Where Has Christmas Gone?

Is it just me, or is everyone else not over the fact that Christmas has come and gone so quickly? I feel like every year, the excitement over Christmas starts right after Thanksgiving, and then we blink and it's gone. I was one of those people that listened to 106.7 FM radio the day after our feast, up until the day after Christmas. I loved hearing the Christmas music on my way to and from work. I was probably that person that you passed while driving, singing at the top of her lungs and dancing. In my opinion, the music makes the holiday that much better, that much more cheerful.

Like last year, I spent Christmas Eve at the hospital, packing up bags of toys for the boys and girls to wake up to on Christmas morning. It's more work than you think, but well worth it, even if I don't see their smiles in the morning or hear their squels, I know they're happy. 

I rushed home that afternoon to make it back to my house before our guests arrived for Christmas Eve dinner. We have not let any year go by without this holiday tradition. I was home in no time, changing and getting ready for the night ahead. As my brother lit the sternos and the smells of the food lingered in the air, my stomach growled and I couldn't wait for the night to start! Guests slowly started to arrive, and the night slipped on by. Our conversations filled the house, and our bellies grew full. We lasted all night without taking pictures by the tree, another tradition that I'm sure my boyfriend could live without, but as people started leaving, we called them one by one over to our tree to take pictures. Taking pictures is something I won't ever give up, because they last forever and I love looking back over the years at events I've been to, experiences I've gone through, and people I've spent time with. 

I slipped into a dreamless sleep that night, with a smile on my face as I looked forward to Christmas morning. No matter how old I am, I think I'll continue to wake up early and excited on Christmas. I spent the morning in my pjs with my family. We opened presents, and then put on Christmas movies all morning. I scored a few workout outfits (VSX & Asics), as well as tons of gift cards and fitness related items. 

My mom cooked us our usual Christmas morning breakfast - eggs, bacon, toast, and of course, cinnamon rolls. I ate everything, throwing my "lean, clean , and green" rule book out for the day. Life is all about balance, and if you can't have a cinnamon roll drenched in frosting, what kind of life are you living?! 

After breakfast, we continued to watch movies. I even got my dad to watch Frozen. Thanks to my job, I was able to sing every song that came on. He just loved that, ha. Later that evening, I finally got dressed (before I fell asleep on the couch) and headed to Sal's house to spend time with his family. I went just in time to enjoy  dinner, which was delicious. They could spend all day at the table, first slowly enjoying appetizers, then moving onto courses, and eventually settling down with dessert - it could last hours, which is nice and all, but not something I like to do - I mean who wants to wait all day to eat or spend all day eating? 

Sal and I didn't exchange gifts again this year, instead we plan on using the money we would have spent (and then some) on a trip far, far away, just the two of us. I'm thinking some place tropical? 

It was the perfect balance of food, family, and memory making, and I honestly would not have had it any other way. 

As much as I wish it was still the holiday season, I'll tell you one thing I don't miss about Christmas being over, holiday traffic. 

Winter Traditions

Aside from going to see the tree in NYC every year, there are a few other traditions that happen every time the cold weather hits . It's funny how one year you decide to do something, and the next it becomes tradition. It's as if there is no way that you can let this year pass without doing it. It never has to be some grand event either, it can honestly even just include yourself - whether it's watching a movie every Christmas day, or eating a special meal on New Year's Eve. Sometimes, though, traditions just stop... it could be because you've grown out of it, you can't seem to find the time, or you just don't want to do it anymore.

I created a winter to-do list this year, of things I wanted to do, which included obvious things like seeing the tree in the city, making a gingerbread house, and driving around aimlessly looking at Christmas lights. Needless to say, when winter rolled around and the holiday seasons snuck up on me, I ditched the to-do list, and decided that whatever was to happen, would happen, and I didn't need a list to check off in order to make memories with my family and loved ones. As you saw from my last post, Sal and I did make it to the tree, and we even got to look at Christmas lights together! We drove around staring at the bright, shiny lights that made the streets feel magical. Sal knew a couple of special places where the lights covered every inch of the house. We even decided to have a contest of who could find the most penguins, and to be honest, we found quite a few christmas pigs in the process. (I won, in case you were wondering). We talked all night, and stopped to pick up some hot chocolate, which is the perfect drink to have when you're in your nice warm car, staring at the lights. We got to thinking though, how weird it would be if you drove around and stared at people's houses on any night during the year... how it's not creepy when there are lights on the houses... but how creepy it'd be coming to a stop in front of a house to just stare... weirddddd.

