Monday, December 8, 2008

Small Town Christmas



I really miss my hometown at Christmas. Family, friends, the lights, the gatherings, the smell of real Christmas trees, and the new fallen snow. We try to re-create all that, here in Florida, and on the surface, it looks like Christmas, but it's a far stretch from 'home'.
So we turn the A/C up, click on the fake fireplace, and play Christmas Carols, while recalling all those wonderful Christmases from years past.
For Mailia, this is the only kind of Christmas she knows. So we play it to the hilt. Someday, God willing, we'll go 'home' so she can know what traditional Christmas is all about. For now, we are making our own traditions. And that's ok too.
We don't exactly live in a small town here. It's more like a suburb of Orlando. But there are still a lot of small town traditions and local customs that we enjoy. One of them is the annual St.Cloud Christmas parade. Low budget floats, lots of patriotism, and hometown pride as the bands and football players and cheerleaders march by flashing smiles to their parents and friends along the way. So simple, so down home, so perfect.
Mailia's Brownie troop entered a float in this year's parade, so I became one of those proud Mamas, beaming and heart swelling as she passed us by. Another 'first' for her Daddy and me. But the smile on her face was priceless! As her float approached, we could see her scanning the crowds for the familiar faces of her mama and daddy and Lai Lai (grandma). When she finally spotted us.........well let's just say it don't get much better than that. :-)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Shirley, how adorable is Mailia. Loved her retro look. I too miss the cold during the holiday, hard to feel Christmas when I am running around in a t-shirt. Hope you are all doing o.k. I think of you often and pray for us all to whether this economy.

Susan and Kate

Debby said...

How cute is she?? I'm glad she loved the parade. Happy Holidays to you....

Debby
Lindsi & Jami

Sharon said...

She is just BEAUTIFUL! :)

Anonymous said...

LOVING that skirt! I bet she was the prettiest one there! Look at that smile!

Anonymous said...

I love the new tradition. Mailia looks about as proud as mom and dad feel.