Fa La La La La, SWEET MERCY, it is already Christmas Day and a new year is right around the corner. I want to thank all of you who have jumped in and breathed life into this mission of gathering, growing and connecting here at Arkansas Women Bloggers yet again this year. Seven years ago when this little seed took root, we could have never known that it would become what it is today.
Our community continues to get stronger. Many new faces, many who have continually stepped up to make this a more beautiful, loving group, and many whose life season does not include blogging, but still are a part of this community. We welcome any and all that have a true heart for community and are willing to open up and help one another with true kindness and giving. That is what this Christmas season is about, right? And, we try to keep that going all year long.
Business is booming in the influencer world and those of you who choose to grow as a business in some way, 2017 is going to rock your world. More and more brands are looking to partner with influencers, and yes, there are more and more blogs and social media accounts established every single day. Remember, comparison is the thief of joy, there is room for everyone, so be open to the amazing. Let The Women Bloggers be your training wheels, helping you to learn and keep upright in this busy, ever-changing world, while helping you to refine your message and your goals.
I look back with gratitude for the Lord’s many blessings on my family and this community in the past year. And I look forward to another great year with you.
Remember to exhale, to seek the beauty, the peace and the love that this season is all about. And carry it in your heart all year long.
“Marley was dead, to begin with.…Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.”
And so begins one of the most beloved of all ghost stories, A Christmas Carol.
One hundred and sixty-nine years ago the author Charles Dickens, was facing increasing financial distress even though he was thought to be at the peak of his career. The sales of his most recently published work were doing poorly, and he had been told by his publisher that his royalties were likely to be reduced. The father of multitudes of children and the supporter of a large extended family, Dickens was desperately seeking a solution to his financial woes.
As a child, Dickens’ entire family spent months in debtor’s prison in London because of the fiscal irresponsibility of his father. At the age of twelve, Dickens went to work in a boot blacking factory six days a week for twelve hours a day in order to help support his family. These thoughts of a childhood filled with suffering and hardship would haunt him throughout his life and are often seen as a basic theme in his works, including A Christmas Carol.
He needed an idea that would quickly earn him a large amount of money. But under the stress of his financial woes, he was finding it difficult to write. He lacked a story, and the fears of his childhood poverty, claimed his thoughts and time.
Out for a nightly walk during which he hoped to clear his head, Dickens found himself in the tenement district near the Thames River. The streets were strewn with litter and lined with open sewers. Instead of the elegant ladies and gentlemen of his own neighborhood, there were bawdy streetwalkers, pickpockets and beggars. From this dismal scene he was struck by a flash of inspiration.
Dickens’ hand-edited copy.
He would write a Christmas story. This would not be a story of shepherds, stars, angels or wise men, however. It would not be a tale of Christmas festivities, trees and tinsel as we know them today. Instead, as Dickens often did in his works, he created a cry of anger about the poverty and neglect he witnessed among London’s children, about the horrific conditions which the city’s poor were forced to endure, and about the lack of concern by those who were in the position to assist but did nothing. This little novella has been called by some a “sledge hammer” against the ills of industrialism and commercialism.
Indeed, his message of social reform becomes abundantly clear in the character of Christmas Present who introduces us to the poverty stricken boy called Ignorance and the girl who is Want. Dickens spares no bitterness in his description of these two: “They are yellow, meager, ragged, scowling, wolfish…but prostrate in their humility…Beware them both, but most of all beware of this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.” His message to us is that we as a society must make certain that no child grows up ignorant and lacking in the basic necessities of life. We are our brother’s keeper.
Christmas Present Source: Google Images
As Dickens’ story unfolded, he became more and more engrossed in the writing of it. He often found himself weeping and laughing, then weeping and laughing again as he penned his tale. Dickens was known to have said that the story transformed him. It seemed to take on a life of its own, and his characters, many of whom were modeled after people he knew, came to life as well.
After only six weeks and just in time for the 1843 Christmas season, Dickens self-published his little book insisting upon a rather lavish design in a salmon and gold binding with hand-colored illustrations by John Leech. He set the price at five shillings so that almost anyone could afford to purchase it. The response to the first edition was overwhelming; the initial publication of 6,000 copies sold out within a week. Unfortunately for Dickens, due to the high cost of production upon which he himself had insisted, he did not realize the profit he had hoped.
