Olivia this Halloween
Traditions. Some people say they're just silly things done year after year. But we think that they are the classic things that never let moments get old. Instead, they get texture. Classic, refined texture. Those are the kind of moments that I want to provide for our family.
Traditions are important to me. They give me a feeling of history and provide a path to look at the joyful memories made in the past. But, in my family growing up, I cannot think of many traditions that "stuck" through the years. It is one part of being a parent that I want to do differently than my parents did. My mom did lots of things for us, but besides repeated holiday food, we didn't experience anything the same, year after year.
But, one thing that i really love is to look at and be around things that my grandmothers and mother have made. I enjoy cuddling with a quilt knowing that my grandmother quilted it. I love the doll that my grandmother made that looks like me. My mom made our Halloween costumes and all year, I dressed up in them. In a way, it brings me closer to them, these women in my family. I like to sew and create. Perhaps it's in my blood. Nature or nurture, I want to provide these humble offerings of love and labor to my daughter and future children, should we be blessed with more. Hopefully, she finds value in it, as I do. This year I made her Halloween costume. Because I really fell in love with fairytales, I wanted her to be something sweet so I chose Little Red Riding Hood. And, a doll to match.
We all know that at this point, some parts of our children's lives are about us. Their first birthday, for example. I chose the costume because I knew she would be adorable...and because a cape is easy to make. I don't have lots of skill on the sewing machine so I repurposed a woman's shirt. I cut the cuffs of, cut the inner part of the sleeve, attached the top layers and bottom layers (of the bodice) and used the excess material to form the pointy hood. It was made during two nap times.
The summary is that I want to have traditions that breathe life and joy into normal days and special days, too. With Olivia in her second round of holidays, it still feels like her first time really experiencing the festivities. She does not know who Little Red Riding Hood is, but hopefully she feels special and precious, as she is to us.
(I promised not to complain...but I cannot post pictures from the iPad). Grr.
