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. 

Pumpkin Carving Over the Years

A week or two after Sal and I went pumpkin picking, we had some time on one of my days off, and set that time away to carve our pumpkins together. Sal had his idea planned as soon as he picked up his pumpkin out of the patch - the batman sign. I decided I would choose that same day we would carve them. I shouldn't have waited, but that's what procrastinators do. I scrolled through pins and pins of pumpkin carvings on Pinterest. I found a few ideas that I loved, most included a drill... until I found the cutest little bat. Thus the year of the bats was created. Even though I knew that he was going to carve the batman symbol, I didn't choose a bat for that reason... I just thought it was too cute not to carve.

I will say, though, that Sal and I are definitely not professional carvers. Each year we carve pumpkins, is just another year that Sal screws his up. Mine aren't half bad, but they definitely aren't too creative, as you can tell from the picture. But this year, this year was different. We took our time, I filled a bowl with chips and dip to munch on. We set the background with some country music, and we had all of the right tools. I laid out parchment paper to carve on and set a pan on the table for the seeds. We took our time, and used stencils to trace on to the pumpkin.

Sal finished carving his pumpkin a while before I finished mine, which was surprising to say the least because, like I said before, he is not the best carver. I must admit though, it came out better than I expected, and I couldn't help but stare at it when he lit it. It looked perfect, definitely better than any of his previous pumpkins, and I'm not quite sure he can top it next year, but I'm sure he has a couple ideas already. My little bat looked just as good too, and I loved how it came out. We lit them both up, snapped a couple of pictures and sat them rightfully so on my porch. They looked awesome in the dark of the night. We went and grabbed a bite to eat, and on our way home it started to rain; I immediately started worrying about the pumpkins, not sure why... it's not like they couldn't deal with the rain. I just didn't want to see our creations get ruined. 

We brought them inside for a few more pictures, and eventually moved them back outside where they shined for every passerby to see! Proud pumpkin carvers right there! 

Happy Halloween Everyone! Check back tomorrow to find out what I did for Halloween!