i can’t believe thanksgiving is 9 days away. i feel like it was just the fourth of july. and then all of a sudden it was halloween. and now we’re quickly approaching thanksgiving which really feels like the start of the holidays for me. and i don’t hate it.
for as long as i can remember i’ve always looked forward to the holiday season. between the cold weather and [hopefully] snow covered ground, the music, the food, the parties, the decorations and smells, and overall gushy feeling of “i love my friends and family” i can’t decide what i like the best.
growing up, we always spent thanksgiving with our amazing friends, bob & betsy, at their house in the mountains. after piling everything into the car, making sure i have plenty of snacks and going to the bathroom just one more time, we hit the road headed for silverthorne. it could never be ‘thanksgiving in the mountains’ without starting the weekend at the outlets. the rest of the holiday is filled with hiking or snowshoeing, watching football [otherwise known as occasionally yelling at the tv], board games [here are some of our favorites…], endless bottles of wine, devouring books, and making great memories with loved ones.
christmas eve we spent in the mountains. after skiing all day we ate my great grandpa’s famous pasta dinner and headed back to the mountain for the torchlight parade [which i might add is a totally random event.] it’s filled with christmas music, a big bonfire and the ski patrol team skiing down the mountain with flares followed by santa. we would drive back to denver that night to spend christmas day at home. after coffee, we opened stockings and gifts and hopefully finished with the scavenger hunt by the time dinner came. christmas day might be my least favorite day of the whole holidays because it signaled an end of the seasons for me – any ideas on how to continue the spirit??
unfortunately, days in colorado are behind me and i’ve been forced to make new traditions. being part of the medical field has it’s ups and downs – healthcare never sleeps so thankfully i’ll always be able to find another job as an RN, but that also means i’ll be forced to work some holidays and as a new(ish) nurse i usually get to work the holidays no one else wants to work. this year, i’ll be working thanksgiving and new years and will have the entire christmas holiday off which is the first time in four years! we’ll bring some food into work and celebrate together as co-workers – gorging on leftover turkey sandwiches thanksgiving and popping sparkling apple cider to ring in the new year.
since i’ve started in the big girl world i’ve adopted a couple traditions specifically for myself – some big, some not so big, but all equally putting me in the holiday spirit:
watching the holiday at LEAST twice // making christmas cookies with my sister // going to a show at the flynn // reading this blog post // decorating the house [or over decorating as some would say…] // blasting christmas music at all times // cutting down my own christmas tree
anything i should add into my mix?
stealing this amazing quote from a cup of jo follower:
Ashley Sawyer says: “I grew up in foster care, and thus haven’t had a lot of family traditions to rely on throughout my life. During my sophomore year of college, however, my best friend and I randomly spent Christmas Eve together. What started out as an evening spent eating snacks and exchanging a few haphazard gifts has now grown to become an all-out event that we both treasure. At thirty two years old, we’ve spent the last thirteen Christmas Eves together. We have a fancy dinner, a big tree, decorations and lots hugs. We’ve endured failed recipes as amateur cooks, the ending of relationships, graduate school and pets – it’s what I suspect many people experience with their brothers and sisters. I live a great life now and am so lucky. Creating this tradition with my best friend taught me that family and love is truly what you make of it. And, isn’t that what the holidays are all about?”
what are your favorite traditions to get into the spirit?
REALLY wishing i still lived in denver so i could order one of these beauties for my front door. i went to high school with the owner – check her out! and if you order one, let me know so i can live vicariously through you!
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