Christmas has never been my favorite holiday. Don’t mistunderstand, I am far from a Scrooge, but I am definitely not one of those people that immediately starts counting down to next Christmas the moment this one is over. I enjoy giving gifts to my loved ones, but I don’t rack up ridiculous credit card bills to do it, and I wouldn’t be caught dead camping out in front of a department store just to snag some bogus Black Friday deal.
Call me old fashioned, but I love the simple things about Christmas–the candlelight service at church to celebrate Jesus’ birth, sharing a delicious homemade meal with family, and snuggling in a warm house with a cup of coffee or cocoa while keeping one eye on the window awaiting the snow.
Somehow, Steven and I just haven’t been able to get the hang of Christmas since we got married. Every year, something has gotten in the way of us being able to throw ourselves in the decorating and creating our very own family traditions. Our biggest roadblock is the fact that somehow, we seem to move just in time for the holidays. It’s hard to get excited about putting up a tree or any decorations when half of your belongings are still in boxes in a cluttered house.
The closest we came was Christmas 2009. I was 8 months pregnant with Cadence, and we were just finally starting to feel settled in our home in Arizona. We bought a tree and decorated it with lights and the few ornaments we had collected. I put out the nativity scene that my friend Jenny and her parents got us as a wedding gift. And in exchange for Steven agreeing to get a real tree, I agreed to let him buy a Yoda tree topper, completely with light up lightsaber…
Yeah, I know you’re jealous.
After moving from Arizona to Nebraska the week before Christmas last year, we both swore that we would never move so close to the holidays again. But damned if we didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot again this year, closing on our house and moving just after Thanksgiving and just before the first big snowstorm of the season. With Steven working full-time, me working to finish up photo orders before the end of the year, and a house full of half-empty boxes that we’re still sifting through to get ourselves settled, decorating for Christmas has fallen by the wayside here in the Romano house again this year.
Then yesterday, Cadence’s godmother Tammy came by to drop of Cadence’s gifts, and in true Tammy-like fashion, she brought a little bit of the Christmas spirit right to our doorstep. We may not have a big fancy tree or a Griswold worthy light display this year, but it is beginning to look a little like Christmas around here after all. This year, we get to celebrate our second Christmas as a family gathered around Cadence’s very own Christmas tree. Here are a few quick shots of Cadence and her favorite godmother doing a little decorating together…
Tonight’s 365 Project entry is dedicated to my favorite Tamatha, Scott and Katie for making sure Cadence had a little bit of Christmas in her new house this year. Next year, no excuses. We’re gonna Griswold it up in here! 🙂
Lori Romano 