Tis the Season!

I cannot believe thanksgiving is less than ten days away! This year seems to have flown by!! I am such a sucker for the holiday season. The family get togethers, large meals, and all-around good times the holiday's bring are in a league of their own. It makes me wonder...what makes the holiday's so special?
When I think back to christmas' of the past, I can't help but smile. I have been extremely blessed with my family and friends I have had to share the holiday season with. In my family, the holidays never failed to bring warmth , smiles, laughter, and everything one would hope for to short cold winter days.
Growing up, I was as spoiled as a child with a little brother could be. I know money does not buy everything, but my brother and I never went without a good amount of presents from Santa...Aside from D claiming to be sick most holidays, I love looking back and realizing how my parents made an extra effort on christmas to be a family. It was the one day of the year when we would wake up together, we would sit together and share gifts, and we would eat breakfast together. My family has always been very busy with varying schedules (sports, different work schedules etc) and my parents did their best to juggle my schedule with my brothers. With such busy schedules we almost never were able to sit down for family meals, and there was hardly a time where the entire family was home at the same time. Maybe if my family made more of an effort to do family activities then the holiday's would lose some of its magic.
Looking towards the future, I hope to continue to make the holidays special and magical for myself and little-man. Last year it dawned on me that I have a family and I have to start doing family things, even though I am without a husband or active father figure in little-man's life. I decided to start a new holiday tradition for myself and little-man; attending the holidazzle parade. I never went to the holidazzle growing up because my parents considered it to be on the wrong side of the river (they both grew up in st. paul, and RARELY went to minneapolis). I would occasionally catch the parade on tv, and always thought it would be fantastic to see it in person. I was certainly right. I am tearing up thinking of how beautiful the parade, and the idea's behind the parade are. If you are unfamiliar with the holidazzle, it is a parade that goes down nicollet mall in minneapolis, and runs on weekend nights from the day after thanksgiving until just before christmas..the lights are so much fun to look at, there is holiday music playing, tons of people out and about as families and the parade collects food and monetary donations for local charities. I cannot think of a better way to spend a holiday evening than with your family, donating some food to charity and watching a really cool lit-up parade. Little-man enjoyed the parade last year. I hope he continues to enjoy it for years to come!!
I feel like I've rambled on a tangent...which I normally do! More to come later...Toodles :)