Let the holidays begin...

Well we have made it through Thanksgiving and the Rockfeller Center Christmas tree has been lit so it's official the holiday season is among us!!! This time of year always makes me think of my parents and of all the fun that we have during this time. Coming from a big family deep in the tradition of traditions this time of year is a very big deal.

This time of year became of even more importance when we had our daughters. I want them to feel as my siblings and I did during this time of year. It seems like as I grew up the meaning of Christmas became more of what I got and now as I continue to get older and have my own children I want them to know my original feeling of Christmas. Yes the gifts are nice but the warmth of family and being together is the true gift of Christmas. I want them to feel as I did when I heard my dad start playing the Gran Combo on the old stereo! The smells coming from the kitchen as my mom made coquito and cooked pasteles!

Last years Gingerbread house

Well I can't really cook and I don't make coquito! My parents have retired to Puerto Rico so the past couple of years they haven't really been down for the holidays. So I have taken it upon myself to create new traditions with my family! I figure as long as we are together and we are making our memories they will get the feelings I got as a young child! When I was growing up I always wanted to make gingerbread houses but you know coming from a Puerto Rican family trying to explain to my mom what a gingerbread house was, would just be way too complicated, so when I had my girls well I call the shots so Gingerbread house get done!!! LOL (that's the good thing about having your own kids for the most part you make up the rules!) We write letters to Santa, and we make a big deal of decorating the tree! My traditions may not be the typical Puerto Rican traditions of big parties and food and music but I put a little flavor in it! I haven't ventured and done a big holiday party in my house yet because the thought of cooking and hosting my family is too much for me to handle!!!

I hope that I can instill the sense of family and togetherness that I felt during this time of year. It was always so much fun, going to holiday parties, the music, the food, it was the back drop for us catching up with cousins, meeting new family members that were born through out the year, listening to all the gossip of the family and watching the uncles get drunk!!! (You know we all got that uncle that just don't know when to stop) This year I get an early Christmas present because my parents have decided that they are done spending the holidays away from us and so they will be here in a few days! Now I get to show them my new traditions that I have started with my family and they get to show my daugthers our old traditions! This is my new meaning of Christmas old and new traditions mixed together with a cup of coquito!!!!

So I am beginning to ramble which is what usually happens when I get all emotional about a topic so I will close this post with two songs that always put me in the holiday spirit