Traditions

KS Jones

It's Christmas Eve. Today, houses across the world are filled with either a special excited energy or quiet repose. My house is in quiet repose. All our children are grown and have families of their own, so I suspect their houses are filled with that special excited energy today. That's good. I hope so, because that would mean that their own childhood memories are holding strong and there's nothing that makes a mother happier than knowing that their children are handing our family's traditions down to their own.

And just to clarify, quiet repose is not a bad thing. In fact, it's a really good thing. I love the peace and quiet of an older Christmas. There isn't any snow here to intensify the solitude, but it is 25 degrees outside and magnificently beautiful! The view from my office window is of a cedar forest with White-tail deer and an abundance of winter birds flitting from one feeder to the next. And my dogs, both of whom are running and playing amidst the wildlife who have grown to love them almost as much as I do. When animals are allowed to be animals in a calm environment, they sometimes form the most amazing friendships.

In staying with tradition, today's big meal in my house will be homemade tamales--yum! But the best traditions are the ones that have many faces to them, so it has been hard to decide which tradition is best suited for this Christmas Eve! A single tradition sports a bit of mundane boredom, don't you think? So our family tradition has many faces: Authentic Homemade Tamales, or Herb-Crusted Prime Rib with Port Wine Sauce, or Christmas Soup with Homemade Bread, or Chorizo-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin. A vote happens every year--that's our tradition! This year the Authentic Homemade Tamales won the vote hands down.

It is my wish that each of you know the joy that comes with raising children you adore, while living in a place that is not only close to your heart, but a place that holds you close to its heart, too. Those of you who have that, as I do, are fortunate. Not all of us are burdened to live in a sad, lonely world, and sometimes I think that the happy ones need a pat on the back as much as the unhappy need hugs.

Merry Christmas!
Karen
http://www.KSJones.com/