In many ways, A Christmas Carol which has never been out of print, became Dickens’ gift to the world. Its themes are timeless and its message universal: 1. Spiritual wealth is more important than material wealth. 2. It is better to give than to receive. 3. Human beings should treat one another with love and compassion. 4. A society is responsible for the welfare of all of its citizens. 5. A human can always grow and change.
Scrooge’s nephew Fred says it best: “I have always thought of Christmastime, when it has come round…as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”
Charles Dickens’ name became so synonymous with the modern celebration of Christmas that when he died in 1870, a young London girl asked, “Mr. Dickens dead? Will Christmas die too?”
“It was always said of Scrooge, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Everyone!”
Plum (Cherry) Pudding
Unlike Mrs. Cratchit of A Christmas Carol fame, I am not accustomed to the making of a plum pudding. For the Cratchit family this pudding, which did not contain any plums at all, would have been the highlight of their Christmas dinner. Typically, plum puddings were dark, moist and full of fruit – somewhat reminiscent of a fruit cake. They were dark and hard and usually ignited with brandy at serving. A sprig of holly would often serve as a garnish.
This version adapted from Teacher Created Materials: A Christmas Carol is super simple and a good way to extend the reading of whatever adaptation of the novel you choose to read or watch as a family (You are going to do that, aren’t you?). The Tiny Tims of your family can be as involved as you allow them to be.
1 14.5 ounce can pitted cherries (bing, preferably), drained and coarsely chopped
½ cup dried cherries plumped in ½ cup warm water (allow to cool)
¼ cup apple juice or apple cider
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup molasses
2 eggs
½ cup finely chopped toasted walnuts
1 package quick bread (I used gingerbread.)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl combine eggs, vanilla, molasses , spices and cider. Add in the water and plumped dried cherries and the chopped canned cherries. Stir well to combine.
Stir in the gingerbread mix and nuts.
Pour batter into a 9-inch round (or similar) cake pan that has been coated with cooking spray. Cook for 30 - 35 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.
Cool. Serve as is or topped with whipped cream or tart lemon jelly.
By Dining With Debbie
Adapted from Teacher Created Materials
Adapted from Teacher Created Materials
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
Combine sugar with cornstarch and mix with beaten eggs.
Add lemon juice and peel. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick. (I cook mine in the microwave. Watch it carefully and stir frequently.)
Add the butter and cool. (Or you can just buy a jar of lemon curd!)
Notes
From Calico Cupboards, published by the Benton Junior Auxiliary, 1980
By Dining With Debbie
Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/
Other suggested holiday reading: The New Testament Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg Seven Candles for Kwanzaa by Andrea Davis Pinkney Inside-Out Grandma by Joan Rothenberg The Littlest Angel by Charles Tazewell The Way of the Wolf by Martin Bell (Barrington Bunny) How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss The Hat by Jan Brett A Newberry Christmas by Martin H. Greenberg and Charles G. Waugh A Christmas Treasury selected by Stephanie Nettell Olive, the Other Reindeer by J. Otto Siebold and Vivian Walsh The Mouse Before Christmas by Michael Garland
Arkansas Women Blogger member and co-administrator Debbie Arnold pontificates and eats at Dining With Debbie. She and her Hubby split their time between Central and Northwest Arkansas. She loves to cook, develop recipes and have play dates with her two perfect grands. Mostly, she has play dates with the Perfect Ones. Twitter: @diningwithdeb Intagrams : @diningwithdebbie
Billie Cornwell of Benton has more talent in her little finger than I can even begin to wrap my head around. She’s a self-professed Pinterest and Southern Living addict who titles herself “Martha Stewart on a budget.” In her former life, she was an exec with Arkla who took early retirement to become a full-time grandmother, church and community leader and civic volunteer. She’s the person I look to for every decorating question — including the staging of our ARWB booth at the Arkansas Flower and Garden Show last February.
When it comes to decorating for Christmas, Billie is all about family. There are little touches of family throughout her home from the sentimental, handmade aluminum foil star made by her daughter Meredith in elementary school,
to her son’s favorite sock monkey
or the handpainted ornaments from a favorite aunt or a grandson, the prominently- paced spike symbolizing those used on the Cross of the Crucifixion
to the handwritten, framed recipe card for muffins handed down from her mother, now deceased.
Family is everywhere.
