As you may have realized, I love the holidays. While the time between Thanksgiving and New Years always goes far too quickly, it is a season almost beyond compare for me.
I love the decorations that appear everywhere from the grocery store to neighbors' houses. While my tastes have changed over the years, and I now prefer white lights to colored ones, seeing the world dressed in holiday lights still feels as magical to me as it did when I was young.
I adore the radio stations that switch to Christmas music on Thanksgiving Day; I can listen to the same songs sung a hundred different ways, and each time I hear them, they put a smile on my face. Whether the music fills me with happiness or sometimes longing, it always fills me with a contented peace.
There are must-watch holiday movies for me during the season, from older classics to newer ones as well. I love watching these with my family, especially my youngest brother who has the same deep love for Christmas as I do.
Searching for the perfect gift fuels me as I scout stores and websites to uncover just the right items for the people I love. And discovering that perfect gift, knowing that someone will adore or appreciate it, is the greatest thrill.
From decorations to holiday music and from gift-giving to gift-wrapping, every element adds up to create a season like no other. And the thread that ties all of these elements together is tradition.
Traditions vary from family to family and across regions and cultures. They can be long-standing or newly created, and sometimes even just one tradition carried through from year to year connects us to our past.
Whether tradition is indulging in a particular food during the season or having the same foods every year for your holiday meal, whether it is an annual outing to look at Christmas lights or a night spent at home watching holiday movies, tradition is the element that makes the season complete.
I have asked some of my fellow bloggers to share with us the things that make their holidays whole; they will be sharing the traditions they had growing up and those they have now.
My first guest, Kimberlee of Brown Button, will be stopping by tomorrow. I know you'll enjoy hearing the memories and traditions of her Australian Christmas' as much as I have.
