Sometimes, I can get into the spirit of Christmas (light in darkness, hope for the future, the kindness of strangers, etc, etc.), but this year was not one of those times.
I have just felt angry and resentful and frustrated and generally not-too-happy.
However, there is one thing that consistently brings me a bit of happiness during the Christmas season, and that is the ornaments I have bought (or others have bought) for my children.
Of course, there are the baby ornaments, which are sweet, but the ones I like most are the ones that show my children's interests throughout the years and the ones I have purchased for them from vacations and trips we've gone on.
For example, these are the ornaments I got for the boys from our three trips this year: Kennesaw National Battlefield in Atlanta, GA; Washington Park Zoo in Michigan City, IN; and Cape San Blas, FL. They are never excited to get ornaments, but I think they like pulling them out all the years later and remembering our adventures.
And then there are the ones that show the kids' interests, even if, at the time, they made no sense to me. When G was 2, he loved any kind of car or truck, so the red tractor made sense. When N was 2, she picked out a school bus.
By the time the kids are out-on-their-own and have trees, they will have plenty from their childhoods to take with them.
I have just felt angry and resentful and frustrated and generally not-too-happy.
However, there is one thing that consistently brings me a bit of happiness during the Christmas season, and that is the ornaments I have bought (or others have bought) for my children.
Of course, there are the baby ornaments, which are sweet, but the ones I like most are the ones that show my children's interests throughout the years and the ones I have purchased for them from vacations and trips we've gone on.
For example, these are the ornaments I got for the boys from our three trips this year: Kennesaw National Battlefield in Atlanta, GA; Washington Park Zoo in Michigan City, IN; and Cape San Blas, FL. They are never excited to get ornaments, but I think they like pulling them out all the years later and remembering our adventures.
These are others...
Sanibel Island, FL
Grand Lake, CO
Rocky Mountain National Park
and Quebec City, where D and I visited for our 20th wedding anniversary.
Edisto Island, SC (pirate),
Tiana from Disney, and Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan.
When I haven't been able to find actual ornaments,
I've made do with magnets that I glue ribbons on.
The E.T. one was from Universal Studios in FL.
And then there are the ones that show the kids' interests, even if, at the time, they made no sense to me. When G was 2, he loved any kind of car or truck, so the red tractor made sense. When N was 2, she picked out a school bus.
Then there was when N was big into dancing and being a ballerina.
When G was heavy into dinosaurs, I got this one for him.
By the time the kids are out-on-their-own and have trees, they will have plenty from their childhoods to take with them.
No comments:
Post a Comment