It’s holiday time. Everyone is busy running around shopping, decorating, baking and making lists and feeling like they’ll never be ready. Some families have traditions that have been carried on for generations and others start new traditions. Either way, traditions are a way of connecting family together and making special memories that can’t break or wear out like a toy or a sweater. They give us the gift of celebrating our love and our bond we have together.

My husband and I started a tradition when our grandchildren were born – we do gingerbread weekend! And do we ever! The children are excited knowing its coming, my husband and I are pumped shopping like elves for all of the special candies and decorations needed for our annual project, and we prep the kitchen for flying icing. What started as a small house many years ago has now become a compound to outdo what we did the previous year. The kids arrive and the giggling begins. We laugh, we work, we eat, we lick icing, we laugh some more, we brainstorm on how we will transport the village to their home, and finally, we sit back and admire our work. Most importantly, we have time to focus on each other and add a new memory page to our book of love…and traditions.