Season's Greetings 2020
Well, we made it to the Holiday season! I am simply grateful that we have arrived. In 2017, I began a tradition with Thanksgiving where I began offering the opening up of my home for Thanksgiving dinner to anyone who may be alone during the holiday season, be it they are the only ones in the area or if someone had lost a loved one or if someone simply needed to be around company to keep from being lonely. I ask no questions & have them open up to me if they choose. I discussed with my husband what I wanted to do from my heart & he took no issues with it. We’ve had some great company! The holidays can be quite hard for many so God put it on my heart to open my home. I, then, felt the need to do the same for Christmas! I used multiple social media platforms to include Nextdoor and kept all contacts confidential. Covid may have paused those efforts this year but in 2021, I will once again open my home. Our other large tradition I wanted to begin, which we started in 2016 is our annual Christmas Celebration, the Torres’ Christmas party! We’ve had 3-2016, 2017 & 2019. As we turn the corner for 2021, so let the planning begin!!! I’m not one for entertaining, but I put my heart into this event because it is literally the only gathering I host. Our celebration is about celebrating family, friends and loved ones, making memories and celebrating each other!
Although this season may look different for many, the blessing of simply being is more than enough for me. I told my husband I wanted to begin creating more little family traditions and one of them was to do the matching pajama bit. I get it. Some may think it’s kinda corny, but it’s small things like this that are openings to the ability to create memories that will last a lifetime, especially when you have little ones. There are a few other traditions we began but the pajamas was something more visible.
2017-The photo on the bottom left was the 1st year our little tradition began.
2019-The photo on the top right was the 2nd year we followed through with our tradition. Stephen the Elf on the fireplace decided to hang out with us.
2020-The photo on the top left….what can I say? “The year of the lockdown”
Virginia(my mother-in-law), Antoinette & Janiva & apparently Bella decided to make a cameo appearance behind the tree!
I wanted to include these photos in this post because if we haven’t already realized it, life is way to precious & unpredictable. These next few photos I am posting represents great growth for me. You’d have to know my past to understand my present(I may elaborate next year). Living in a multigenerational home was actually my husband & I plan. 6 years and counting & although things have been rather bumpy, I had to realize that I played a major part in resisting change, regardless if my behavior was justified. We always have a choice in a thing. I told my husband this summer that THIS Christmas, we were all gonna have matching pajamas and take photos this year. Big Ivan looked at me sideways and proceeded to say that would never happen. Well….just have a look see.
2017-The photo on the bottom left was the 1st year our little tradition began. I was so excited guys! I’m not even sure where I got the idea. I think it was either a commercial or a Christmas ad I had seen online. Either way, I was like, “why not?!” Little did I know, I was also carrying my lil Janiva & just hadn’t found out yet.
2019-The photo on the top right was the 2nd year we followed through with our tradition. I did not follow through in 2018 having just had Janiva in July 2 months early via unplanned c-section. Janiva resided in NICU for 32 days & by the time Christmas came around, I simply had not been in the spirit of Christmas I had hoped to be. So when 2019 came around, I made sure I was ready! As you can see, my lil Janiva had the brightest smile. I couldn’t have asked for a better photo! I mean….look at my babies!!! I typically don’t ask for anything for Christmas. I mean….Everything I have, I’m surrounded by everyday! I’m fairly easy to please. I don’t require “things” to be happy. The things that make me happy are priceless.
2020-The photo on the top left….what can I say? “The year of the lockdown” Lemme tell y’all something….There is so much behind this photo other than the absolute obvious being the year 2020. There is growth, overcoming, healing, patience, GRATITUDE, GRATITUDE, GRATITUDE! Did I say gratitude? Will yall please look at the growth of my son?! Antoinette?! Janiva?! My babies aren’t babies anymore. One of the main reasons for my creating this 1 tradition. I want to capture as much as I can while I can. I know people say to live in the moment, typically meaning put the camera down but everyone has a different meaning of living in the moment & what you see above is mine. Many lessons have been learned, are being learned and are to be learned as 2020 prepares to leave and we usher in 2021.
From Left to Right-Lil Ivan, Big Ivan, Me, Virginia, Ezra, Antoinette & Janiva. Let me just say….There’s GROWTH for me in these photos!
These photos may not be professional photos but it’s the purpose behind the event. Regardless of the challenges we have gone through, in THIS HOUSE, we stick together, no matter how hard I’ve resisted in the past. After a while, that shit gets exhausting, and with the past few years I've had, there’s no more room for resisting. The chain of events with the flutter of butterfly wings has shifted my perspective with regards to family. Although I may have been extremely slow to adjusting to this living style(mother & brother in law living with us), I’m thankful I’m able to receive that God is showing me that my way is not always the right way & that me extending compassion is my path to peace. We look out for one another in this house & if you ever become part of our household, you become part of our home. You become FAMILY.
Don’t judge me! LOL I was trying to recreate the fighting & hoarding of TP & paper towels that occurred at the beginning of covid. meh! you get the point. #christmas2020 #covidchristmas
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My husband covered down for me this year with the decorations. Due to some additional challenges, I literally had no energy to decorate, so Big Ivan took on the task the best he could. I could not be any more proud. Per usual, we have each other’s back. He knew my tolerance, so since he did the decorating, my main place was the kitchen…and well….we all know how I do! I pray that the creating of family traditions brings my family joy and the opening of my home during the holidays blesses the heart of those who need it. It is my prayer that next year, the 4th annual Torres Christmas Celebration will be in full swing!