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Sara Norris

As a child, I vividly remember my anticipation for the holiday season starting as we would round the corner from Halloween to Thanksgiving.  The anticipation of all the fun traditions, gatherings, family, and of course the presents was just too much to contain.  When I became a parent, that was what I looked forward to sharing with my baby.  Sitting in my parents' living room for Baby’s First Christmas however,  surrounded by wrapping paper and boxes and thinking about how we would be doing it all over again the next day after driving to my in-laws home, I began to rethink the ‘magic’.   

It took years of trying out different traditions, scaling back celebrations, and cutting down on presents to come to what is now our family’s holiday celebration.  I started with looking at what I valued about the holiday season.  As an adult it wasn't the presents, it was the family time.  So, I focused on what would bring our family together - like baking cookies together and candle lit dinners.  Then, I focused on what the season meant on a deeper level.  I questioned what the feeling was that I wanted my children to carry with them. For me, it is an opportunity to slow down and look back over the year; to be grateful for all that has sustained our family.  We are grateful to the animal kingdom and the plant kingdom, and of course to humankind for the gifts and lessons they brought this year.  With that understanding, our family took up the tradition of Advent which has a week dedicated to each of the 4 Kingdoms and we acknowledge them over our candle lit dinners.  

Our Christmas isn’t big or full of presents (they each get one) but for me, it’s exactly what I want my children’s memories to be filled with.  My hope is that from it, they carry love and warmth and light with them out of this season and into the next.

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