Tradition

One thing my parents tried very hard to implement in my childhood was the element of tradition. Because they've been together since they were 14, (yes, you read that right!) they started creating traditions early and have a long history of them that they shared with us as a growing family. I kind of feel like as you get older, you either follow along with the traditions you are exposed to, or you rebel and decide to create all new ones. Or maybe you fall somewhere in between. I'm very much the person that has followed along completely, and therefore change for me, can be difficult. Not only with traditions, but just change in general. When it comes to holiday traditions, I almost shutter at the thought of change. Don't get me wrong, change is not bad..  This holiday season though was a good test for changes to come in the future. 

It started when we weren't able to get our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving like we always do. No biggie, we went the next weekend, and actually got ours at a different place all together - pre-cut no less. I survived ;) Actually, it was easier with two kids in bad weather, and the tree lasted much longer! Shortly after that we learned that Brian's parents were coming up to spend Christmas with us. We were so excited to have them, and include them in our Christmas rituals! Christmas for me, for 34 years has been Christmas Eve  Mass at 5pm, maybe caroling at God's Acre right after, then a quiet dinner with my family at my parents. Christmas Day is spent with the Krippene's (TK -Tiani-Krippene Christmas) - either at my parents house, or their house. Every.single.year. 

Gramma and Grandpa arrived the day before Christmas Eve, and spent the day with the girls while Brian and I worked on Christmas Eve. Then we all got ready and headed off to church at 5pm, and dinner with my family at my parents house. It was the perfect night. The girls were good during church, dinner was delicious as always, and it was so great to have our families together on such a special day! Christmas Day started at our house, then we went to my parents house for brunch, and then off to Krissy and Jamie's for TK Christmas. It was a busy day, but a truly wonderful-crazy-exhausting-blessed-fun day. 

Looking back, this was the best Christmas ever! It was so wonderful to get to spend Christmas with my in-laws and share my traditions with them.  It was also a very sentimental TK Christmas since the K contingency of TK, is moving to North Carolina this year. So, this was (most-likely) the last time we'll celebrate Christmas together. There were definitely some tears, and probably more to come in the coming months as they prep to move, but it couldn't have been a better day and way to wrap up the holidays. Traditions are a very special thing, and it's only natural for them to change and evolve, and I guess that what makes them so wonderful. I look forward to making more traditions as a family, that we can pass down to the girls!

Here are some pictures of our Christmas! Hope you had a wonderful holiday and Happy New Year!