Christmas is my favorite holiday. It's a time full of hope and joy, bright lights, hot cocoa, giving people gifts to show you care and want to do something nice for them, and it's a time when it's okay to express my faith. This blog will not be about the spiritual aspect of Christmas. Those who know me understand that is the first and foremost point of the season. With that said, this entry is about the other aspects of Christmas for me.
Every year I go in with high expectations of a warm, fuzzy feeling surrounded by loving family members. Sometimes circumstances distract from that, like in the past, financial struggles. Other times I feel very lonely because no one in my family except Tim's parents live close enough to spend Christmas with us. Sometimes it's because everyone's work schedule is so different, we have to rush through a meal, or eat at a weird time (Thanksgiving dinner was me and 5 teenagers at 9:30 at night).
Every year we have a theme too. We've done Italian, Mexican, Greek, Traditional American, Victorian, and this year...Scottish Christmas! Not only does that determine our menu, but our theme often is reflected in how we decorate our tree. This year we have a tree that's got lots of red, green, gold, and plaid. We used plaid ribbon on our tree. I've always liked the look of ribbon on the trees but never got it right (I'm too Obsessive Compulsive), so I'd decide not to use it. This year, Jordan did it and it looks amazing! I love it! I worked to create a large bow by hand from the ribbon. It wasn't easy, and I sort of cheated in how I did it to keep it together, but it looks great on top of our tree too.
I'm excited about the menu this year. We'll have a few traditional things like Egg Nog and green bean casserole (I never had it growing up and never knew about it until a few years ago. The kids love it and want it whenever possible.) We also will have Scotch Eggs, they're hard-boiled eggs, surrounded in (turkey for us) sausage, then put in bread crumbs and cooked. Also we'll skip the mashed potatoes in favor of potato pancakes. My Scottish grandfather used to make them and although I don't have too many great memories of him, that is one of them. Our family would gather at my grandmother's place, across the hall from his apartment, open the back doors that joined on a back porch, and we would enjoy his potato pancakes...me, my mother and sisters (babies at the time), my Aunts Donna and Brenda, and my cousins Vinny & Tanya. Anyway, we'll also have brussel sprouts with (turkey)bacon, peas, and the Scottish desserts will be Shortbread cookies, homemade vanilla custard, Chranachan, and Treacle with Golden Syrup. (That one's hard to explain, you'll have to look it up if you're interested.)
The best part this year is that Tim will be home, Jordan will be here, of course, Logan is off from work, and although Adam has to work 2 AM to 10 AM, then go back in Christmas night at 10 PM, we will have time for all of us to be together. The kids are old enough to shop for each other's gifts now and I love seeing how hard they try to think and find just the right things. Also, the kids are old enough to appreciate not only what they get, but all that we can do together. They have spent the last 2 years getting to appreciate Tim for all he does for us. They also have rebuilt, or maybe built for the first time, a good relationship with him. I love that they can all be together and enjoy spending time with each other. Being together, laughing, sharing things, to me, THAT is what "home for the holidays" should be like.
