Christmas Calm

Honda ran a great ad campaign this holiday season, with the theme "At a time it's easy to go overboard..." The ads showed people making a huge deal of the holiday season: hiring Bette Middler to sing carols, for example, or Bobby Flay to cook Christmas dinner. I loved this ad campaign because I think so many of us in America can relate to the pressure the holidays bring to do things bigger and better. After all, it's Christmas! It's here! Once a year! Make a scene! But ever since my dad was sick a few years ago, Christmas has taken on a new meaning for me and my family. Contrary to the stressful norm of the holidays, my family treats Christmas as a time to unplug, eat good food, and just enjoy spending time with one another doing absolutely nothing.

(Katie and I ... being ourselves.)

Christmas 2011 was exactly that, to a greater degree than ever before. It had been more than a year since we managed to get the four of us- just my mom, dad, my sister and I- all together to enjoy some plain and simple family time. And since I only had a few days off, we decided to stay in the Berkshires this year and just relax. My mom cooked amazing food all weekend- one night was an Italian antipasti feast, another a seafood smorgasbord, and I'm still dreaming about our Christmas eve "roast beast." We watched movies together, played xbox, went for walks with our dog, and sat around in front of the fireplace reading books. For the first time in practically forever, we sat down as a family for a football game and got to cheer on the Pats together (ok, not our WHOLE family...sorry Mom.) Our only excursions into civilization were to the Berkshire Mall for some necessary last-minute shopping with Dad.

(He helped us wrap.)

Overall, it was a lazy, calm holiday. But I needed it. I think we all needed it. What's the point in ending a year in a frenzy of stress? For me, at least, 2011 has felt like a non-stop panic fest. It's been a year of perpetual transitions. And I still am not settled! Christmas was a time to take inventory of all the blessings in the year, and take a deep breath before launching into 2012.

Check out the albums from my time home, and the prerequisite family photo shoot. The albums SHOULD be public:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100325942061346.2558575.5515657&type=1&l=45e1f1206a

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100325935215066.2558572.5515657&type=1&l=8673ec8b92

Peace and Love- see you in 2012!