I have always felt like I won the family jackpot so to speak. Both my immediate family and both sides of my extended family love to hang out with each other whenever we get the chance. Disclaimer: we are not perfect by any means, but genuinely liking each other is definitely a rare blessing, and one that I really am grateful for. When my cousin Joanna texted me the other day, she said she had an idea for a blog post--the importance of traditions. We had recently been chatting about the stress of the holidays and the effort we put into the gifts we picked out, the cookies we baked, the party planning, etc. etc. etc. and did it all matter? Did anyone care? But the truth is, it did. The act of carrying out our unique family events are one of (many) reasons, our families were close. It was because of the love and planning our Nana Vaxvick put into organizing our Boxing Day extravaganzas, and the many preparations my Grandma McPherson did to host our Christmas sleepovers, that made our Christmas memories so beautiful. It perhaps takes age and sometimes loss, to really understand the importance of those traditions, but remembering the real meaning of Christmas and why we do all we do, is what matters most. So thank you to my Mom for carrying on our McPherson Christmas sleepover, and for helping Joanna who now graciously hosts our Vaxvick Boxing Day. Here's looking forward to a Christmas rooted in the tradition of spending time with the ones we love.
