Happy Holidays

by Diana Warner | Dec 24, 2016 | Being a Wedding Planner, Holiday

The tree is lit, the table is set. We are waiting for family to arrive. Music quietly plays in the background and my daughters laughs echo in my ear. All the sites and sounds telling me “It’s Christmas!”

To me, Christmas is never about the gifts. Sure, as a kid I loved that part and I love to watch my daughter open hers, but to me Christmas is about getting together with family. Laughing and talking. Enjoying food, the occasional drink and merriment. Let’s face it, the older you get the harder it is to get everyone together. But in the end Christmas is a time to focus on what you have in front of you. Christmas is about family.

With the birth of my daughter Christmas has also had a reboot in my life. I’ve always been partial to Halloween. I mean, owning a haunted house and a prop company, Halloween sort of took over our lives. As much as my daughter loves ghosts and costumes, the light of Christmas is bright in her eyes. There’s just something magical about Christmas to a child, and watching that happen in my daughter has given me a brand new appreciation for the holiday. (I may have even bought a Christmas decoration before Halloween, but don’t tell my husband).

Before her we didn’t decorate for Christmas. It was just a lot of work for two people, and we didn’t entertain at our place, so we opted to not do it.  Now we do it all. The tree, the stockings, the outdoor display, the gingerbread house. Everything. To her it is all new and magical and I can appreciate things so much more. Now we have started to show her our family traditions and starting some new ones. My biggest tradition is “Christmas Bakeoff insert year here”.  I love to bake, that’s a fact. For nearly a week before Christmas I make a new cookie/candy every night, and hope they all last to delivery on the big day. Every year I make one called a buckeye from an old family recipie. Tonight Kahlan helped for the first time with the rolling. I may have gotten a little misty eyed.  Just look at how yummy!

The holidays certainly do change as you get older and they can easily lose their magic. As you get older you realize how incredibly important it is to take time away from work and the craziness of the holidays to just be together.  How incredibly important it is for my daughter.

Christmas magic was worked its way back into my heart, and I hope that you and your family feel that magic this year too. With that I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!