A Hallmark Christmas
The last Christmas before we moved overseas was magical, perfect, “Hallmarkish”. Every family Christmas party was warm and full of appreciation for loved ones. We had such grace for the normal annoyances as our minds were tethered to the thought it could be the last time we got to be annoyed by them for a […]
The Heirloom Shoebox and Other Things in Checked Baggage
We left our home – the second time (or maybe it was the third) – on Christmas Eve. After an unplanned two and a half years back in the US, after restocking and rebuilding another short-term life, after giving away the found furniture and returning the borrowed cars, we started a two-week-long trek back to […]
Ornaments of the Heart
The holidays are often bittersweet for me. Between the candy canes, sparkly lights, and tasty desserts, my childhood memories of Thanksgiving and Christmas are riddled with flashes of family stress, brokenness, and consumerism. I have always been reluctant to go ‘all out’ when it comes to the holidays: I don’t do a lot of decorating, […]
Cultivated Memories from Around the Globe
“She must love her children very much. She spoils them!” said the cashier to Jeremy about me as we were paying for a few Christmas items in South Africa. Spread across the conveyer belt were little Christmas treats, some Santa marshmallows, chocolate advent calendars, reindeer craft ornaments and a few other small, Christmas things for […]