Christmas Reflections
Christmas with a one-year old was every bit as sweet and chaotic as expected.
In a new family, there is a blend of traditions from two families and starting new ones of our very own. This year, we were trying on traditions, seeing which ones we liked.
For my husband’s family, Christmas Eve dinner is “bigger” than Christmas Day, so we had a feast on the 24th. We had a lot of veggies to use up, so we decided to do homemade Chinese food. (Why? Because he always wanted to go to the Chinese buffet on Christmas but only managed once.) I’m vegetarian, so the menu was:
Homemade seitan with broccoli in soy sauce
Fried rice with mushrooms
Cabbage salad (like coleslaw, but made with vinegar and soy sauce and much, much better tasting)
Pork and mushrooms (for my husband and B.G. had some too)
Someday, I’ll get around to putting some links for recipes in here! But, I digress.
After dinner and B.G. went down for a nap, we brought the tree inside. I say inside because we decorate a sugar cane tree with lights to use as a Christmas tree! This is a tradition all our own, to have a living, local tree for Christmas. When B.G. saw it first, she got so excited. Then, she saw a bunch of bags in front of that and got even more excited.
Christmas morning came. It was breezy and sunny and had high temperatures in the seventies. We had decided on waffles for breakfast (another tradition blend—we rotate between waffles from my husband’s family and cheese danish which is my family’s breakfast tradition).
We had stockings (hung on hooks with care) and opened the gifts. B.G. was delighted with choosing a present and delivering it! So sweet. She also loved the bags and the tissue paper!
Both my husband and I have the Muppets as a holiday tradition. For my family, it is listening to the Christmas album with the Muppets and John Denver. My husband grew up watching the “Muppet’s Family Christmas”. We found both on YouTube—the modern version of being able to share these sweet characters with our daughter.
Our Christmas traditions are still evolving. As B.G. grows, there are things I would love to do with her, like making Christmas cookies and hosting a holiday party (we had one for several years when I was a teenager!). In the meantime, I am trying to slow down a little to enjoy what’s right in front of me. It was a sweet Christmas.
Thanks for reading!
💜
Laura
