As I have gotten older some Holidays have become just another day to me. Halloween I mostly ignore though my children and grandkids still enjoy making a party of it. Our biggest all together as a Family Holiday celebrations are at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Birthdays used to be big Family celebrations too but as everyone has gotten older this has definitely changed and our getting together to celebrate each person's Birthday is just not happening anymore. Last Christmas one of my daughters and her family could not make it down from Texas and my other two daughters couldn't seem to agree on when and what to do so everything was kind of thrown together at the last minute and just wasn't the same for any of us. This Christmas my daughter and her family are living here again so I'm hoping that our celebration will be a good one again. But things are changing and awhile back there was talk of going up to Tennessee the day after Christmas and renting a cabin for the whole Family for a week. When my middle daughter discussed this with me....I told her to count us out. For one thing it would cost more than we can afford at this time, but even more than that we can't see being "cooped up" in a snow laden cabin for a week with at least 15 other people...even if they are Family. We are waiting for the everyone go together to DisneyWorld for Christmas celebration. That's not happening this year because our youngest grandchild just turned 1 and he would not really be able to enjoy this place yet. Anyway, as the years go by and we watch our children and grandchildren's lives get busier and busier...our used to be celebrations get smaller and fewer in number. And it's getting harder for my husband and I to do night time celebrations so sometimes we just miss those too. Things are definitely changing and Holidays and Birthdays and the way we used to celebrate them...are changing too. I might not want them to be becoming like just another day....but it seems for the last couple of years that is happening anyway.
Yes its a sad fact that things change for some of us I'm used to it now and just accept it As long as there is something cheerful that we have put by to entertain us, I'll be happy with that now, we tend to plan ahead and put things aside to look forward to
Yes, you do get used to those changes but some of them sure sneak up on you and throw you into a tizzy for a little while.
Ive always loved celebrating anything but as time marches on and kids and grandkids and I get older, seems less and less is celebrated. Sure we still do the biggies but it's just not the same.
Halloween is pretty much a kid's holiday, but it's not one that's celebrated much even by kids here. The past two years, we have had no children trick-or-treaters. While there are a few around, they go only to the houses of people they know, I think. We don't have large celebrations anymore, since there's just the two of us but we acknowledge most of the other holidays.
My adult kids and their kids love Halloween and both adults and children dress up in costumes (no scary or evil ones). They usually just trick or treat in my middle daughter's neighborhood and then go home and while the kids enjoy their candy and being with each other...the adults enjoy their treats and each other's company until they are ready to go home. Often some of their neighbors will join them too. They really enjoy their Halloween celebrations. Even though my husband and I haven't done Halloween for longer than we've been married, our kids still invite us to come join them anyway but we never do even though it's nice that they want to include us. Most of the grandkids are getting to the age where they are to big for trick or treating but I can see them just turning that into a party at their homes.They started their own traditions at Halloween for their families and it's good that they find ways to be together and all enjoy each other. I'm finding that I like quieter and earlier in the day celebrations whether they are Birthday or Holiday gatherings as I age. I also like the celebrations to be shorter too but no one gets offended when I am ready to go home and they are still in celebration mode. I'm just not much of a party girl anymore but I do still like to spend time with my Family as often as I can. And I still like to send both my children and grandkids Birthday cards, etc. in the mail. Holiday and Birthday celebrations are definitely changing in our Family but change seems to be what life is really all about.
We don't celebrate halloween because like Ken said...around here it's just for kids... I've never been a party person...I'll definitely go out to a pub or club, but I feel trapped at a house party so I've always been the first to leave those, so nothings changed there...well it has actually..I don't go to house parties any more...nor clubs either ... We still celebrate Christmas and birthdays...quietly, no big parties but gifts yes... and often as there's just the 2 of us (my daughter lives abroad) and we have no grandchildren, we'll take a trip to Italy, Spain or Greece for Christmas, or Easter.. but yes definitely my enthusiasm for anything energetic is beginning to wane...
I guess I only celebrate waking up each day, ,..... but yes Birthdays and Christmas celebrations are fading fast, we go away somewhere for Lisa's birthday, but I try and forget mine these days. I will be in Russia on December 25th, which is a normal working day here, their Christmas day is celebrated on January 7th.... when I will be back home..
Funny, but we just brought our Halloween inside and outside décor out of our garage. We don't have a lot, but do have some. And, as most of you know, we do have Halloween costumes and try to go to one party at a restaurant. We definitely spent some money on my Darth Vader costume, including alternations for the costume and a new Lightsaber. Had to get wife a new Female Stormtrooper costume a few months ago. The other one got to tight and some of the seams were coming apart, so got her a size bigger and it looks perfect on her. As far as Valentines Day, birthdays and Christmas, yep, still celebrate them. Not with candy, but flowers (Valentines Day and her birthday), dinner out, Christmas tree up w/other inside/outside décor. Can't help it, wife loves holiday décor and celebrating (to some extent). Actually, I think as we both get older, the décor will become less and less. We do miss the family get-togethers, but we can't financially go to where they are and they don't want to spend out the money to come and see us. So, that's that.
Basically just another day.We missed getting to celebrate our 25th anniversary last year.Because of his job. I was furious as had planned to something for a year and was even on the calendar all year long. So after that,kinda deflated me. My youngest daughter and her boyfreind and youngest usually come over at Christmas. None of us feel the need for all the foods. Keep it simple nowdays.
My decorations have gotten less each year too but on Christmas I always want the lights up on our porch along with the Nativity scene that fits over a window and a cheery wreath on our door. Inside I mainly do the Nativity set, some greenery garlands, and a few red candles. This year our evergreen outdoor tree is big enough to put lights on too.
We have an entire village of buildings and other things that fills our dining room table. May put that up this year. Thing is, when it's only a neighbor or two that will invite in to see the table, and other inside décor, it started to feel useless and too much work to set the whole thing up. But, if wife wants to set up the village, the Queen gets what she wants.
When we raising our family we had all that but as our children married and had their own families I let them pick the decorations they wanted for their homes. Now I enjoy seeing our decorations often in their homes during the Holidays and I don't have to take care of all that stuff anymore.
Mostly just another day, birthdays. My wife still sends out birthday cards to grandkids and great grandkids. We no longer decorate on Christmas. The only concession I guess we make is at Christmas some of us try to get together. Everything started changing when after War 2 everybody started moving away, seeking jobs and the good life until here we are.