Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Being from the Midwest, I often lament the lack of snow in Phoenix in the winter. But as the years have progressed, I realize I don't really miss the snow as much as I miss what I associate with the snow: Christmas, time with family, memories of sledding with friends, watching Brinkley romp through the snow on walks in Lawrence. This year we're staying in Phoenix for Christmas. My first Christmas outside of the Midwest. No snow (or threats of snow), no Christmas Eve service in a familiar church, no roaring fireplace. And at first, I was completely bummed out about it all. Christmas is all about traditions, right? Where are my traditions this year? They're all imbedded in the Midwest Christmas I've grown up in. But then I realized, as I thought about Ellen's first Christmas, that this is our opportunity to start our own traditions with our new little family. Much like I grew up expecting and looking forward to certain things at Christmas with my family, Ellen will do the same. This year we're easing into it a bit, still incorporating familiar traditions like Robin's Christmas Eve gumbo and the Cox family tradition of meatballs and lil smokies in the Crock Pot on Christmas Day (I promise we also have traditions that don't revolve around food...but not many). Christmas tradition is what you make of it, and I'm happy Sean and I have so many years to draw inspiration from to establish our own traditions. We're very much looking forward to an extended visit from Robin, Jim and Grandma Joy, and excited to celebrate our first Christmas with Ellen. While we'll miss spending time with the rest of our family and friends, we know you'll be taking part in your own Christmas traditions, whether new or old. Merry Christmas!

A little photo to brighten your day: Ellen doing her best "senior photo" pose: