Wild + Precious
by Amber Zaliski
It’s November, and it’s cold and grey and drizzly outside, and I am so happy to see it! I mean, this just feels way more accurate for this specific moment in time, unprecedented in all, and what a relief that this weather is finally gathering this mood.
So thanks to homeschooling, we are in our coziest clothes, all the candles we own are burning, and I’m not totally sure, but I think something like holiday spirit is starting to stir. It must be wafting right out of by balsam + spices candle. Before we know it we’ll all be baking cookies and scrolling through matching-holiday-pajamas-for-the-whole-family photos. I’m not sure what level of holiday spirit you have to unlock to receive the family of elves PJs, but cheers to all of y’all!
I’m a big believer in one holiday at a time, but now that it’s starting to feel like 2020 may actually come to an end, it’s probably time to start making holiday plans. This will be the third year that we’ve spent the holidays as a travel nurse and homeschooling family, and while the scenery has been different each year, all of our favorite traditions have stayed the same. I know there are a lot of unknowns this year, all of our favorite traditions have stay4d the same. I know there are a lot of unknowns this year – do we really want to be the one-hundredth kid to sit on Santa’s lap today? Are we making ugly masks to match our ugly sweaters? Let’s just ignore all of that for now, okay?
My favorite thing about holiday traditions is that you can literally just make them up! You can start and stop them whenever you want. Did y’all know that? It’s amazing. Growing up, we observed all the traditional traditions. We ate turkey and dressing and decorated the tree with handmade ornaments, but I can’t remember a time that my sisters and I ever would have willingly dressed alike, so we just wore whatever we happened to have slept in, probably Texas High tennis sweats or something, on Christmas morning. Like everybody else I knew, we covered the basics, and didn’t really make a big deal about any of it. Or maybe other people did make a big deal about all of it, and I just never knew? Ahhh, the nineties.
Times and trends have changed, but the whole point of making something a tradition is that it’s something you truly enjoy, and as parents, we’ve had fun making up some of our own for our own little family, and maybe this is the year that I want to add in some new ones
Our newest favorite tradition that I hope we can continue is an annual Friendsgiving trip with some of our best family friends forever. Last year, our dear friends road-tripped out West to meet us in Truckee, CA, where we nearly got snowed in, made sled runs through the yard, ate Thanksgiving gumbo, and made the crumbliest cupcakes in the history of the world because who can figure out how to bake at that altitude?! This year, we’ll get to meet up in the Ouachita Mountains, and I already know our desserts will turn out better than last year. Grateful.
Do all the best traditions revolve around food? I think so! Since the year Mirren was born, we have been hosting Christmas Eve Nacho Noche, and I really can’t think of anything better than a big pot of tortilla soup and a nacho bar and snickerdoodles and sugar cookies. We’ve done lots of different Christmas Day meals, seems like we change the menu every year, but on Christmas Eve, we’re definitely adding jalapeños to everything.
My personal favorite tradition probably is the family photo card. Not always the most fun tradition to make happen, and usually at the last minute, but the one I’m always glad to have done after the fact. I love holiday stamps, and I love thinking about all our friends and family while I’m addressing envelopes, and I love getting cards in return, but my favorite thing is the small, red photo album that only has our yearly Christmas cards – flip through is a guaranteed smile.
We have a cookie tin full of our favorite nonbreakable decorations that travels with us, and sometime around mid-December, we’ll find a miniature tree in its own little pot and we’ll put Sia’s holiday album on repeat, and we’ll decorate the whole apartment with handmade crafts. It’s amazing what you can make with popsicle sticks and glitter glue. Last year, we ended up with a whole beautiful chandelier and glittery stars all around. We’ll shop for Angel Tree kids and write a letter to Santa, and watch “Rudolph and The Grinch.” We’ll cover all the basics.
This year has been exhausting for everybody, right? I know we’re all dealing with varying degrees of realities, but is anyone not tired? I hope that your holidays are extra restful this year and filled with joy. Maybe this is the year that we should all just put on some pajamas and read some books and eat leftover soup and stay cozy, and who knows, this may just be the year my little family shows up in your mailbox in matching onesies, 2020 style.
Happy holidays, y’all!
