Birthdays, Holidays, and All That Jazz...

Well, it's official. I'm in my 40s now. LOL. My husband laughed when I said something last week that I was about to be in my 40s. He said "You've been in your 40s all year." I beg your pardon! I was 40. Not IN my 40s. There's a difference. It's like being "AT" the swimming pool and "IN" the swimming pool. Yes, it is probably some weird chick logic but it makes perfect sense to me! ;-)

Like clockwork, my mom called me this morning to wish me a Happy Birthday. She typically calls at the time I was born but unfortunately she has to sneak in her call this morning as they don't like the teachers having cell phones in the classroom (which I totally understand). I totally love that she calls me in the mornings on my birthdays. My brother, Russell, called me too. He's always good at calling me and not forgetting. He's very sweet. And my brother, Mark, remembered too and emailed me! That was a huge but welcome surprise.

Last night, Jon and I went out to dinner to celebrate. I actually (don't faint) curled my hair and wore my ONE maternity dress... Although it made me feel huge, it was nice to dress up. I'm pretty sure I've had that curling iron since high school... JK. Not really but it seemed very old when I was using it! Jon gave me a beautiful necklace and I proudly wore it with my dress. I do have to say, it is very difficult to gracefully get out of a Ford Expedition while in a dress AND pregnant! Thankful no one was around to see that lovely sight!

This whole birthday thing had me thinking about birthdays and holidays... life's little celebrations. I guess because soon I will be celebrating my daughter's BIRTH day and looking forward to celebrating holidays and birthdays with her. Jon isn't used to celebrating birthdays or holidays and this has taken some adjustment from him. I think birthdays and holidays were celebrated some when he was a child but at some point, the celebrations stopped. He thinks they had his last Christmas tree was when he was a cub scout. Needless to say, being with me has been an experience. We've had Christmas trees and celebrated birthdays. Heck, even our dogs get their own birthday cakes!

Life's little celebrations are some of the most wonderful things... whether it is a birthday, a holiday, or something very simple like a promotion or a raise. And children especially look forward to these events. I remember my mom always giving me a card and a box of candy or little stuffed animal on Valentine's Day... An Easter card and basket made its way to our house on Easter (complete with white chocolate, as the Easter Bunny was aware I wasn't as fond of milk chocolate)... a card always found its way to me on my birthday (no matter my age or where I was)... Christmas always brought a wonderful card filled with love and hope for the holiday season. And sometimes, I'd get a quirky card on Halloween or Thanksgiving. She'd sometimes give me cards and little trinkets to commemorate promotions, raises or new jobs. To this day, I still have these cards tucked away and know that I will look fondly on them as each day passes. I appreciated them when I was a child and I appreciate them even more now.

I think I love Fall so much as it is the beginning of the holiday season... I remember buying my school clothes, getting ready for the cool weather that would surely follow. Halloween was fun as it meant I could act silly and dress up. It was the one time a year that it was fun to dress up and not be viewed as a freak! Of course, I'd ultimately choose a ballerina costume and the cool weather would happen to start Halloween night, meaning I'd have to wear a coat over my costume to go trick or treating! Yuck. And once Halloween passed, it meant Thanksgiving wasn't too far away. I loved the smell of the house on Thanksgiving Day. We'd turn on the parades and watch them while going in and out of the kitchen to help Mom with Thanksgiving dinner. Oh, the aromas, mixed with the chill in the air. Heaven! I get goosebumps just thinking about it! And like clockwork, the first weekend in December, we'd go get our Christmas tree. It was always fun to go to the lot and pick out the perfect tree. Once we got it home, we'd start decorating it. Mom would put on her old Christmas albums (ah, Perry Como) and we'd go to town! She even had decorations that I could put in my room. It was always so much fun.

As far as holidays go, I think that sometimes people lose sight of the celebrations because they think it takes away from the religious reasons behind them. I can see that argument to.a.degree. In all of my life, we never forgot the reasons behind Easter and Christmas. Celebrating doesn't mean forgetting. Every Easter, we would go to sunrise service and spend the entire morning at church for the breakfast and regular service. During our regular service, there was always a Styrofoam cross up at the front and the children in the congregation would go up and down the aisle, getting fresh flowers (which were donated by our congregation) and attaching them to the cross. After it was done, we had a gorgeous, fragrant floral cross to last through the service. It was a wonderful and hopeful experience.

During Christmas, we would always talk about the birth of Christ in our home and sing hymns by the piano. I'd stumble and try to play without too many errors. But there was always a sense of joy and love during that time of year. It wasn't just about getting presents from our loved ones. It was also about giving... Watching my mother's face when she opened her box and I had gotten her a warm robe. Seeing my stepdad's face when I got him his favorite candy and socks (which he knew about because he got that from me every year... but he always acted surprised). We would give to the less fortunate ones at the mall angel tree when we could. It was about driving around and looking at wonderful holiday lights. One of my last memories of my father was the two of us driving around in the station wagon, looking at holiday lights together while Mom was back home getting Christmas stuff ready. I know it was a ploy to get me out of the house for awhile but it is one of my fondest memories of him. I can even remember a couple of the streets we drove on and I was only about 5 years old.

And because someone celebrates Halloween, doesn't mean they are heathens or devil worshipers. I don't know why people would think that. And honestly, I don't know the whole history behind the holiday (but will look it up for my October blog post) but for me and my family, it was about being silly, being playful, and being a child. To this day, I love to hear trick or treaters coming to my door, giggling and laughing. They are enjoying life and being silly. Nothing is wrong with that. I wish people could giggle and laugh more each day! And yes, Shelby already has her first Halloween costume, all washed and ready in her closet. It isn't much (just a PJ set with pumpkins on it) but it is a little something to celebrate her first holiday.

Ah, and birthdays... birthday cakes, girlfriends giggling through the night at my slumber parties and donut holes and OJ for breakfast the next morning... To be a child again...

Holidays and birthdays are about giving and receiving of memories. Without those little chunks in your life, nothing is different from year to year. With children, they need to look forward to little celebrations. I look forward to celebrating birthdays and holidays with my family... To see joy on my child's face and love in my husband's eyes. I cannot wait to have new and wonderful memories together.