And taking center stage among the nativities collected from their travels, is an original painting of three snowmen made especially for her by one of her grandsons. A masterpiece to be sure.
From the time you arrive at her front door, you sense the presence of the Christmas holidays. Simple yet elegant. Welcoming. Beauty abounds in every nook and corner. Yet, by her own admission, she’s cut back quite a bit. (Yeah, right)
It’s just a sense of style that comes as naturally to her as breathing, I think. Some of you are talented in much the same way. As for me, I have to admire your talent and prey on your generosity for assistance. You see it. You take what you have and create a beauty like no other.
And sometimes it’s all about discovering the unexpected in unusual places
When I asked Billie if she would be willing to let me give you a tour of not just her Christmas tree but of her home as well, she was more than willing. I also imposed upon her for some words of wisdom — five pointers that would guide all of us in decorating our own homes for the holidays. Simply put, here’s what she shared:
Stick to a clearly defined color palate and transition that color scheme throughout your home.
Make one big statement whether a floral arrangement or a huge vase filled with fresh greenery.
Keep it simple. (Her tree is totally striking in its simplicity.)
Invest in heirlooms…something you love and will use year after year, such as a manger scene.
Learn to cluster—use things in 3’s or 5’s.
Use what you have.
And that really is what she does. I’m just waiting for her to come do the same thing at my house.
Arkansas Women Blogger member and co-administrator Debbie Arnold pontificates and eats at Dining With Debbie. She and her Hubby split their time between Central and Northwest Arkansas. She loves to cook, develop recipes and have play dates with her two perfect grands. Mostly, she has play dates with the Perfect Ones. Twitter: @diningwithdeb Intagrams : @diningwithdebbie
We’re sharing some of our Family Holiday Favorites for Foodie Friday. We’ll be featuring some of those throughout the holiday season. The linky will remain open through December 6 so feel free to share several of those special dishes that are always present on your holiday menus.
Recently a group of Arkansas Women Bloggers enjoyed a lovely Saturday afternoon at Cajun’s Wharf in Little Rock, where they were treated to wine & whiskey tastings, food, and fun. During lunch, they passed around heaping plates of yummy food and tried every dessert, loudly declaring their favorites.
A highlight of the afternoon was a cooking demonstration by Mary Beth Ringold, the owner, who prepared mussels in tomato broth while simultaneously talking through the proper way to brine a Thanksgiving turkey. Beautiful decks overlooking the Arkansas River were the perfect place to wind down the event as bloggers tried out Cajun’s special holiday cocktails, the Christmas Martini and the Holiday-De-Do.
Sarabeth Jones is a creative at Fellowship North who enjoys all kinds of artistic work; her latest project is bringing the national live-reading show Listen To Your Mother to Little Rock. She lives in Sherwood with her husband, Bryan, and their kids, Elizabeth, Jonathan, and Will. She loves to write about they way they make her laugh on her blog, thedramatic.com.
There we sat beneath the Christmas tree in the living room of our first rent house. The tree was a skinny five-footer covered in cheap garland, tangled white lights, and the handful of ornaments we’d collected since we wed that summer. We posed beside our pup and smiled wide, knowing none of the Christmas card recipients would realize our family was growing.
That was number one. That quick snap of the shutter was the act that set the ball rolling for The Bauer Family Christmas Card. That was the first of a family tradition.
The family and friends who didn’t know something was brewing weren’t kept in the dark long and the next year’s card featured a chunky five-month-old on Santa’s lap. The following years showed a happy little family of three, sitting in leaves and posing for the camera. They showed a proud set of learn-as-you-go parents. They showed how fast babies turn into little boys. They showed us nestled in a new corner of the state, settling into new jobs and new lifestyles.
Christmas Present
The years kept coming and the cards showed us older, wiser, and happier. We were thrown into storms, but we found theother side every time. Our first baby started school and our second baby learned to crawl and walk and run. History repeated itself once more and the seventh Bauer Family Christmas Card held a secret. That particular secret joined us in July and will be making her card debut this month.
Annual greetings with grinning families are routine as far as traditions go, but the memories they hold are far more important than their placement on kitchen cabinets and coffee tables.When I arrange the outfits, pick the location, and pray they’ll look at the camera {see above photo for this year’s answer}, my mind goes back to the years I’ve filed away. Each of these photographs shows the progression of my family.
