Guest guest Posted December 25, 2012 Report Share Posted December 25, 2012 Today is Christmas. I'm not going to say that the first holiday season after nada's death has been easy, but I am here to say that it has been liberating and somewhat beautiful. Recently one of my former student's mother's gave me a little gift of mulling spices and for the first time since 1979 I've made Wassail, my mother's favorite holiday punch. Okay, so she would spike it with whatever alcohol was handy, get drunk and make a scene but, my fruit juice version tastes heavenly and fills my California kitchen with the scents of the old Kentucky farm house. I've reclaimed a tradition I allowed my mother to rob from me and I'm enjoying it even if my husband won't touch it! Therein lays my insight. Holiday traditions don't have to include dozens of in-laws, large crowds of friends, costly travel or lavish gifts. Holiday traditions are the things you chose to do year after year because they are meaningful and warm your heart. So turn on IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, bake cookies, call your best friend, go drop a warm coat in the Salvation Army collection box, or order Chinese food and devour it in your bathrobe. Do what feels right to you. You aren't missing anything that's real. You are missing what your mind tells you that you don't or can't have. Therefore, I hereby by grant you the gift of being allowed to turn off that nightmare voice. Go ahead, blame it on me. Turn off that voice and go turn on the carols. Do what you want to do. Make some new traditions. Don't be afraid to live. After all, we've already survived one of the worst things that can happen in life. Don't we deserve a little joy? Virgin Wassail anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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