This post is sponsored by The Home Depot and Glade®. As always, all opinions are my own.
This holiday season is a bittersweet one for me because we have just moved three thousand miles away from our family and friends. We are in a new home and are finding ourselves both excited for what the new year is to bring and reminiscent of holiday’s past. Last year, my mom and I spent the few days before Christmas enjoying the crisp cool New York City air. We strolled to Rockefeller Center to take in the tree and watch the ice skaters below. We sipped cider in the Christmas Markets near Columbus Circle and strolled leisurely through Bryant Park. It was one of those magical New York days where it did not matter how many blocks you walked or how chilly it was, it was Christmas time and I had a secret, a tiny little secret warming me from the inside out.
That evening, we were all set to finish the day at our favorite restaurant in New York City. I did not tell her, but my husband was flying in to surprise her before we sat down to dinner. Upon his arrival, she got so excited and ready to eat, drink and be merry! After we sat down and they ordered some wine, we surprised her with our little secret! “Merry Christmas, you are going to be a grandma!” This year, we have added three babies to our growing family and our hearts have grown three times as big. We shared the news with both sides of the family last year, and with our little baby going on his 5-month birthday, I want to try to re-create the magic my own mom and in-laws created for us all of these years.
We have always been the family that picks out and puts up their Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. We essentially set the stage for holidays as soon as the turkey is cleared from the table. We would light a fire and the evergreen candles, and bring on the holiday cheer. One of my favorite days during the holidays was when my mom would whip out the flour, butter, and sugar and we would get elbows deep in cookie dough. We usually got it all over the kitchen while created our masterpieces and tins of cookies went out to family, friends and of course, Santa. Traditions are something I hold near and dear to my heart and my hope is that when our children look back on their childhood, they feel the same magic that I did!
My mother-in-law always set out these dancing characters that sing holiday songs and the little ones would go crazy! After ten years together and many holidays spent together, we could not wait to get them out to play before setting them on the shelves for the season. It was pure magic to watch baby Cory become enchanted by the figurines and the joy grandma and grandpa’s face was priceless! They were able to see the same joy on his face as all the little ones that came before him.
This year, we are just getting settled into our new home and I am ready to set the stage with Glade® candles and plug-ins from Home Depot. Similar “Enchanted Evergreen” candles and plug-ins will fill the air as we decorate the house, make the cookies and inhale our sweet babe as we think about how our dreams have become a reality and the big holiday shoes we now have to fill. Scent is a powerful thing and every time we light a Glade® candle or smell a holiday plug-in it brings me right back to those sweet, special moments of holidays past.
I acknowledge that The Home Depot is partnering with me to participate in the promotional program described above (the “Program”). As a part of the Program, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services, for the purpose of promoting The Home Depot. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.
