Celebrating Christmas Away From Home

This will be our first Christmas away from home in many years. As you know we have been spending the last two months in the Pacific Northwest. All four of our grown children live between Seattle and Portland and it was easier for us to come to them then to have them all make the trip to Vermont.

I realize that I have many traditions associated with the Christmas season. Every year we attend the Wassail Weekend in Woodstock, Vermont. Woodstock is a picturesque town and the Wassail Parade is beautiful. Horses and riders all decked out in their Christmas costumes march in a parade around the town green. Everyone is shouting “Merry Christmas” to each other. At the end of the parade everyone gathers on the green for a bonfire and carol singing. For me it is always the start of the Christmas season.

Our tree is usually decorated the weekend after Thanksgiving and I take such pleasure in hanging  each ornament on the tree; so many treasures. I have ornaments that have been passed down from my grandmother to my mother to me. There are many handmade ornaments made by either my children or dear friends. It was very strange to not have our own tree this year. Instead we had fun helping my daughter decorate her tree.

This week we are spending the week with my other daughter in Washington. She has a beautiful tree. Over the years I would give each child an ornament. When our daughter’s married and moved on I packed up all the ornaments I had given them and passed them along. Now as I look at my daughter’s beautiful tree I see the ornaments I had given her.

I do miss our own Christmas tree and the memories I enjoy as I decorate the tree but celebrating Christmas with those I love is so much more important. We will be gathering with all of our children, their spouses and our grandchildren soon to celebrate Christmas together. We will be celebrating in a rental house where we will all be staying and I’m not sure there will even be any decorations! Instead we will enjoy each other’s company and create new memories of our first Christmas in the Pacific Northwest!

I hope wherever you are this Christmas season you have a wonderful holiday.