Christmas has always been a special time for me.
When the kids were little we never had huge amounts of money, but I still managed to create excitement for the kids. We would often wake up to the kids creeping into the lounge to see if Santa had been there. Both kids would come in and wake us in the early hours of the morning to open gifts. By the night, both Graham and I were so tired we could barely keep our eyes open.
When we spent time in New Zealand Santa had placed the gifts under the tree for the kids, so when we came back they opened them.
As the kids got older, things changed. Last year for the first time in 18 years we had to go and wake them.
4 years ago we started the Marshall family team building event. We would build a Lego set together. The 23rd night would have little gifts. Our tree was filled with ornaments that were mismatched and some as old as me.
This year, instead of being sad (and I was) about both my kids growing up, I am going to start new traditions and embrace the fact that our family is changing. We have a new tree, smaller in size. This year the holiday will be spent with extended family and friends, celebrating how blessed we are to have each other.
It isn’t easy coming to terms with the fact that Santa has truly left the building in our house, but there is much to be grateful for.
Til next time,
Namaste
