This is truly an uplifting post. I write this as I sit here at the Dubai airport, in transit, waiting for my flight to board and take me back home, to where those childhood memories originate. It’s almost 2am and the airport is crowded, and your post made me realize that all these people here (most of them at least) are heading to spend their holidays with their families somewhere in the world. Instead of opting to spend it virtually they made the choice to travel home.
Your post also resonated with me about the family gatherings I was exposed to as a child. My wife and I live in Tennessee, 7000 miles away from our loved ones. The holidays are when we feel that space the most. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for reading, and it's so fun to think that you are reading my post from Dubai. May you have an amazing time with your loved ones and safe travels!
It's fascinating how traditions can endure, morph, and still bring joy even as the dynamics change. Your holiday card tradition and the Macy's window displays sound delightful. Wishing you a wonderful and joy-filled Christmas season as you continue to embrace and celebrate the traditions that truly matter.
Love this piece ❤️ it really reminds me of my own nostalgia growing up and you perfectly worded it.. painful family rifts that happen while we're adulting. The holidays bring up so much especially if you had any losses and those that have gone on made Christmas especially special. But no matter what the nostalgic memories always flood in and help to create new traditions and memories and that part Is nice❤️
Hey hun, thanks for reading 😊And yes I agree with the nostalgia you mentioned and I didn’t even touch the part about losing our loved ones. I’ve been thinking about my dad a lot lately.
Such cute traditions! I also come from the “immigrant family who leaned into American capitalism” group, and we have a few cute ones: we do a white elephant on Christmas Eve, as a bit of a palette cleanser for Christmas Day; all the cousins wear marching PJs that the moms get, which still persists even though the oldest of us are into our 30s 😂; and we all go to a movie as well, except we usually break off into 2-3 groups.
I don’t have my own family yet but I’m excited to continue some of them! And maybe once I have my own family I will not have to wear the marching PJs anymore haha
All of those sound like so much fun. My mother in law likes to do the PJ t one when she hosts Christmas at her home in Florida. I resisted at first (especially since she can never get my size right) but now I am kind of feeling it 🤣 I recently bought my toddler an “ugly” holiday sweater for a holiday party at her daycare and I found myself wanting a matching one 😆 So I am starting to get in on the matching clothing tradition slowly but surely . Thanks for sharing!
Helen, this is such a thoughtful reflection on how making traditions and holidays our own allows us to capture the spirit and essence of what truly matters - connection and community.
The image of the Christmas tree engulfed into almost-invisibility by a staggering load of presents, mirrored in the burden of anxiety that your mum had felt on those occasions, feels so poignant. In particular, reading about the pressure to "save face" resonated for me in my own family experiences - I'd thought this phrase and concept was something specific to my own culture, and on reading what you wrote, I realized how the pressure to keep up appearances is universal across many societies.
Thank you for sharing this piece with me in connection with my piece about the art of personal traditions. It's so inspiring to see how you've captured the heart of what it meant for you to make Christmas your own with your husband and children 🥰🎄
This is truly an uplifting post. I write this as I sit here at the Dubai airport, in transit, waiting for my flight to board and take me back home, to where those childhood memories originate. It’s almost 2am and the airport is crowded, and your post made me realize that all these people here (most of them at least) are heading to spend their holidays with their families somewhere in the world. Instead of opting to spend it virtually they made the choice to travel home.
Your post also resonated with me about the family gatherings I was exposed to as a child. My wife and I live in Tennessee, 7000 miles away from our loved ones. The holidays are when we feel that space the most. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for reading, and it's so fun to think that you are reading my post from Dubai. May you have an amazing time with your loved ones and safe travels!
Thanks Helen. Still getting over jet lag but I’m home now and trying to cherish every moment.
It's fascinating how traditions can endure, morph, and still bring joy even as the dynamics change. Your holiday card tradition and the Macy's window displays sound delightful. Wishing you a wonderful and joy-filled Christmas season as you continue to embrace and celebrate the traditions that truly matter.
Thanks, Winston. I was surprised at how the traditions never really left me.
Grateful to be spending the little one’s first Christmas for the first time in this home. Feels like we are putting down roots.
Absolutely, it is a treasure to see Christmas traditions through the eyes of our children, enjoy every minute of it, Marc!
Love this piece ❤️ it really reminds me of my own nostalgia growing up and you perfectly worded it.. painful family rifts that happen while we're adulting. The holidays bring up so much especially if you had any losses and those that have gone on made Christmas especially special. But no matter what the nostalgic memories always flood in and help to create new traditions and memories and that part Is nice❤️
Hey hun, thanks for reading 😊And yes I agree with the nostalgia you mentioned and I didn’t even touch the part about losing our loved ones. I’ve been thinking about my dad a lot lately.
Such cute traditions! I also come from the “immigrant family who leaned into American capitalism” group, and we have a few cute ones: we do a white elephant on Christmas Eve, as a bit of a palette cleanser for Christmas Day; all the cousins wear marching PJs that the moms get, which still persists even though the oldest of us are into our 30s 😂; and we all go to a movie as well, except we usually break off into 2-3 groups.
I don’t have my own family yet but I’m excited to continue some of them! And maybe once I have my own family I will not have to wear the marching PJs anymore haha
All of those sound like so much fun. My mother in law likes to do the PJ t one when she hosts Christmas at her home in Florida. I resisted at first (especially since she can never get my size right) but now I am kind of feeling it 🤣 I recently bought my toddler an “ugly” holiday sweater for a holiday party at her daycare and I found myself wanting a matching one 😆 So I am starting to get in on the matching clothing tradition slowly but surely . Thanks for sharing!
Helen, this is such a thoughtful reflection on how making traditions and holidays our own allows us to capture the spirit and essence of what truly matters - connection and community.
The image of the Christmas tree engulfed into almost-invisibility by a staggering load of presents, mirrored in the burden of anxiety that your mum had felt on those occasions, feels so poignant. In particular, reading about the pressure to "save face" resonated for me in my own family experiences - I'd thought this phrase and concept was something specific to my own culture, and on reading what you wrote, I realized how the pressure to keep up appearances is universal across many societies.
Thank you for sharing this piece with me in connection with my piece about the art of personal traditions. It's so inspiring to see how you've captured the heart of what it meant for you to make Christmas your own with your husband and children 🥰🎄