Month: December 2017

You have not seen unbridled joy until you have watched the movie “Home Alone” with a seven-year-old boy. The 1990 holiday classic is absolutely brimming with things near and dear to young boys’ hearts including bb guns, toilet humor, large spiders, and children outsmarting adults. Listening to my son laugh uproariously at the downfall of… Continue reading Unbridled Joy

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. It is my single favorite night of the year because it’s magical. And I’m not even talking about the flying reindeer. Growing up, Christmas Day was festive and chaotic and fun. It was a day of energy and presents and laughter. Christmas Day was for sledding and snowball fights and playing… Continue reading The Magic of Christmas Eve

We had the first (puny) snow flurries of the year last weekend and my children promptly lost their minds. When the first tiny flake appeared in the sky, shrieks of – “IT’S SNOWING!!” – rang through the house and there was a stampede to the front hall closet as my kids searched for their snow… Continue reading Waiting for Snow

I don’t send Christmas cards. I never have. I love taking pictures of my kids and organizing them into albums. I enjoy writing and could probably craft a solid family update letter. But the prospect of rounding up addresses for my nearest and dearest with whom I have communicated exclusively electronically for the past decade… Continue reading It’s Okay to be a Grinch about Some Traditions

I spent Thanksgiving Day alone. I had breakfast with a friend but didn’t partake of any of the traditional food frenzies involving extended family, football, and dozens of pumpkin pies. My kids were in West Virginia with my ex-husband’s family and I had Cheerios for dinner. Now, before you start to pity me – or… Continue reading Holiday Traditions Don’t Have to Make Sense