Happy Tuesday 5/2014 - Using Family History As Art

Welcome to the 4th Happy Tuesday of 2014!   I hope you'll join the link party today, and share something that makes you happy!  Check out the info at the bottom of the post and join the fun!

As we continue to settle into our new home, I am trying to use pieces that connect to a story, some history of our family.

Things I learned in December 2013

To be honest, December was an up and down month for me this year.   The Christmas season is always my favorite time of the year, but this year I struggled on some days to find the joy of the season.  We're just a few months into our new life here in North Carolina, and so many things are different this year as compared to years past.  I have so many blessings, but some days they were hidden from me by my own sadness of missing things "the way they were".   On the whole, I think these sad moments were just a part of managing and coping with all the changes we've seen this year, and I know that as we continue to move forward, these moments will be fewer.

With that as background, here are some of the things I learned this month:

Avoiding the Post-Holiday Blues

It's the day after Christmas, and most of the excitement of the season has wound down, the gifts have been opened, the wrapping paper is torn and crumpled, and the special holiday meals are completed. We've all spent weeks preparing for this holiday, and then just like that, it's behind us. Sometimes in years past there have been times when I've felt a little bit let-down, maybe even some disappointment, about the fact that Christmas had come and gone so quickly. The week after Christmas was sometimes a drag. But as I've grown, I've come to appreciate this week after Christmas as its own unique contribution to the wonder of the season. Here are some of the ways that I avoid the dreaded post-holiday blues.

New Traditions

Changes are all around us, all the time.  In our family, 2013 was a year of a lot of change.  Our son graduated from college and moved to Minnesota; My husband transferred to a new job; I resigned from my 24 year career; and we moved to North Carolina, leaving our daughter at college in Maryland.  "New" and "Different" were the catchwords of the second half of our year for all of us.

Tuesday, Unwrapped

So here's the thing about Christmas these days.