A Recipe for Rituals

‘Tis the season for them.

 

Most folks think that home-school families are always at home.  Truth is – We’re usually going in so many different directions that during this time of year I find myself trying to schedule-in our beloved

Christmas rituals.

Dear readers, this is the reason for my long stretches between posts lately.  Junior year of high school is - junior year of high school!  With the semester behind us we now take a month off and the multiple-choice questions become…

Mine

1. Will you be home for dinner?

2. How are you getting there?

3. Do you have your wallet, your phone, a house key?

His

1. What are we having for dinner?

2. Would you be more comfortable with my sister or my best friend driving me?

3. Can I borrow $10 and if you don’t have that, can I borrow your debit card?

4. What are we having for dinner again?

These questions & reassuring messages are family rituals that are more like emotional security blankets that we wrap ourselves up in.

We need that.

Rituals that we do year after year become traditions.

We need traditions.

  However, this year has been different.  This Christmas I’ve found myself searching around the house for my “tiny tots with their eyes all aglow” – They’re nowhere to be found.  Good news is, they’re working & having fun with friends, and not wandering.

I’m actually the one whose been wandering & really missing the traditional “guideposts” that in all the years past have made room for our rituals.

But here’s a bit of good news I found them!  The guideposts that is. 

The new improved multiple sets of “guiding lights” complete with a strong connector!

When one light or (in this post) two eventually go out the others remain lighted!

  Over the weekend MR. put the music on, started a roaring fire, poured cocktails, and ordered dinner in. Gracie & I decorated the tree & the Christmas lights were finally plugged in.  And guess what - When the kids strolled in late that night, their eyes were all aglow!

Slowly but surely a sense of balance is beginning to emerge around here.  My heart is more open and grateful and the days we once called common, we now call holy.  I’ve finally stopped wandering long enough to begin to embrace & cherish some new rituals.

  We have come to greatly appreciate our rare family dinners where laughter is the guest of honor.  Contentment has also arrived and the house is aglow with the spirit of Christmas.

One ritual that we all show up for –

Christmas Morning Homemade Orange Glazed Cinnamon Rolls!

My dear friend Tamara Matthews Stephenson who authors the noteworthy blog, Nest, has added my recipe to her Christmas morning post & to her family’s Christmas morning ritual.  I’m blushing Tamara!

I urge you to stop by Nest for all the goodness that Tamara serves up to her readers every morning!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays dear friends. 

I’m preheating my oven & looking forward to spending more time with you too!