Growing up the holidays were filled with a jam-packed schedule traveling from house to house visiting family. I grew up with a big family which always made the holidays quite eventful and a lot of fun. As a result, I had expectations that those were what the holidays would be like for my own family.
Moving out of state has changed that. With family all over the east coast and not anywhere near us, it makes those bigger family events quite a challenge. We decided traveling out of state for the holidays this year and likely for years to follow, would be too chaotic with two little ones. Not to mention, it could be quite an expensive undertaking whether we were flying or driving. That doesn’t mean we won’t be taking a family holiday road trip one day, just not this year!
While it does make me a little sad that my kids won’t get the same big extended family holiday experience both my husband and I did, we learned to embrace the simple holiday.
Some years, we’ll have family here with us, but it won’t be every holiday we have family in town and that is ok. The bright side is we won’t have to drive all over creation to visit family and, even better, we can stay in our pajamas all day. My kids will get to be in their own house on Christmas morning and it will just be the four of us.
We will make it special for our boys but we will keep it simple and low-key. We’ll be able to make a festive breakfast, open presents, and create new family traditions together! While the holidays are not what I always expected them to be since we live far from family, there is something truly special about creating a simple holiday celebration for my little family in our own home.
What are some of your favorite simple holiday traditions?
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