The holiday tradition creation continues at the Krasnow home. I really want to try and create memories that last a lifetime and traditions that we can continue year after year. Or as long as McKinley will participate. You know those pesky teenagers...
My Christmas traditions consisted of going out on a tree hunt with my parents every year where we would hit every tree lot we could find. My dad and I would get out, scout the lot for the perfect tree while my mom stayed toasty warm in the car. When we thought we had found "the one", my mom would get out and give us her feedback. And, we generally ended up getting the very first tree we saw! My mom and I made cookies as most families do. My dad and I went Christmas shopping together every year for my mom. I'm not sure if it was actually on Christmas Eve, but it was as close to Christmas as we could get without it truly being last minute. We watched White Christmas every Christmas Eve night. And, we never opened our gifts on Christmas Eve. We were Christmas Day people. However, my mom allowed one gift on Christmas Eve and it was generally one of those books of Lifesavers.
Some of the Krasnow traditions I started last year are going to be pretty easy to continue. A couple of days prior to Christmas, my mom and I took McKinley to Crown Center for lunch at Fritz's, play time in Santa's Crayola Christmas Land, photos with Santa, and drinks for me and mom inside the Weston. I have it on the calendar for Friday the 20th and can't wait to do it all again. Last year was the first year I actually spent the night at my own home. I wanted McKinley to wake up on Christmas morning at his house, as I had done every Christmas for the past 38 years. My parents came over to help celebrate. I made a corn chowder for dinner, the Santa Sleigh Cocktail via Sandra Lee, tried to watch White Christmas, and went to bed so Santa could come. I plan to recreate this memory every year, or every year that my parents decide to spend the night and wake up with us on Christmas morning.
This year, I've wanted to add a few more things to the fold. McKinley and I have continued to bake, but I've added arts and crafts to the mix. We made classic construction paper garland a couple of weeks ago and it was a huge success! McKinley helped me thread the paper through each ring, alternating color, and he really paid attention to his work. It hangs in his bedroom and looks so cute! We made clothespin characters, which I thought were ornaments. I was wrong. They are simply characters and the tree also resides in his room along side a jingle bell tree on a little side table. (I have since purchased clothes pin ornaments that I hope to make next year.) Because things were going so well in the craft world, I decided it was time to experiment with a gingerbread house. This is an experiment that went so wrong so fast!
Upon opening the box I knew we were doomed. Both sides of the house were broken. And, since I had never built a gingerbread house before, I wasn't sure if it could be repaired. However, I kept hold of my positive holiday spirit and assured myself it could be salvaged. I got all of our house pieces, icing, and candies together. I had Joel at the ready with the camera. I needed him to capture this amazing new holiday tradition. We were ready!
As I started to assemble the house, I found pretty early on that the broken pieces were going to be harder to repair than I had hoped. It wasn't until I started to add the two triangle pieces to make the eave of the house, that the whole thing caved in. Oh, and I should say that while I was putting the sides of the house together, McKinley had completely lost interest. I mean, I had two sides of the house up and he was ready to play in the living room. What was happening to my new, cherished tradition? I was determined to not give up. So I added the front of the house, attached the roof, and started to attached the eaves when again, the whole thing started to collapse. It started with the broken pieces and then each piece started shifting, slowly into itself, and then fell into a heap. There I sat, all alone in the kitchen, devastated.
My devastation slowly turned to frustration which then turned to anger. Anger over the fact that my pieces were broken to begin with, anger over being left alone in the kitchen to finish the craft by myself, and anger that I am pretty sure this is how my life is going to be. Me, wanting so badly to create wonderful memories for my family, working hands on with my son in hopes that he will want to do these things year after year, and finding that I could just be that mom who does these things alone while the boys go off and do boys things. Because who wants to do girly things with their mom when you're a little boy who just wants to play cars, and trucks, and stuff. My hopes were dashed for the rest of the evening.
I always have these preconceived notions that lifecan should be like Hallmark commercials, ABC Family shows, and
any Christmas movie every written. Everyone sitting around the table
together, playing, eating, hanging out, simply enjoying each others
company and completing any fun tasks at hand. However, life isn't really
like that, especially mine, and I may just need to craft alone and show
the boys what I've made in hopes of getting enthusiastic oohhs and
aahhs! And about that gingerbread house, it wound up in the trash! Merry
Christmas!
This year, I've wanted to add a few more things to the fold. McKinley and I have continued to bake, but I've added arts and crafts to the mix. We made classic construction paper garland a couple of weeks ago and it was a huge success! McKinley helped me thread the paper through each ring, alternating color, and he really paid attention to his work. It hangs in his bedroom and looks so cute! We made clothespin characters, which I thought were ornaments. I was wrong. They are simply characters and the tree also resides in his room along side a jingle bell tree on a little side table. (I have since purchased clothes pin ornaments that I hope to make next year.) Because things were going so well in the craft world, I decided it was time to experiment with a gingerbread house. This is an experiment that went so wrong so fast!
Upon opening the box I knew we were doomed. Both sides of the house were broken. And, since I had never built a gingerbread house before, I wasn't sure if it could be repaired. However, I kept hold of my positive holiday spirit and assured myself it could be salvaged. I got all of our house pieces, icing, and candies together. I had Joel at the ready with the camera. I needed him to capture this amazing new holiday tradition. We were ready!
My devastation slowly turned to frustration which then turned to anger. Anger over the fact that my pieces were broken to begin with, anger over being left alone in the kitchen to finish the craft by myself, and anger that I am pretty sure this is how my life is going to be. Me, wanting so badly to create wonderful memories for my family, working hands on with my son in hopes that he will want to do these things year after year, and finding that I could just be that mom who does these things alone while the boys go off and do boys things. Because who wants to do girly things with their mom when you're a little boy who just wants to play cars, and trucks, and stuff. My hopes were dashed for the rest of the evening.
I always have these preconceived notions that life
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