We’re giving away love … guess how much
Posted on December 17, 2009 by FoBaM-Jamie
The chance to express our love to friends and family is what makes this time of the year so special. It’s amazing how quickly the year zips by. Life gets busy, moments come and go, and we never seem able to find just the right words to say ‘I love you.’ But, during the holidays we finally find ourselves ready to reach out with heartfelt words, hugs, and other tokens of our affection. Though the rest of the year may slip away, the holidays offer the perfect excuse to let our sentimental selves run rampant.
Of course, with young children, saying “I love you” is much easier. My daughter probably hears those words twenty times a day from me, and another dozen or so from other members of her family. Bedtime is especially full of snuggles and sweet nothings. Some of our favorite “lovey” traditions have been inspired by the bedtime stories we read. The book Guess How Much I Love You was the spark for a game called “I love you more than …” Read More…
Holiday Recipes … Yum!
Posted on December 10, 2009 by FoBaM-Jamie
There are few things more universal about holiday festivities than the special foods that accompany our celebrations. Whatever tradition you observe, it’s sure to come with a selection of delectable delights that you look forward to all year long. Passed down from generation to generation, these special recipes are an integral part of the season.
After all, gathering around the table with family and friends is an important highlight of the holidays. We raise a toast and share both the feast and our joy. The food – often a mother’s expression of love – is a centerpiece of the social scene. Whether it’s a formal, sit-down dinner or a buffet of yummy appetizers, a gourmet triumph or a novice’s best effort doesn’t matter – just that it’s prepared and served with big helpings of love.
In my family, Christmas morning just wouldn’t be Christmas morning without my mom’s scones – glazed with egg whites and sugar, smothered in butter, peanut butter, and homemade jam. The smell of these flaky biscuits baking in the oven instantly conjures memories of holidays past. Though we occasionally indulge in them at other times during the year, there’s always something extra special about the Christmas batch.
We would never ask you to reveal your secret family recipes (unless, of course, you want to!), but we’d love to know what culinary traditions help make the holidays special in your home. Is it a breakfast casserole, a formal dinner, once-a-year cookies, or freshly baked bread? Is it a traditional recipe that’s been handed down from mother to mother, or a brand new creation from your own kitchen?
How Do You Handle the Holidays?
Posted on December 8, 2009 by FoBaM-Jamie
I have always had a soft spot for Norman Rockwell, but this picture makes me want to resurrect the man and hug him. It so perfectly encapsulates, for me, a typical day during the Christmas rush (the apt title for this painting). The man truly knew how to capture the essence of a moment.
No matter which holiday you celebrate, the rush of the season is bound to bring its share of stress, strife, and surprises. Whether you’ve planned your holiday to the very last detail, or are trying for the “winging it” zen thing; I have yet to meet a person (never mind a mom) whose holidays routinely go off without a hitch. Though this time of year is undeniably full of magic and joy, it is also – just as undeniably – full of nasty little speed bumps that can send your holiday train careening into a ditch.
We’re wondering how you handle the holidays. There’s no right or wrong, and your answer might change from year to year. Not to be a Grinch, but my favorite day of the holiday season is the day after – no more lists, relative quiet, no house guests, and kids who are happily entertained.
So, what do you think? Which one are you?
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Creating holiday magic
Posted on December 3, 2009 by FoBaM-Jamie
Tis the season to pull one over on the kids!
Whatever holiday you celebrate, the traditions probably offer you a few opportunities to tell the kind of white lies that can create magical, childhood memories.
When I was young, my parents – Dad especially – loved to play up Santa’s visit. They jingled sleigh bells outside the window, prepared hand-written notes from the big man, and always made sure to eat the cookies and drink the milk. I’m not quite as adept at nurturing my daughter’s belief, but I do my best. I love acting surprised when she opens her presents on Christmas morning – exclaiming over St. Nick’s amazing ability to know exactly what she’d wished for.
My friend recently told me a very sweet story about how she and her husband fooled their two darling girls into believing they’d been to the North Pole. The four of them got “lost” on their way to buy a Christmas tree, and wound up at a favorite New England holiday destination- the Santa’s Village theme park in New Hampshire. Having been in the car for a few hours, the girls bought into the illusion hook, line, and sinker and completely believed that they had journeyed all the way to Santa’s home at the top of the world.
How did your parents perpetuate the myths of your special holiday, and how have you translated those traditions for your own children?
Image from the 1989 holiday movie, Prancer. This one’s a tear-jerker, but in the best way and stars two of my favorites – Sam Elliott and Cloris Leachman.
The Simple Secret of Holiday Success
Posted on December 1, 2009 by FoBaM-Jamie
The words “holiday” and “simple” aren’t often heard together in the same sentence. For most of us, the last few weeks of the year are a tornado of activity that saps our energy, stretches our patience, and leaves us winded and often literally sick after late nights and constant running compromise our immune systems.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could simplify your holidays so that you could actually enjoy them?
I can hear you saying, “Yeah, right.” You have too many obligations. There are too many people counting on you. If you don’t pull the holiday together, who will? I know, I know. Moms typically bear the brunt of the holiday to do list – the shopping, the baking, the cooking, the coordinating, the volunteering, the card-writing. You name it, we do it. We multi-task until we have multiple personalities. We put ourselves on auto-pilot as a matter of self-preservation, and end up missing most of the holiday moments we’ve worked so hard to create.
Do you want to know a secret? You are in control of your holiday.
I know it’s not necessarily something you want to hear, because it means you have the power to make a change. All you have to do is add one little word to your holiday vocabulary: no. Such a small word, but so hard to say. It seems easier to let the season beat us to a pulp and then recuperate in January, but the benefit of uttering this single syllable at just the right time is immeasurable. It can save your sanity, your health, your marriage, maybe even your life.
Simple is beautiful. Try to put things in perspective. Is the world really going to cave in upon itself if you don’t send handmade, personally addressed holiday cards? No. Will anyone convict you of kitchen fraud if the dessert you bring to the family dinner is from a bakery instead of homemade? No. Will you be kicked off your street if the lights aren’t hung just so? No. The holidays are full of magic and everyone – even moms … especially moms – should be able to enjoy the fun. The trick is in picking and choosing. Don’t try to cram three months worth of activities into three weeks. Rein in those loco reindeer and slow up the sleigh. Decide which holiday traditions are most important, make time for them; and then make some time for you. Keeping things simple not only frees up hours of your life, it also ratchets up the “specialness factor” on the memories you choose to create with your family.
So – what can you cut from your self-imposed holiday task list this year? How will you spend the time and/or money that you recover after saying “no” to these expendable parts of the holiday?
