'Tis the Season
The holiday season is upon us, as hard as it is to believe. I feel like we have just barely started the year and here we are already, at the end of it. Christmas is less than a week away! My husband and I got married in January and the year has since passed by in a whirlwind. So much has happened this year and yet at the same time, I feel like I blinked and it was over.
This is not our first Christmas together but as the first as husband and wife, I have been thinking a lot about the traditions we will choose to have in place for ourselves and our future family. The holidays were very different for us growing up. My husband is from Argentina and when we first met, I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of Christmas happening during the summer months (I know, I know, basic geography and common sense and all that, but I didn’t think about it). While my family and I were bundled up and drinking hot cocoa they were having barbecues and trying to stay cool. Simply because of that alone, we have very different memories of the holidays and what they entail.
As we build a family with each other, I am all for honoring the old traditions but also incorporating new traditions we can enjoy. A few years ago we started hosting both sides of the family on Christmas Eve so we can get together for food and relaxed fun before any “craziness” on Christmas Day. We started with having various Tex Mex dishes and it has stuck the past few years. We may switch it up in the future, but it’s been a fun non-traditional thing we have enjoyed.
Something new we have started this year (that I hope becomes a long term tradition) is agreeing in advance what we will buy each other for Christmas. I know, it sounds so unromantic and what could be fun about that? I love the surprise of presents and I get a thrill from finding the perfect gift for someone I love and it is seriously one of my favorite things to watch the happiness and joy spread over the recipient’s face as they unwrap said perfect gift. But with my husband, every year he goes to buy himself the exact thing I have already purchased for him and I have to tell him I already got it for him and to please not buy it. Every. Single. Year. This year, I have given up. I have told him everything he is getting for Christmas so he doesn’t buy it for himself and in the same conversation I explained what I would please like for Christmas so he doesn’t have to guess. It’s not the thrill I really love, but I’m actually feeling relieved that I’m not at risk this year of any repeat gifts and we both know the other person will really love the gifts they are receiving.
Overall, I am still trying to find the balance of what we want for ourselves but so far this season my plan is to enjoy some of the old with the new and see what traditions stick for years to come. Here are a few of things we are thinking about:
For any holiday potlucks and/or office parties, my go to has been to make Buckeyes. It’s is an easy crowd pleaser with chocolate and peanut butter and it’s hard to mess up. My kind of recipe! :) Check out a good recipe here.
Did you know Petsmart offers pictures with Santa for you and your furbabies??? I was beyond excited to discover this! Click here to find your nearest store and access their calendar.
Earlier this year I found out I needed to go gluten free for health reasons (it’s a long story, more on that later) and this season I am so excited to try this gluten free sugar cookie recipe with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour. I’ve really been enjoying experimenting with this flour and I can’t wait to try this recipe. This post is for Easter, but the same deliciousness applies for this time of year.
I am determined to have at least a few Christmas themed dates this year. Every year we get so busy running around through the holiday season that we don’t take the time to connect just the two of us. My plan is for this year to be different and my ideas include drinking hot chocolate and driving around to look at Christmas Lights, a holiday cocktail competition between the two of us, and a Christmas movie marathon. Time is running out so we’ll see how it goes, wish us luck!
This year is the first year I have experienced Hallmark Christmas Movies and I am now obsessed. Do you like them and if so, what are your favorites?
What are your favorite traditions for this time of year? Do you have a recipe your family makes every year or something new you can’t wait to try this season? Do you have any tips or tricks for taking time to really connect with family or for balancing old traditions with the new? As always, send us your ideas through the contact us form here, or through the community page here.
Whatever you do to celebrate, enjoy and have a wonderful holiday season!