Some Things Never Change….Thankfully. :)

There are a few things in life that I can rely on…that never change and always remain the same.

And in the 25 years that I have been on this earth one thing has NEVER changed. The Celebration of Christmas at our home. The ONLY difference this year was that Brad was there….which only made it better.

You see, my mom L.O.V.E.S. Christmas. And spelling “loves” in large capital letters with periods in between may even be understating her enthusiasm for the holiday. So as a result, I’ve grown up looking forward to the holiday. It’s probably the only time all year that we are in the same room doing something together. 🙂

And this year….like every year…there were a few things that made it stand out for me.

The moment Minette opened her sewing machine was PRICELESS! Complete surprise.

And despite the fact that I’ve grown up rolling my eyes at my parents’ cheesy jokes and annoying love for one another…in the past few years I’ve realized how lucky I am.

I stopped rolling my eyes and have actually begun to watch how, after 34 years together they still know how to make one another laugh no matter what the circumstance.

But THIS was my FAVORITE part of Christmas:

After 34 years of marriage, my mom wrote my dad a letter. And at her request he read it out loud to us.

She listed the top 10 reasons that she loves him including the fact that he’s her walking dictionary and life dance partner.

We laughed at parts of the letter but halfway through the first page I was crying. As my dad continued to read everyone got a little quieter and Minette and David, a little closer. When my dad flipped to the last page, I balled. Because, you see, my dad is the rock of our family. He’s selfless and strong, and NEVER complains. And in the 25 years I’ve grown watching him be these things, I’ve never seen him cry……………….until that moment.

And that moment I will always remember.

And just before the night ended, like every year, we finished with a scavenger hunt. We spend 45 minutes searching our house for the next clue until we arrive at our final destination. This year the clues revolved around finances and at the end of our hunt, we spent 2 hours counting pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters to split from the emptied jar that my parents spent filling for the past 10 years.

And Chaos watched…awkwardly…

If there’s one thing that I walked away from this year feeling, it was a strong sense of appreciation. I was reminded of how much my parents have given for us to live a worry and stress free life. They have raised us to make smart decisions and think through each choice.

But most of all they’ve taught us about love, and for that I am eternally grateful.