Growing up, I was a typical Christmas child. I spent hours and hours decorating our Christmas tree, making sure every room in our house was “Christmas ready” and all about tradition. We had this gingerbread plate for Santa’s cookies and these stockings that my grandmother made for us and I associated those decorations with Christmas, no decorations, no Christmas. Then it all changed three years ago, we bought a condo in Arizona and decided to spend Christmas there. I was devastated. I’d say goodbye to waking up to a real Christmas tree, there would be absolutely no chance of a white Christmas, and even after hours and hours of convincing, we couldn’t take the gingerbread board on the plane. I was very disappointed, but everyone seemed to be thrilled, so I decided to have a new Christmas philosophy, which brings me to my first rule: go with the flow. I ended up having such a great holiday that year and the last three Christmases. I tried things I never would have tried, like overcoming my fear of heights and hiking Camelback Mountain or horseback riding on an Indian reservation.
As for Christmas morning, we decided we’d take a round of the golf course before the presents. Which brings me to my second rule, make new traditions. Sure, I miss being “home for the holidays,” but I realized something, my third rule. Home is who you are with, not where you are physically. Although Arizona is not my home, I felt it was because I was surrounded by my family. We may not have a real Christmas tree in Arizona, but the White Winter Fir room spray does a pretty good job. The gingerbread board may not be able to travel with us, but we found a great deal on a Christmas board at Kohls (thanks to those after the Christmas sales). And I may not have a white Christmas, but while people in my hometown freeze their hands off, I can enjoy the sun. This Christmas we decided to break the Arizona tradition for a year and travel to Florida, and I can’t wait. Every Christmas is a new chance to create new traditions and memories, but one thing will always remain the same, the true meaning of Christmas and my last rule, Christmas is not about the presents, the decorations or the snow, it is about family and the love you have for each other.