Not only did that tradition continue, but I was able to make my grandma's cookies with my mom, brother, and cousin. It used to be my mom who made them for the holidays, and then my brother joined in, and quite recently I have helped out. We added my cousin to the list this year, and it just made it that much better, that much memorable. To make these special cookies though, it takes at least three days... one day to make the dough, which must be chilled at least overnight... one day to bake them, and another to ice them. We were all able to make the dough and bake them together, making silly comments about the other ones dough like we were in competition with each other. Eventually putting Elf on, the movie that must be playing when we bake them, and watching the oven, making sure not to burn them. 

It didn't even matter when some of the cookies came out funny looking, what mattered was that we were continuing my great grandmother's legacy, and baking cookies that were in my family for generations, for our loved ones to enjoy. We were baking them together, creating our own memories, as she had with those who she baked with. These everlasting memories will be what we remember, not the way the cookie tasted... okay maybe that too, because these cookies are really that delicious.

Some traditions fell through the crack this year, like our gingerbread contest, but we just didn't have time for it. We bought the gingerbread houses, and then every time we had tried to plan to put them together, someone had something else to do. We even tried doing them after Christmas, but at that point, no one really was in the spirit to do them. We figured we'd save them for next year, because who really eats a gingerbread house anyways, right? So it's not like they'd go bad. There's always Christmas in July!

Traditions truly teach us more about ourselves each year... what we're willing to hold on to and continue, and what we push aside and forget about. What's really important to us will continue on, and what isn't will be forgotten. 

Thanksgiving Day: 10 Things I'm Grateful For

Every Thanksgiving people everywhere plan their day around food, and more recently shopping (shame on the stores that are open on thanksgiving night ... It's called Black Friday for a reason). Sometimes we forget what it's really about... Spending time with those we love and expressing our gratitude for everything that we have, not just objects, but our health and family too. Instead of circling what we want in magazines, we should be writing down each and everything we are thankful for. We shouldn't just do this one day a year, but it's better than not doing it at all.

This year has been one filled with such wonderful opportunities, some obstacles, and struggles that has made it difficult to see the positive. 

10 Things I'm Grateful For in 2014

1. My family who have supported me through the year, and who have stuck by my side and believed in my dreams.

2. My boyfriend Sal who has loved me unconditionally no matter how crazy I am, and who has boosted my confidence farther than I ever thought it would go.

3. My friends for always making me laugh, the endless talks about life, and fitting me into their busy schedules. 

4. My health and immune system for staying strong while working in the hospital, among illnesses and colds. 

5. The opportunity to train others at CKO Kickboxing, and for establishing myself as a fitness professional and personal trainer. 

6. To have a full time job I love, as a child life specialist, in a children's hospital, and to be able to help children and their families cope with the hospital experience. 

7. The warm, comfy seat next to the fireplace in my house. I've never once taken having a roof over my head for granted. 

8. For finding my voice and the confidence that has always been inside of me. 

9. The ability to capture life in all of its glory and document it with words on my blog & pictures in a scrapbook.

10. Time. 

This year was different than most. My brother's away at medical school, so being that we didn't want him to be alone on his first holiday away, my dad and uncle went to spend it with him. Therefore, it was just my mom and I at home alone. Before we ate though, I headed off to CKO kickboxing to take a 75 minute challenge class, where they collected food for a local drop off. I haven't taken a challenge class in a long time, and it was tough, but I didn't stop. I kept pushing myself, farther than what I thought my limits were, especially because there were cameras all around. Sal and his friend were filming us for a commercial for the kickboxing gym. What better way to start your day off than by sweating! It felt amazing walking out as the snow was falling. 

 I came home, downed my protein shake, and showered. I gathered a blanket, a new book, and a bottle of water on the couch. My mom lit the fire, and shortly after she started heating up the food. 

We weren't going to have a traditional turkey dinner with turkey, ham, and mashed potatoes... Nope, my mom made baked mac and cheese, garlic chicken with asparagus, stuffed peppers, croissants, and butternut squash soup. We popped open wine bottles and started eating. Soup and croissants to start, and then we brought out the delicious food that was now steaming, breathing in the smells of a good meal to come. 

It was perfect, and I wouldn't have had it any other way, okay maybe with my brother and dad, but being what it was, we had a great, relaxing day. We spent it eating, drinking wine, and watching comedies (and Friends)! What better way to spend your day off! You won't catch me Black Friday shopping this year, though I've done so in the past, instead I'll be working and enjoying the night out with friends. Because life is all about the relationships we make, and the lives we touch, not the material things for sale in the store. Enjoy the day with your families, and have a blessed thanksgiving day. 

So tell me, what are you grateful for?