The Active Family

If you read through my last post, you’ll notice I felt awful last year that we were so rushed. This year we are cutting out all the crap, and going back to enjoying the holiday season as it was meant to be. We will have our holiday party again, we will be making gifts for each other, and we will be spending time together just enjoying all our state has to offer.

As part of our holiday tradition, we like to go to different tree lighting ceremonies. This year, the Boston Common Tree Lighting is on Dec 4th, so we will be getting into Boston early that night. We also adore going to LaSalette, a cathedral in MA that has an incredible display of lights. They light up their entire land, with a beautiful manger, history of christmas, stories of different saints. Really, the entire thing is just beautiful, and completely free! We will most likely go on my birthday, the week before Christmas.

I also enjoy making Christmas cookies with the kids. I use my grandmother’s recipe, and the kids decorate the holiday shapes the same way I did as a kid. We glaze the cookies with colored royal icing, using paintbrushes, candies, and sprinkles of various colors and shapes. I also enjoy making chocolate dipped pretzels, and I have found another special treat to add to my repertoire this year!

I’ll still be going shopping the night of Thanksgiving, but it won’t be very much I’ll be spending. I’m doing as much as possible online this year, I just don’t want to deal with it. My mother and I go to the outlets at midnight, usually leaving by 2 when the line is stretching down the highway! My husband LOVES going to the mall for Black Friday, crazy man. He can have fun.

Beyond these, I just plan on taking it slow with the kids. If I come across something cheap and close by, we’ll go. I’m not going crazy, and I plan on enjoying every minute of this holiday season!!