Beginnings

The Christmas jumble was fantastic!  Terry's family members piled into our house for the holidays (in fact they are still here), and my family members arrived from away.  I've been having a terrific break, actually.  All the aunts and uncles want to take the baby.  I've hardly had to do anything except nurse her.  And I've hardly cleaned a dish, although we are certainly messing lots!  I've spent time with my niece and nephew, and am in love with them!  We started new traditions and integrated old ones.

As generations come into their own, they take on their parents' roles of preparing the dinners and hosting the parties.  It's normal.  The traditions change slightly.  New activities emerge.  Old ones sometimes disappear.  This year, we began a lot of new.

My older brother hosted Christmas Eve.  Different?  Yep.  Wonderful?  Yep.  Did my teen miss some of our old traditions?  Yep.

Christmas Day was my mom's (it's difficult to take anything away so this one remained hers for another year).  Different?  Yep!  We now have several dietary issues in the family so my mother had to prepare a plethora of dishes to satisfy everyone.  Given my younger brother and his family were staying at my parents, my soon-to-be mother-in-law was at our house not feeling 100%, and Terry's family arrived on Boxing Day and New Year's Eve, we had three gift openings (and one left!).

Both families gathered for a big street hockey game on the 27th on our street.  It couldn't have gone smoother.  Lots of laughs.  Lots of food.  A fantastical sunny day.

New Year's we all piled into our house again.  Again, lots of food... great conversations... and live music on our back step at midnight while watching many displays of fireworks around the city.  The guitar, mandolin, and accordion music continued until around 2:00 a.m. or later.  Was it a different new year's?  You bet.

And this is all detail.

Really, what we're doing is beginning.  Beginning a new family.  Beginning our next chapter.  Bringing our memories and learning to the new.  I will write my goals and accomplishments in my journal as I do every year.  But now, I'm thinking about this new beginning and how it is necessary to let go of the past in order to begin something new or to move forward.

I see older generations grasping onto the old... getting frustrated with new technologies or new ways of doing things.  My mom definitely doesn't want to let go of her role during Christmas (or any special occasion).  She has always provided the best and most nurturing environment to celebrate.  And letting go of that might seem she's giving up her role, I guess.

My oldest daughter wants Christmas morning to be like it was when she was six... sleeping at Nanny's and Poppy's... waking to turkey dinner smell in the air... feeling warm all snuggled in her bed while the cool night air hits her face.

My father wants to mummer.  Get the crowd together and go house to house for a rip roaring dance and party.

All these memories are beautiful.  And we are trying to incorporate them into our current celebrations.  But what makes us so afraid of new beginnings?  We hold on so hard to the past.  It keeps us comfortable.  We feel safe.  But we miss out if we can't bring new memories into our lives.

So I told my daughter who wants Christmas to stay the same - the new traditions will evolve and become favorites and the old ones will become good stories.  Eventually what is new will be old.  Our past year has been filled with new beginnings, though.  And it's nice to be able to bring some comfort into that.  That's just what we did and I believe it was a success!

Now, I just have to let my mom give up cooking Christmas dinner.... not sure that's gonna happen for a while yet!

I must go get some om while the babe is out with her aunts!

Happy 2012!  Here's to successfully blending old and new traditions and 2012 being full of love!