Hello everyone!

With all the hustle and bustle of the Holiday Season it is easy to forget why we celebrate in the first place.

I was thinking it would be nice to reflect upon what is important to us as individuals at this time of year, kind of like the Happy and Grateful thread that Ellis had started a while back.

So if anyone would like to share their thoughts and ideas on this and any little rituals or traditions they have for celebrating the season plase do

This is a great idea Mauvais!

What's important to me: my family, my friends, our two cats, taking care of myself (the diet/exercise thing) which helps me take care of others better (like my favorite quotation at the bottom of the message) --

And also: good books to read, genealogy, writing/journalizing, family photographs, music. Taking long walks in the city listening to said music. A desk and space of my own to work at that children don't put their stuff on! (but of course sometimes they do). One of my daughters, or both, hugging me. My DH for almost half a lifetime spent together.

Rituals and traditions - the frantic wrapping of children's presents on Christmas Eve.
The making of the mulled wine and mince pies.
The losing of the temper while trying to fit the Christmas tree into the Christmas tree holder.
The cats playing with tree branches and ornaments and trying to drink the water in the tree holder.

Lidian

My holiday reflections are...that I stop and think many times over the holiday season and realize how fortunate that I am that I have a good job, a great husband, good kids...for the most part, a roof over my head, a car to drive and that I am able to give my children what they want without really having to scrimp and scrounge.
I also think about the less fortunate ones. And try to do my part by donating money to the Salvation Army. You the ones, the men and women that stand by a black kettle ringing bells thorough out the holiday season.

To everyone.....A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Kelly

I am grateful that I have such great family and friends, a wonderful husband, the companionship of my cat, a decent job,warm clothes, a roof over my head, food on my table and good health.

This year I plan on honoring the memories of my Grandmother, my Aunt Anne who passed away last year, and my mother in law, who passed away several years ago.

On Christmas eve I will put my Grandmother's antique brass candleholders on the buffet table and light a candle for both her and my Aunt Anne.
I am also using my Grannie's china tea set on Christmas day.

I am also going to wear the antique peridot gold ring that belonged to my Aunt and that she gave to me a few years before she passed away as well as the peridot earrings she gave me for my birthday one year.

My Mother-in-law collected angels and I have a candle holder from her collection that I will use on Christmas Eve and light a candle for her as well.

They were all great ladies and are sadly missed.

I will use my mother's dishes on Christmas eve... We have a Christmas Eve Feast each year. I don't cook on Christmas Day.

Watching the black and white version of A Christmas Carol, and It's a Wonderful Life...

Rum and (low fat) Eggnog...

Cutting down our tree, this year I get to choose!

I love our tree ornaments.

Lois

Mauvais, you wrote so beautifully about your grandmother, aunt and MIL. That is such a wonderful way to honor them.

I'm thinking about my mom too (who passed away 3 years ago) and my grandmother (her mom) who were both very special to me. I wear my mom's warm-brown gloves every day and it is like she is holding my hands. I have her photo up again right over my desk where she is young and beautiful and happy. My grandmother's photo is right next to her, and HER grandmothers, and my girls too (DH and a few other guys are up there somewhere but it is mostly a woman-shrine over my desk).

I use a lot of my mom's kitchen stuff and hope to bring home more of her blue and white china, which I love. I would like to use it on Christmas day.

I also use the Christmas cookie cookbook that grandma gave to my mom, and she to me, from the 1940s. So when I make my batch I will try and make something out of it.

Lois, I love those movies too!

Lidian

That's a really lovely tradition, Mauvais. I like the idea of lighting candles to honor people who are around us in spirit.

Since I don't have a family of my own yet, I always drive down to my mom's house in Florida for Christmas. They have lights on the palm trees, and Santa hats on the lawn flamingos... it's very tropically festive.

My family isn't really so much with the tradition as they are with the chaos and confusion and last minute trips to the store for eggnog and tape and Extra Strength Tylenol. But we do get up on Christmas morning and pick oranges off of my mom's trees and make pitchers of orange juice to drink while we're opening presents. And there's always a really interesting bunch of people who show up for dinner, because Mom tends to invite the whole world over - last year we had a Russian ballroom dancer and a man who trains horses by whispering to them.

I usually go to the beach by myself on Christmas night, and just sit for a while and look at the stars. It's very peaceful. This year will be the first time I'm bringing a boyfriend home for the holidays, so we'll see how that goes.

I am grateful for my wonderful mother!!! I went shopping with her today and she bought me an early Christmas gift...a nice velvet outfit! (black slacks and camisole and a burgundy jacket.) For once I won't be the big slob on Christmas!!!

Random Thoughts

We always have folks in for drinks and snacks after Church on Christmas Eve. They leave fairly early and DH heads to bed well before midnight. I love to sit with a sherry and my dogs and wait for midnight. Tradition has it the animals were given speech for a minute or so on Christmas Eve in exchange for the use of the stable. So far The Girls have not spoken to me but I ain't dead yet!

We also keep a candle lit in the window for the twelve days of Christmas so the three Kings can find their way.

Another tradition is bagels, cream cheese and smoked salmon for breakfast Christmas morning. (Well, Mary WAS Jewish, wasn't she?) Sometimes a glass of champagne and OJ is on the menu.

My mother used to put the turkey in the oven around 2 a.m. (after midnight Church) and let it cook until dinnertime the next day. I was invariably overcooked and sometimes fell apart as soon as Dad put the knife to it! The white meat was soooo dry that we all ended up begging for dark meat.

Hmmmmm - memories. I could fill a book!

Wonderful memories Ruth!!! We have bagels with cream cheese and lox (or smoked white fish) for breakfast on Christmas too!!!

On Christmas morning we have bagels and cream cheese or homemade pancakes

We have stollen or pannettone, any kind of nice fruit bread. I used to make the stollen but now I am too darn lazy!

Lidian

I think I've already said this, but I make popovers every Christmas morning. Low fat ones. Hot. With butter.

Ellis what are popovers, do you have a recipe?
Virginia