My family. My husband and I are the ones now responsible for spreading Christmas cheer and pouring the magic of it all into the hearts of our children.
It’s our turn.
Christmas Past
I grew up in an amazing family and Christmas was one of the best times of the year. We would gather at my grandmother’s house for a Christmas Eve dinner with all the trimmings. Once the dishes were clean and the kids were alternating between snoozing on the floor and playing with new toys, my parents gathered my brother and me for church. We leaned on theirshoulders during Midnight Mass as the priest talked about the glorious arrival of Jesus Christ. Once we tumbled through the church doors and gasped at the cold night air, my dad alwayscaught a glimpse of Santa’s sleigh in the moonlight.
Knowing he was close, my brother and I jumped into our pajamas the instant we made it home, shut our eyes tight, and dreamt of morning.
Now I’m the one who hears jingle bells in dark corners of the sky, arranges the cookies on Santa’s plate, and readies my camera before kids stir or dawn breaks. Each of our Christmascards proves my role in holiday cheer just gets better over time.
Christmas Future
As family and friends open the card that reveals two growing boys and a bouncing baby sister, I’m going to collect my family of five in front of our warm fireplace. We will eat popcorn, drink Hot Chocolate {or chocolate milk} and watch movies in our pajamas. Then we will take a drive through town to oooh and ahhh at twinkling lights.
The extra card that I’ll tuck away in the depths of my desk will serve as a frozen memory of this time in my life. Who knows where we will be when I discover it again.
I, for one, can’t wait to find out.
Hey y’all! I’m Jessica and I blog at Life With the Bauer Bunch. I’m a small-town girl just enjoying my slice of the good life with my husband Jonathan, our sons, Nathan, 6, and Owen, 2, and our brand-new baby girl, Nora. Stop by and visit sometime!
It was the first Christmas after Tyler and I were married, and we were back in his hometown, sitting at his parents’ kitchen table. We were both in college, but when we came home for weekends or holidays, we were kids again – catered to, doted over and cleaned up after.
It was Christmas Eve, the designated night for us to celebrate with his family. And the fragrance of juicy, marinated rib-eyes filled the small, cozy home. My mother-in-law’s steaks were and are my favorite meal, and my stomach was giddy with anticipation. She sang Christmas carols as she danced about the kitchen, buttering rolls, sweetening tea, and retrieving baked potatoes from the oven. “I’m just so happy to have all my family home!” she declared between verses.
In the next room, red and white stockings hung from a coat rack with each of our names penned in my mother-in-law’s writing, and a modest tree with colored lights twinkled above a sea of presents. A tacky, electric Santa sang and moved robotically, adding to the festive mood. And on the TV, A Christmas Story played over and over, as my new husband and his brother quoted their favorite movie’s lines verbatim.
Back in the kitchen, the five of us sat down for a Christmas feast: me, my husband, his brother, my mother-in-law and my father-in-law, who only moved off the “back porch” and into the kitchen to eat for special occasions. This was certainly one of them. We stuffed ourselves ‘til we were nearly sick, packing in every dripping morsel, then moved into the living room to open gifts. My mother-in-law glowed as we opened the presents she had thoughtfully purchased and wrapped and laughed jovially as we enjoyed the evening together.
It was a night to remember.
Now seven years later, things have changed. My husband’s family – my family – is navigating life paths none of us foresaw. Things like divorce and economic hardship have changed every aspect of their lives. I don’t know if there will be stockings hung in that small, cozy house this Christmas, but if there are, they won’t have our names on them.
Though things have changed a great deal, memories of Christmases, 4th of Julys, and regular ole Saturday nights with my “other” family are still thriving. I know my mother-in-law, in particular, grieves the loss of what was and regrets she can’t still give us the gifts of home and togetherness. What she may not realize, though, is that the joy created in that home is still rippling in each of our lives, mine included.
People change and grow and move on with their lives, and that’s just the way it is. But as I move on with mine, I’ll always carry that first Christmas in my heart. It’s wrapped as tightly as those presents sprawled out under the tree, and no amount of time, change, or hardship can take it from me.
For most of us, the holidays are enriched by family traditions sometimes established by someonewho’s no longer with us. But a custom doesn’t magically pass from one generation to another. Instead, it endures when someone younger embraces it and shares it with those they love. For my daughter and me, one such tradition is preparing my mother’s cornbread dressing during the holidays. No turkey is complete without Grandma’s dressing.
