a few days to the actual start of December. I gently woke the kids up, excited for them to bounce down the stairs to open advent calendars and hunt for the Elf (which has been replaced by “Magic Mickey”, a little Santa-themed Funko Pop Toy delivered overnight from Amazon).

The kids were not excited. They did not bounce down the stairs. They rolled over and mumbled incoherently about needing / wanting more sleep.

Later that day, I was sent their Christmas lists – a Canva presentation organized into categories from my daughter, and a Google Doc from my son – both complete with links for me to conveniently order everything online. I wouldn’t have to darken the doorstop of a mall, let alone a toy store this year . . .

It took a bit for this new reality to set in. I still went to all manner of shops and stores and super centers to look for fun and new Christmas decorations and gifts. I tried to buy as many different kinds of Christmas editions snacks as I could. And I even tried to get the kids to watch some of their favorite Christmas cartoons.

As much as I want to hold on to the past, and all the fun we had, I have to look to the future. As the kids grow ever older and move on and out to experience new things like University and first jobs, first apartments, first homes, our Christmas “traditions” will only change more and more. But what will never change is the love I have for my kids and the Husband , especially at this magical time of year. Wherever we may be in our lives, our door will always be open to our family, the house will be filled with holiday treats, and their Christmas quilts will be on their beds.