There are many things to love about parenthood, but one of my favourites is definitely getting to relive and recreate the holidays through my children.
My husband and I get to be Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and we get to create magical memories through all the other holidays, too, like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween.
Santa is my favourite hat to wear. I have always loved Christmas and the magic that accompanies the time of year, but I enjoy seeing my children experience it even more. The sparkle in their eyes when they see Santa, decorate the Christmas tree or see the presents under the tree on Christmas morning is one of the best feelings.
My babies are still little. I have a three-year-old son and one-year-old daughter, so there are many magical years yet to come. This is just the beginning and I couldn’t be more excited. Not only do we, as parents, get to carry on our favourite traditions from our childhood, but we also get to create new ones for our children.
My husband and I have a Christmas Eve tradition where we surprise someone with an act of kindness. We started with random acts like hanging wrapped ornaments on doors or giving extra money at drive thrus, but, over the years, it has become less random and more for someone we know who we think deserves it. I look forward to the kids helping us choose our recipient when they’re older.
My son is obsessed with Halloween. He refuses to eat candy (I know, odd for a three-year-old), but he absolutely loves all things spooky, dressing up and the door-to-door greetings that come with trick-or-treating. This year, I started a new tradition and put together “boo buckets” for the kids, cute little Halloween-themed buckets filled with stickers, colouring activities, books, toys and stuffed animals.
And I can’t forget St. Patrick’s Day because it’s a holiday I grew up celebrating, thanks to my Irish heritage. We like to kick the day off with festive music and green pancakes and a leprechaun hides a $20 bill (it is the green bill, after all!) for each of my kids to find.
It’s amazing how much we remember about our childhood and how it shapes who we are today. What a privilege it is to be able to create that for our own children.