Terry, Maria and me with my mother and dad, back when Mom began to give us dressing-making lessons.
The last time Maria and I made this holiday staple, I realized the conversation surrounding its preparation had become a tradition in itself. Each year, if you joined us in the kitchen, you’d heara variation of the following:
“Why are you making biscuits in the middle of morning?” Maria asks, as she sautés onions and celery in butter.
“For the dressing. Grandma always added a couple of biscuits and rolls to the cornbread.”
Later, I crumble the rolls, biscuits and cornbread into my biggest bowl. “Did Grandma put eggs in her dressing?”
“You always ask that, but I don’t think she did.”
“I’ll leave them out.”
In obedience to Mother’s voice in my head, I pour a generous amount of broth into thebread mixture and say aloud, “Make it sloppy so it won’t dry out.”
Then I cautiously add salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and sage, frequently stopping to taste. It’s easier to add more than to deal with too much.
“Needs more poultry seasoning.” I sprinkle and sample again. “Is this about right?”
“I’m leaving that up to you,” Maria says.
In this manner, I season and taste my way to a dish as closely resembling Mother’s dressing as possible. And in the process, she is with us in the kitchen, encouraging us as always with the thought that whatever the outcome, it will be just right.
Somewhere in what I hope will be the distant future, I hear a similar conversation going on between Maria and her girls. After all, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving and Christmas withoutGrandma’s Cornbread Dressing.
Maria and her daughters, Caroline and Emily
Dorothy Johnson is an Arkansas girl who says she should have been interviewed for Gail Sheehy’s book PASSAGES because of the number of different jobs she’s had. She’s taught junior high English, spent time at home raising kids, worked as a writer and an associate editor at Leisure Arts and functioned as a liaison to the community and cardiologists at Baptist Health. Now she writes about life from her home overlooking the Arkansas River in Little Rock. Check out her blog, Reflections from Dorothy’s Ridge at http://reflectionsfromdorothy.blogspot
I’ll admit it. I’m not the perfect mom when it comes to creating holiday traditions. I like the idea of holiday traditions, but I also like the idea of folding clean clothes right after they come out of the dryer, and spending an autumn weekend to put my garden to bed, and inviting people over for casual dinner parties every now and then. But along with those lovely ideas, holiday traditions tend to get overlooked in my busy house, and I’ve (mostly) come to terms with that.
I think the best way to create traditions is to find something you enjoy doing, and just do it over and over. That’s a tradition, right? One thing that my mother did when my siblings and I were young that I’ve managed to adopt myself is making or purchasing annual Christmas tree ornaments for each of her children. This year, now that my oldest has moved into her own place and has her own tree, I’ll be pulling her ornaments out of our boxes for her to take home with her, just like my mom did for me.
In the early days of having kids, mom put her Crafty Hands to work and made ornaments out of felt and craft foam balls and tiny bits of trim. I’m kind of amazed that they have lasted, but I’m so glad they did. There’s the one-eyed soldier, the Santa who looks as though he got a little tipsy on peppermint mocha, and the elf who has managed to stay pristine. Those elves… they’re sneaky.
When I was celebrating my first holidays as a mom, I – like my mother before me – lived on the cheap in a mobile home. Oh boy,was I thankful for my Crafty-Hands genes. We made a lot of paper ornaments and garlands out of Cheerios and Froot-Loops strung on yarn. These little beauties were made from a simple kit I purchased at a craft store. The teddy bear and angel were for my daughters and the train represented the family.
As our family was able to spend a little more money during the holidays – both as a child and as an adult – we purchased ornaments instead of making them. My mom was obviously proud of me when I joined the band-exemplified by two years of flute-playing ornaments (my band career was a short-lived endeavor, bumped by drama club in junior high).
I’m not sure that my store-bought ornaments all represent something about their recipients, but these Angry Birds do. And,my son was pretty stoked about them a couple of years ago…and that’s what matters most, right?
But even as the years passed, my mom and I both kept fiddling with ribbon and wire and making ornaments whenever we could.She beribboned these sweet baskets in the late 1970s. I created fabric and beaded acorns when I discovered these huge acorn caps under a tree in my neighborhood. They’re the only two I made and I gave them to mom that year.
