Christmas Reflections – Guest Post |

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Don’t forget to my Christmas gift giveaway picked with love.

Deadline is Christmas Eve at Midnight.

Hi there, friends of Cynthia! My name is Heather Shugarman. I like stories and have a kitten named Benson. I live in New York and have out of control eyebrows. [And apparently I have no shame in such eyebrows.] I’ve recently been compared to Kathy Bates’ character in the movie Misery. [I bet you are all really excited to know me, now Winking smile ].

We’ve all been saying it for weeks now. Christmas is literally “just around the corner!” Only two more ‘sleeps’ until Christmas morning is upon us, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who is asking herself how this happened. Time sure does go by quickly these days, doesn’t it?

For the second year in a row, I will be spending Christmas away from my family. My parents live near Dallas, TX and though my brother and sister will both be traveling many, MANY hours to go home for the holiday, I’ll be doing my best to stay warm in upstate New York. It’s definitely making me feel like a real adult these days, that’s for sure!

My Christmas Eve’s used to be filled by games with the family, hanging out in my parents house [which I affectionately call “the manor” Winking smile ] with both of my parents and my two younger siblings, still arranging a plate of cookies for the Clause-man and sure not forget a couple of carrots for Rudolph and friends. My sister, brother, and I would stay up into the wee hours of the morning watching funny movies and catching up on each others’ lives while taking a moment to pause and reflect on the “good old days” when we all lived under the same roof.

Christmas morning would start with stockings as we preheated the oven for a cinnamon roll and breakfast bake extravaganza. My brother, the youngest, would carefully sort the presents, bringing them out from under the tree and creating little piles for each of us wherever he deemed was appropriate for our seats. As the food cooked and our parents eventually made their way into the living room, we would open gifts, one at a time, in a series of brother, sister, Heather, mother, father. And repeat. And repeat. Pausing only for photo opportunities and bites of goodness made by mom, with the Disney Christmas parade playing lightly in the background, and the sparkling ornaments of the tree glistening in the sunlight. [Of course, I am known for “photo bombing” as many pictures as possible on Christmas morning!]

Now that the way I celebrate Christmas has changed, I’ve been determined to fight off the sadness that can creep in from being away from family during the holidays. Of course I am always a bit homesick during this time, and I will always be waiting on the edge of my seat for that teleportation device to make travel so much speedier and efficient. But I know that my being “on my own” for Christmas these past few years really opens up an opportunity for me to find my own independent sources of joy, setting new traditions to enjoy in New York.

Earlier this year on my blog, Then Heather Said, I talked a little bit about some traditions, old and new. There is one other tradition I started last year that I am pretty pumped to continue for Christmas Eve 2011 [go ahead a freak out: THAT’S TOMORROW!!!]. The night before Christmas, after returning from my dusk light-viewing walk, I am going to be sitting in my living room, next to my sparkling tree with my favorite Christmas tunes playing gently through my apartment. Then I will be getting my journal on.

I’ve kept a list for a few weeks of queues I plan to reflect on and write my heart out. Knowing Cynthia has a love for self reflection and writing, I thought sharing my list with fans of It All Changes would be a super fun idea. Maybe you’ll find yourself near your own tree tomorrow, thinking these things over and making entries to your own journals.