Now, here we are at the crossroads where our family traditions are beginning to change. Calyn just finished her first semester of college. And our expectations of the family Christmas Eve meal of Chinese will continue on until Zephyr graduates high school, yet, I decided it was a great time to start a new tradition: building gingerbread houses. We hardly took the time to sit down and build when our kids where little, but I thought if I made it a big production and a big deal about the evening, it would be good start to something new. I had fun creating the evening by decorating the table, laying out many different candy decorations, and I even making the homemade the frosting or “paste” as I called it. I did not think the kids were too excited at first for the idea, however, in the midst of the building it became apparent how much fun they were actually having. I enjoyed listening to the kids talk back and forth, watching Addi secretly tiptoe about so no one would see her creation, watching the kids sneak candy to eat, and watching Zephyr’s creation implode on itself (we do not need to mention who helped him).
We all anticipate our family traditions whether they are around the holidays or just any random day in the spring or summer yet at some point some traditions will change. Life changes, our kids are growing up, but no matter how much we change, I know the anticipation, the curiosity, and magic of this season will always remain.