Cozy Country Christmas
Growing up, Christmas was an absolutely magical season filled with traditions.
From the food we ate (sticky bread and egg/cheese/cornflake casserole) to the order we opened gifts (one on Christmas Eve, stockings first on Christmas morning, followed by a scavenger hunt for our Santa gifts, and then finally individual gifts one at a time - a painfully slow process for a small child) to the music we listened to (Psalty's, anyone?), everything was blissfully familiar this time of year.
Naturally, as it is with most childhood memories, things changed over time and many of those sweet traditions sort of disappeared. Our home is different, our family is scattered and reshaped, and there just doesn't seem to be time or space anymore to recreate the Christmas from my childhood. And that's okay. Because in the midst of all the changes, new memories are being formed.
I now have the pleasure of watching my older sisters begin traditions with their growing families and look forward to the day I get to share in this joy with my own children.
Luckily, not all of my childhood Christmas traditions have fallen victim to time. In fact, one of my very favorite annual activities is still very much alive and kicking:
I don't know if nostalgia or the overly trendy store Anthropologie are to blame, but this year I saw my aunt's cozy, iconic home (she lives on hundreds of acres in Eugene) in a totally new light...and suddenly I felt the urge to just capture it all on camera (aka my iPhone). So perhaps I was a bit trigger happy, but I hope you enjoy this special glimpse into a time-honored Brown Family Christmas Tradition.
From the food we ate (sticky bread and egg/cheese/cornflake casserole) to the order we opened gifts (one on Christmas Eve, stockings first on Christmas morning, followed by a scavenger hunt for our Santa gifts, and then finally individual gifts one at a time - a painfully slow process for a small child) to the music we listened to (Psalty's, anyone?), everything was blissfully familiar this time of year.
Naturally, as it is with most childhood memories, things changed over time and many of those sweet traditions sort of disappeared. Our home is different, our family is scattered and reshaped, and there just doesn't seem to be time or space anymore to recreate the Christmas from my childhood. And that's okay. Because in the midst of all the changes, new memories are being formed.
I now have the pleasure of watching my older sisters begin traditions with their growing families and look forward to the day I get to share in this joy with my own children.
Luckily, not all of my childhood Christmas traditions have fallen victim to time. In fact, one of my very favorite annual activities is still very much alive and kicking:
Christmas at Aunt Kay's.
I don't know if nostalgia or the overly trendy store Anthropologie are to blame, but this year I saw my aunt's cozy, iconic home (she lives on hundreds of acres in Eugene) in a totally new light...and suddenly I felt the urge to just capture it all on camera (aka my iPhone). So perhaps I was a bit trigger happy, but I hope you enjoy this special glimpse into a time-honored Brown Family Christmas Tradition.
 |
| Rudolph? |
 |
| How darling is her pot rack? |
 |
| Abbey-girl and her Auntie Mem. |
 |
| Kendra, Luke, Abbey, and Emily making sugar cookies |
 |
| Christmas 1988, Kendra, Amanda, and me decorating our sugar cookies. (obviously my two-year-old-self was far more into the sprinkles than the camera) |
 |
| Adventure buddies. Luke and Abbey had a blast exploring every nook and cranny of Aunt Kay's house. |
 |
| Apparently being with my sisters makes my foot pop, like I'm in an romantic comedy. |
 |
| Abbey and Emily cozying up with a book. |
 |
| Oxygen. |
 |
| How could you not love this chandelier? |
 |
| Merry Christmas to you and yours. All my love, Natalie |
Comments
Love, Aunt Carol