the meaning of Christmas

As the kids continue to grow at an accelerated pace - I continue to panic around the holidays. It's never an easy conversation or decision - because we can't come up with what feels right until the holidays are long past us and we make note of what worked and what didn't. Questions surface like... Are presents from Santa? And is Santa Claus real? Do we buy the kids gifts with Ava's birthday trailing right behind just a week? What aspects of the holiday do we want them to remember and practice traditionally?

My parents embraced the holidays for my sisters and I since we were little because it was a fun way to end a great year. And in college, I attended midnight masses (thanks to the private Catholic school I went to) - to learn more about the meaning behind the celebration - and quickly realized how the purpose was greater than I could ever embrace. After getting married, we found ourselves tangled in a web of shopping and splitting time between households - that the holidays proved more taxing than spirited - so we had to decide how we wanted to carry and create the magic of the holidays in a way that did feel right to us... this special time of year for Ava and Noah...

I have to admit, there's no right answer - and I can only respond to what is happening around me each year - and interject some new ideas here and there. We're no longer celebrating "xmas" in the traditional sense with extended family because of gradual changes in our family dynamics, and repurposing them to reflect who we are today.

Starting with teaching the kids about the wonderful feeling of giving...





A trip to the local craft store to pick out unfinished items Ava and Noah could embellish at the art table proved valuable - not just for the kids - but us grown ups too - as we watched how Ava artfully selected certain items for Aunt Roshana... Cousin "SuSu" and Grandma... and then getting right to work on personalizing it and making it beautiful just like the people in their lives... who they spend their time with throughout the entire year - growing up with and feeling so loved.

And that I would imagine - is the true meaning of Christmas.