I just came home from finishing (I think) my Christmas shopping including the food we need for Christmas Eve. The traffic was crazy and busy so I'm glad I'm done. As our girls grew up we always had Christmas Eve dinner at our house. I make shredded beef, cheese and crackers, shrimp cocktail, and a few years ago I added cheesy potatoes. We have Christmas cookies for dessert and then open gifts. This is the one non-negotiable part of the holiday even as they have added people to our family. Do you have any holiday traditions that you follow each year? Let's hear about them.

What you celebrate expands.

I wanted to share something interesting with you. My husband and I had Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' place about an hour north of where we live. Before dinner, my Dad told me he had something for me. I went into the other room with him and he showed me a very old case. Inside the case was a violin-also very old. The wood was dried and when I picked it up, I could see that back was separated from the body. The bow still had the horse hair strings but they were not intact. The violin belonged to my great grandmother who played in a band and my Dad told me about other relatives who were musically inclined. I took the violin home and it has been sitting on my dining room table until this past weekend. I didn't think too much about it, I knew I wanted to display it somehow but didn't think about it much more. My daughters came over on Sunday to decorate Christmas cookies and they noticed the case. I opened it up to show it to them and Katie pointed out the mother of pearl inlay on the front and back of the instrument. It's beautiful and honestly, I did not even see it before then. I looked more closely and noticed the curve of the wood and the flower pattern of the inlay. How did I miss all of that? I am not a big fan of the holiday season and maybe I was too wrapped up in my stressful feelings about this time of year. Or maybe I just didn't take the time. I'm not sure but I do know that I am going to pay more attention from now on. I know my parents will not be around forever and my link to the past leaves with them. I need to soak in everything they share with me including the "things" they pass along. Now I am looking at the violin and wondering if my great grandma picked it out herself or was it a gift? What did she love to play? Did she like to practice? I may never know those answers but it's fun to think about. I also wonder about learning to play. I would never try to play this one but I could see myself trying out a newer version to see how I like it. I am hoping to get this one restored if possible too so I can bring back it's past glory. So many possibilities....

The holidays can be full of triggers and how we react to them makes all the difference in our enjoyment (or not) of this time of year. My guest on the Midlife with Courage™ podcast this week is Maria Toso who shared so many great tips and thoughts about identifying and dealing with what triggers us during the holidays or any time of year. You can hear it at the link below: https://www.midlifewithcourage.com/podcast/episode/7bb400fe/navigating-emotional-triggers-in-midlife-a-healing-journey-with-maria-toso