Our annual quest for the perfect Christmas tree is one of our family’s most sacred holiday traditions. Last December (in 2023) Sam was over 2,000 miles away in his first year of college, so plans had to pivot. Maggie was plenty capable of harvesting her selected spruce all by herself, but we sure did miss having our full team together that day.

We brought the tree home and strung the lights, but waited to add ornaments until the entire family was together again:

It was a good compromise that we repeated this holiday season: only three of us ventured into the Chugach National Forest to fetch our tree, but we waited for four to adorn it. This year was easier on several levels, as we are adjusting to our new family routine. December’s postcard perfect scenery helped as well.

Maggie once again felled the tree all by herself, and as she worked the saw I tried not to think about next year when odds are she will be living out-of-state as well. Things are about to change again, just as I’m getting used to this new normal.

But that’s a worry for another day. For the next few weeks our family is once again living under the same roof, and the tree is once again decorated with special ornaments that bring back decades of memories.

Another of our holiday traditions is hosting a gathering with friends on Christmas Eve, where we feast on homemade soups, festive appetizers, and of course delicious desserts. Over the years we’ve enjoyed gift exchanges, musical performances, crafts, and silly games that varied as the kids grew. I remember when they tracked Santa on NORAD, but this year Die Hard was playing on the big screen instead. Times do change! Decorating Christmas cookies is one constant, because no one is ever too old to decorate Christmas cookies!

Nostalgia often hits me hard around the holidays, reminiscing about the days when we had two adorably tired toddlers who desperately tried to stay awake for Santa. But after everyone left this Christmas Eve, I must admit that I breathed a sigh of relief that I didn’t have to stay up half the night assembling dollhouses or crafting creative answers to questionnaires the kids left out for Santa. We got our turn with all that, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. But creating Christmas magic is hard work!

This Christmas the magic came from the simple joy of having everyone together.

Happy Holidays!