Brenda, every Christmas for the past four years I've had to hide away and have myself a little cry. I'm still not used to the "new Christmas", i.e., Christmas without my Mom and Dad. Actually, with the family dynamics constantly changing these days, we seem to have a "new Christmas" every year now! I never quite know from one year to the next what old (cherished) Mom-traditions are going to be left out to make way for new blended-family-traditions. It's a bit of a tear-jerker at times during the day, probably because I put a lot of stress on myself trying to make sure everyone has the "perfect" Christmas, while missing mine. I have to learn to go with the flow, because this is simply how it is now.

I do keep a few "sacred cows", like insisting on my turkey dinner every other year and keeping the nativity scenes front and centre...but I've had to let other preferences go in order to allow for those changing dynamics, or it wouldn't be the day and family celebration we want it to be.