Traditions full of fun...

I love traditions and I'm pretty sure that most of you do as well.  Around here, traditions do not have to be grand or complicated to be meaningful.  For years now, my daughters and I have enjoyed a very simple Christmas tradition.....Girls night out! 

This is one of my very favorite things that we always make space for.  It's our time...No rushing and no specific schedule.  Just spending time together and enjoying the joy of the Christmas season. 

This year was extra special.  My two granddaughters joined us for the first time and I am pretty sure they will be joining us each year to come.  It is so nice to watch traditions stretch across generations and I hope that this will be something that they all will continue doing.

We started our evening at an Italian restaurant...(the food was amazing) and thank goodness, our waiter was so nice and very kind in making sure we had everything we needed at the table. 

Our gift exchange looked a little different this year, and it may just be my new favorite way to do gifts.  We tried a "My Favorite Things" exchange.  Each of us picked two simple, inexpensive items we truly love.  Then we bought five of each item...one for ourselves and one for everyone else. By the end of the night, each of us went home with ten little gifts. 

It was so much fun just hearing why each of us loved what we chose to bring. Makeup remover, trinket boxes, cozy socks, candles, lip gloss, body lotion, face masks, very neat sandwich bags (yes, even those!), and a spray deodorant for hair.  Nothing fancy about any of these things, just thoughtful little things that made us smile. 

We all love antique shopping and both of my granddaughters are especially fond of antique jewelry jars.  Over the past several months, I had been quietly working on one for each of them.  When I gave them their very own jars (that evening) both of them were very surprised.  They could not wait, so right there at the table, they began digging through the treasures, laughing and showing us all their unique finds.  I only wish I could have bottled up their happiness and save it forever. 

This is the beauty of tradition.  It's not about perfection or price tags.  It's about shared experiences and moments that quietly become part of our family story.  

I can not wait for next years "Girls night out!"

Shug..