it’s leftover waffles, and other times, we enjoy a traditional holiday dinner for breakfast. It’s just a holiday free-for-all! Every year, Craig and I keep the holidays focused on the kids. In return, we turn into big kids ourselves! We keep our Christmas simple and focus on what will make the kids happiest. For our family, sledding is our big event of the holiday season. Some years we’re on the hill more than others, but we always try to make it out on Christmas Day. We head to our local sledding hills or travel to the big courses that pull us up, up, up, before we come flying down the hill, barely holding on to our inner tubes and laughing the whole way down. We always bring our dog, Ollie, along, too. She loves to run and play in the snow! (And we love to watch and play alongside her!) Back home, we warm up with delicious Cacao Bliss hot cocoa. It’s already a big part of our lives, but during the holidays, we drink it morning, noon, and night! I believe good, healthy nutrition sustains us, but more than that, it connects us and produces lifelong memories. Plus, food is a major part of the holidays. If my eldest daughter is in the mood, she will whip up a fantastic Christmas Eve meal. Or, we may enjoy waffles with all the fixings in our PJs. One year, we decided to give back with the yummy food we are lucky to enjoy each day. Our family made hundreds of no-bake peanut butter chocolate protein balls for homeless members of our community. We wrapped these balls up into little packages and delivered them directly to people in need. In the past, we have even taken orders and purchased meals for them, too. It’s such a small, easy action that celebrates the love of this season, and it
means so much to some people. It was beautiful to give healthy, whole foods to our community.
I couldn’t imagine our holidays without the simple, fun traditions we hold dear. Last year, Craig and I were planning a family trip to Peru during the holidays. We wanted to give the girls a nice break from school. (Plus, as you know, our Cacao Bliss comes from Peru!) But, as we began to plan this trip, we realized what we would be losing. Christmas is still magical for our girls. We would be giving up Christmas afternoon sledding, waffles on Christmas Eve, a morning spent in our pajamas, and that electrifying moment when the girls see the tree for the first time. In the end, we didn’t go because we couldn’t miss the parts of the holiday that make it special — like on Christmas Eve when we’re usually snuggled up in our onesies.
Some years, though, we opt for sillier outfits. One year, my youngest daughter decided she wanted to make us all ugly sweaters for the holiday. She picked out all these weird bells, stuffed animals, and strange fixings, and we could not stop giggling as we sewed up the creations. On Christmas Eve, we handed out the wrapped-up sweaters and did a fun gift exchange. It was quite a surprise to discover what we had to wear all evening! I enjoy our traditions and the silly memories we create, and I know I’ll cherish them forever. They’re not perfect, but they are exactly what we want them to be: beautiful, blissful, and merry.
From my silly, wonderful family to yours, have a happy holiday!
–Danette May
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