It’s the end of the year, it’s cold and the grand finale is being planned and executed.
I’m the "Mom the Matriarch" and there’s a certain awe in that revelation. My Children are now young adults. My own birth Mother and Mother in law do not - will not - have not been the Matriarch for the Holiday season in decades and my Partner and I, have realized that we are and always have been, the ones our offspring look upon to shape our family’s Christmas tradition.
I didn’t always realize I was the catalyst of how our rituals, customs and holiday celebrations play out. I’ve written before about the Winter Solstice. I truly respect the evolution of astrological and environmental changes this pivotal time brings. I have also shared how my family has come to know Christmas. It’s about scholarly debate; traditional & commercial rituals.
When our children were little, everything revolved around Santa, that great Spirit (I explained) who like a ghost, came into our lives to bestow gifts upon them, because he represented love and cherishing. We invited extended members of the family that we barely saw through out the year - because it was tradition. I did that for the children… so they would know grandparents, aunts or uncles.
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| Santa "Ghosts" the Spirit of being Loved & Cherished |
Over the years we established routine and modified it a few times, because our family dynamic -like everyone else’s - was subject to change. What remains today for us, is celebration and commercialized gift giving on Christmas Eve and feasting on Christmas Day. Even the birds are fed special on Christmas Day. I hope my Children have noticed that. Some of my Partner’s French Canadian customs are honoured and some of my Finnish roots are - subtly played out throughout the season and I believe there is now a comfortable traditional compromise that pleases us all.
What Christmas has come to be, for us... is
when we spoil our children with gifts, drink more wine than usual and put great emphasis on the traditional meal that we share.
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