by Ward Williams

The month of December has always been a pain to me. In a matter of a 28-day span, I have two of my children’s birthdays, my anniversary, and Christmas mushed all together. We have these additional expenses without additional income. It hurts.

My wife, on the other hand, turns on the Christmas music on 96.5 on Nov. 1 and has the Hallmark Christmas movie lineup set to remind her on her Google calendar.

In my household, I thought we celebrated holidays. We had tamales for Christmas, went to church, and had cake for birthday. My wife takes it to the next level full of traditions, things we just have to do including baking cookies and fudge, visiting and writing letters to Santa, decorating the entire house, watching every sappy Christmas movie ever created, and waking up at 4 a.m. on Christmas morning.

Looking back at it all with now having a kid in college, my son a senior in high school, and my daughter entering her teenage years, I already miss all of those moments and early years of Christmas traditions. It all has gone by way too fast.

I would love for my kids to still want the Diego tree house for Christmas or ask for an American Girl doll. I even enjoy the messes and destruction of our house with Christmas-cookie making with friends, opening presents, and a house filled with friends and family.

It is important that you give yourself opportunities for memories and traditions. The things that seem like a hassle to you might be the things your kids remember forever and talk about when they are older.

It is not about the big things like latest Xbox or coolest gifts. Those things we tend to forget. The moments that stay with us are time, laughter, and even the quiet moments when we are together.

Cherish the current situation that you are in, because it seems to look different every year with the addition of new friends and family and the subtraction of old friends and family that have moved on. It is the people that are important.

Merry Christmas!

Ward Williams is the founder and executive director of Vineyard Family Services. Contact him at ward@vfsdads.com.