MEANINGFUL FAMILY TRADITIONS.

As a young girl, I always loved the idea of becoming a mother someday. I dreamt of big family gatherings, endless laughter around the dining table, and children running up and about-basically I have always wanted a full house.

The root of some of these thoughts was because I grew up in an intimate setting, which consisted of my mother, my two sisters and me.

Being a single mother with limited resources, my mom often worked several hours a day in order to provide for us.  My older sister was mostly away in boarding school, so we only got to see her during school holidays. This meant that I spent most of my time with my younger sister. As a result, Valary and I have the most amazing bond. I intimately know what her every look, sigh and eye-roll mean without her having to utter a single word.

The few times my mother got a day off for Christmas, she would scrub us and anoint us with baby Vaseline until we sparkled brighter than Venus. She would then dress us up like the most delicate dolls, and off we went to Christmas mass. After Mass, Jim Reeves vinyl album would play on repeat while she busied herself in the kitchen cooking up a storm! Cooking for her girls is still one of my mother’s greatest passions, and she tried to do it as much as she could when her work schedule allowed it. We would then have a big Christmas lunch and called it a day.

Now that I am a mother and have a family of my own, I believe in creating family traditions. A source of identity. Habits repeated over and over with purpose and intention. Stories that my children will tell their children. Memories that will last forever.

Our son’s birthday is on 14th November. This is the day we put up our Christmas tree. My husband’s birthday is on the 15th of January. This is the day we pull down the Christmas tree. We have been doing this for the past 4 years and we can happily say that this is our family tradition.

Last week as we were celebrating my son’s birthday he was also looking forward to putting up the Christmas tree, and he repeatedly kept on nagging me. This made me happy because at 5 he already understood at the end of his big day, it is the beginning of a new season.

Even though our Christmas tree is still a work in progress, it is up! As a family we had an amazing time pulling it out of storage, dusting it and finally putting it together. This year was extra special because our Nonna was around to help us.

Most of our Christmas tree ornaments hold a special meaning. They are gifts from family and friends. So, whenever we look at it, we see people we love. We see people that love us back.

We are looking forward to the most wonderful time of the year. To creating more family memories and lasting family traditions.

Lora By Lora