Sadly, my mom passed away four years ago. As my sister and I divided up her craft supplies (No small task! There was a kiln involved, y’all!!)we went through decorations in the old boxes and big blue suitcase where she kept Christmas, and picked out the ones that we gave her or she chose for us. I can’t decorate for the holidays without remembering the love – for family and for creating beautiful things – that mom passed down to each of her kids. Holiday traditions aren’t just about keeping up with the Joneses… in my house, they’re about passing down the Happy Holiday Crafty-Hands!!
Laurie is a writer and junque-hunter living in Springdale, Arkansas with her husband, son and three goofy cats. She raises kids and chickens and makes messes in her craft room. She loves to create good food, pretty gardens, and happy kids. But when that doesn’t happen as planned she simply reads about them on Pinterest. You can follow Laurie at See Laurie Write and Junque Rethunque.
Every Black Friday our family would go to a family movie in the theater. We saw Home Alone and two Back to the Future movies during that tradition! You might be wondering what the candy canes are about. We had an antique Santa head candy dish that my mom filled with candy canes every year. Best. Christmas. Decoration. Ever. Except our Toilet Bowl Cleaner (read the blog to figure out that one!)
Growing old with our traditions
Every Christmas as kids my brother and I looked forward to the day after Thanksgiving almost more than any day of the holiday season (OK, I did. I don’t know what my brother thought).
Believe it or not, I didn’t know about the crazy “let’s go shopping at 2 a.m. in our pajamas” thing about Black Friday. For me, it was “family decorate the Toilet Bowl Cleaner and movie day.”
Yes, you read that right. Toilet Bowl Cleaner. Much to my mother’s chagrin, my brother noticed one year when we were both still pretty young (therefore still amused by such things) that our old, misshapen artificial Christmas tree had a startling resemblance to the shape of a wire toilet bowl brush before we reshaped the branches every year.
Each Black Friday it was family tradition to decorate the tree, put up our Advent calendar (and a few other decorations I’m sure but those were the important ones in my world!). We then would go to a family movie that afternoon. Over the years, I remember seeing the last two Back to the Future movies and the first two Home Alone movies on that special Friday.
Holiday place
Another major form of holiday tradition in our family was where we spent the holidays. We were blessed to have close relatives on both sides of the family living in Wichita so we got to spend holidays with lots of family.
Thanksgiving was almost always at “B’s” house. “B” is what we call my dad’s mom. Christmas was both complicated and special. We would go to B’s house on Dec. 23, spend the night (in front of the fireplace!) and then spend all day Dec. 24 over there. We would open gifts with that side of the family that night. Then Dec. 25 we would spend it with my mom’s sister and that whole side of the family either at my aunt and uncle’s house or our house.
In recent years, as my brother is now married with kids, we spend the night of Dec. 24 at my parents’ house with just our immediate family then both sides of our extended family come to my parents’ house for a big family meal on Christmas.
New traditions
As times have changed so have our traditions, it’s been a bittersweet experience. Some beloved traditions were hard to let go of, other times I’ve enjoyed the introduction and creation of new traditions. Sure, I miss those Christmas Eve eves (Dec. 23) by the fire but I love having a pizza-making contest with my parents, husband, brother, and sister-in-law. I will admit that I really do miss the Black Friday tradition from our childhood and I’ve told my husband that we will be getting the Christmas tree up at least over Thanksgiving weekend.
All this has helped reinforce something. Traditions aren’t about the food, the activity or whatever. It’s about how they make us feel.
It’s about feeling included.
It’s about having something to look forward to doing.
It’s about cherishing memories.
I think those three things are something that can always be a tradition no matter where we are or how old we get.
Jamie Smith blogs over at Jamie’s Thots where she shares about faith, family, fur kids and tons more! She’s also a small business owner—the name of her business is Jamie’s Notebook. Jamie tells folks that she grew up in Kansas but became a grown up in Arkansas. Her and her husband, John, live in Elkins with their two dogs and two cats.
One hundred and sixty-nine years ago the author Charles Dickens, was facing increasing financial distress even though he was thought to be at the peak of his career. The sales of his most recently published work were doing poorly, and he had been told by his publisher that his royalties were likely to be reduced. The father of multitudes of children and the supporter of a large extended family, Dickens was desperately seeking a solution to his financial woes.
By Sarabeth Jones
