The Spirit of Christmas Past

This Christmas is going to be a real change of pace for both Eric and me. This is the first year that we will not be able to make it home to spend the holidays with our families in Florida. It's kind of sad...we both had a feeling this day would come, but we had hoped to put it off as long as we could. It's hard to make that decision. We love our holiday traditions with our families, and we will miss them very much. Of course we know that this is a logical decision for us this year. Travel was just too expensive, and Eric would have had a tough time getting this week off work, so our visit would have been very costly for a very short period of time. Instead, we opted to go home in January for a longer stay and lower price tag. Definitely the smart decision, although not the easiest.

In thinking about the changes this Christmas is bringing for us, I was reminiscing about Christmases past. In looking through old photos, I came across a couple I thought I would share. Be prepared for cuteness!

Check it out, it's vintage Mrs. W. This picture was taken in 1985, when I was three years old. I wanted to share this one because this was probably my most favorite Christmas dress ever. It had a pretty full skirt, and hidden in the skirt were little tiny jingle bells, so when I swooshed my skirt around it jingled. I LOVED it. Please also note my white tights with red hearts, and black Mary Janes. I was stylin'.

Ah, it's me with my sister Heather, circa 1986. Notice that our dresses match but are in alternative Christmas colors. We were always pretty coordinated around the holidays. Please also note the chubbiness of Heather's cheeks. Is she not precious?

This one's from 1987. Once again we have the matching-yet-alternate-colors look. This year I felt extra fancy because I had my hair done at a salon. I had found a picture of a girl in a magazine who had a her hair braided like a crown around her head, and for whatever reason I had it done like that at a salon for Christmas. I remember coming home from the salon and being very concerned because I had to take a nap on my fancy hair. My hair survived, and I felt like a princess. Also great about this picture: Heather's super-natural smile.

And here we are, circa 1988, sitting on Santa's lap at the always-glamorous Parmatown mall. Heather is just as cute as a button. Once again she's sporting the chubbiest little cheeks and sweetest expression, no? And as for me...multicolored one-piece zip-up jumper? Check. My trusty headband that I always wore (my hair has always been mildly unruly, and I hate it in my face)? Check. Santa pin? Check. Awesome.

And here we are on Christmas Eve, 1989. This year we skipped the different colored-dresses and went for total matchy-matchy. Could it get better, you ask? Why, yes, it most certainly could. My mom also had a matching dress!

This is by far my favorite of the bunch: Eric and his siblings circa 1987. This is the only one I have of Eric and Co., sadly. But OH MY GOODNESS HOW CUTE. I hope Ronnie and Kelley aren't mad at me for sharing this, because my hands were tied. I just had to share it. I just adore this picture. They all look just like themselves, except small. Look at Eric's baby face! Love it. I also love his "Florida" t-shirt, so formally tucked in, and his haircut. And in case you were too distracted by the adorable children, please take a moment to notice THE CREEPIEST SANTA EVER. It only adds to the awesomeness of this picture.

It's so nice to think back to Christmases past and remember such happy times. Even though we can't be with our families this year, our hearts are home with them. And, I am excited to make new memories with my husband in our new home this year.

I hope you all have finished your preparations and are now ready to relax and enjoy the holiday with your loved ones. Merry Christmas!