I know people who dread their holiday family parties every year. For them, I almost feel guilty about how much I love the holidays.
For me, Christmas is all about family - it's the day we gather together and celebrate each other. The meal, the decorations, the presents ... those are all nice, but they are just the wrappings and trappings - the real gift is spending time with the people we love.
It just so happens that I actually LIKE most of the people I'm related to. I know, freaky, right?
This Christmas Eve, I will have a house full of family members spanning four generations. Our family gatherings are simple: There is no dress code, dinner is potluck, gifts are modest, and there are usually a plethora of kids and pets underfoot in over-crowded rooms. But everyone is welcome, and there is always plenty of love and laughter to go around.
I loved it all when I was a kid. And I love it all the more now that I'm a mom. Knowing that we are passing our traditions and values to our two adorable lil' minions - and all of our family's next generation - makes it all the more sweet.
We don't have everything. But we have everything that counts.
And we appreciate it.
In this crazy, hectic, commercialized world, my holiday wish for all of us is not that we will have more - but that we can all truly appreciate what we already have. :)
So, Happy Holidays - whatever holidays you may celebrate - from our family to yours.
May peace and plenty be the first to lift the latch on your door, and happiness be guided to your home by the candle of Christmas.
In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, but never in want.
~ Irish Holiday Toast
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