Dreamscape Jewelry Design

December 24, 2023: Celebrate the Season…Treasure the Memories

The holidays can bring forth a whole gamut of emotions, from excitement and exhilaration, to exhaustion, being overwhelmed and sadness. This time of year has high expectations for us: to find the “right gifts, attend social events, display festive decorations, write and send greeting cards, wrap beautiful packages and so much more. Trying to create the “perfect holiday”, like the ones pictured in the plethora of glossy magazine spreads, can lead to feelings of inferiority and even failure. But however you spend your holidays, it can be comforting to remember that as each one of us is unique, the way we celebrate has its own special meanings, significance and traditions. How we choose to spend our energy and time can reflect what we hold most dear. What can we let go of so that we can actually enjoy every moment of this magical season?

“Christmas gives us an opportunity to pause and reflect on the important things around us.”

David Cameron

As our children are now all grown, some of our traditions have changed, while new ones have evolved. We used to have all of our family here on Christmas Eve and Day. But time has passed, and our kids are now all married with other family obligations. It was too hectic for them to meet all of the family requests, so we decided to take the pressure off and have a leisurely day later. So we now gather together on a day in the week following Christmas. At first, it was a letdown, not having everyone at our home. But we’ve discovered that changing the date has ended up being a delightful and ultimately, stress-free solution. There’s no rushing to get to meet all the extended family invitations, and a bonus is I have more time to wrap!

One tradition that has become one of our favorites, is to have our granddaughters over on Christmas Eve day. The night before, we build gingerbread houses and watch favorite holiday movies. On Christmas Eve Day, we make bird seed ornaments and decorate a tree for the birds. Add in baking with my Swiss grandmother’s cookie recipe and hot chocolate (whipped cream and marshmallows of course), and this time together spent with our granddaughters, has become a treasured day full of laughter and love. We visit our granddaughters and their family on Christmas morning, but now spend Christmas Eve with close friends and a quiet, relaxing Christmas afternoon in our home, listening to the beautiful holiday music and finishing up the wrapping. These are all changes, but have added to the richness of our celebration. While I still miss the memories of Christmas when my kids were little, I savor the time we have together now, knowing all too well, how fleeting this time can be. As I unpack ornaments I’ve collected since I was a teenager, I have such a sense of nostalgia holding ones my children made when they were little, to the messages my beloved mom wrote on each ornament she gave me. The greatest gifts and moments revolve around the time we spend with our loved ones creating new memories to treasure.

We hope you have a wonderful holiday, savoring the traditions that bring you joy and making new memories to warm your heart in the months and years to come. Thank you for taking time out of your busy life to read our blog. Here are some quotes to inspire the holiday spirit.

Inspirational Quotes

“Oh, Christmas isn’t just a day; it’s a frame of mind.”

Kris Kringle in Miracle on 34th Street

Christmas enters, streaming lights of joy, ringing bells of hope and singing carols of forgiveness high up in the bright air.”

Maya Angelou, “Amazing Peace”

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”

Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol

“Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.”

The Polar Express

“Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most.”

Ruth Carter Stapleton

“Santa Claus is anyone who loves another and seeks to make them happy; who gives himself by thought or word or deed in every gift that he bestows.”

Edwin Osgood Grover

“Let us have music for Christmas…
Sound the trumpet of joy and rebirth;
Let each of us try, with a song in our hearts,
To bring peace to men on earth.”

Mildred L. Jarrell

“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”

Mother Teresa

“Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection.”

Winston Churchill

“Peace on earth will come to stay, when we live Christmas every day.”

Helen Steiner Rice

“When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things—not the great occasions—give off the greatest glow of happiness.”

Bob Hope

“The joy of brightening other lives becomes for us the magic of the holidays.”

W.C. Jones