Creating Holiday Memories

In the past, major holidays used to invoke this uneasy feeling inside me.  It was that expectation something grand or exceptional must take place.  That, somehow, my traditions might not live up to the expectation of what the holidays were intended to be or what others around me were experiencing.

Then you grow up a bit, and realize life is not a Folger's commercial. The rest of the world is not in holiday ecstasy living a picture perfect holiday, nor is that even important.  Holidays are, in fact, very personal.  Not so much something that is happening to you, but rather, an empty jar ready to be filled with whatever you like.  A successful holiday for me, now, is dependant only on embracing the positives, creating the memories I hold close to my heart, and finding fulfillment and meaning in those precious moments when they happen.

The beauty is, I've realized so much of what I love and desire about the holidays is really just a result of making the conscious decision to live it.  To create it.  There's no other magic to it.  And really, isn't that what we all look forward to as we start our own families?  Embracing what we loved about our childhood, carrying on those traditions, and adding the things we as adults want to incorporate for the next generation.

Holiday time in Barcelona has been a brillant exercise in exactly this.  Thanksgiving morning I did have a few tears as I thought about my family -- it was always a day filled with happy memories as a child, a day our family loved in particular.  I missed my family this year, and it stung.  But, after a long hug from Chris, I decided to create the day I hoped to have.  A house smelling of turkey, sage, and butter.  A table set with the good dishes.  Candles lit.  Homemade desserts in the oven.  A drink in my hand. :)  And as I went about the day, creating the scene, the good feelings took over and I began to reflect on what it all really meant.  I especially appreciated that, while here in Barcelona, I am seeing this amazing holiday from afar and can appreciate its beauty at arm's length.  A whole new perspective.

Our actual Thanksgiving day was a quiet one, the four of us sitting around the table, talking about what it means to be thankful with the children.  We ate our turkey cutlet dinner, pausing to smile at each other and appreciate the moment....laughing at Mia's ice-cream mustache (and Chris' real one), and lingering at the table long after dinner was over, as Chris and I finished our bottle of wine and ignored the chaos of two toddlers on a sugar high.  It wasn't fancy, but was everything I wanted that day to be.  We were together as a family. 

 

That mustache...

 

The holiday extended into the weekend, as fellow American friends gathered together on Saturday for a large, more traditional day of feasting, laughing, drinking, and acknowledging a shared gratitude for life's incredible blessings.  A day hosted by some ex-pat friends, 3 years deep into life abroad, opening their home and doing what they do best -- offering friendship and support, celebrating this life abroad, and reminding us what it means to be part of a larger family.  Because, here -- this little community -- we are family.  In every sense of the word.  And it felt good to merge that new concept of family with an old tradition, miles away from the familiar faces we left behind.  It felt like we were exercising our emotional muscles, creating new relationships, finding the beauty, and making memories. 

Happy Holidays to all. 

Cheers XO