Last Christmas was our fist home after Africa.  All the kids and grandkids came and we loved celebrating all of our family traditions with all of our little family.  This year Adam and Heidi and their kids will stay in St. Louis, where Adam is tied to his medical residency.  Aaron and Abbey are here by us, but they’ll celebrate with her family in Salt Lake.

Claire and Graham are finishing their 3 months in Düsseldorf, where Graham is working at the main Henkel headquarters.  They invited us to join them there, then travel with them to Israel for Christmas.  On a whim, we decided to take them up on their offer and just go!  Why not?  So today we left our undecorated home and all of our traditional Christmas activities here and we left.  We are on our way to Germany!

I must admit that it’s been a very relaxing and calm December so far.  No shopping.  No decorating.  No gatherings and gifts.  I’ve had other things on my mind and I’ve really enjoyed feeling the burden of making Christmas Magical lifted.  This year will be magical in non-traditional, but very real ways.

I wonder if, as parents, we’ve turned the corner now.  We are no longer the ones in charge of making Christmas happen for our kids.  They are making their own Christmas traditions in their own ways.  We are no longer the main attraction.  We are now on the sidelines, cheering them along.  I’ll admit, it’s a little liberating and a lot more relaxing.  I think I can get used to this way of celebrating Christmas.