Times change and so does Christmas

It's that time of year again. Time for gifts,cookie, candies, and calories. I love this time of year only this year is a little different. I am trying to transition from the Christmas when my kids were young to Christmas with adult children.
When I was a child my mother made Christmas a big deal. During the year we didn't get toys just to get toys. We got them for our birthday and Christmas only.  With 6 kids you would go broke trying to buy gifts thru out the year.  Money was always tight yet Mom and Dad would save thru out the year so we could have a big Christmas.  They made sure at least one thing on our list was under the tree
The thing I remember most was the excitement of trying to figure out  what we got more then the gift  itself.   We treasured everything we got be it large or small.
I don't know if it was because we knew it would be another year till we got new toys. Or the fact that back then we were taught to appreciate everything we got. Something most kids are sadly missing now a days.
I did the same thing with my girls. ( I guess our mothers do wear off on us ). But now that they are adults with family and boyfriends of their own, things have changed.
No more toys or bedtime stories . Traditions we use to share have slowly faded away. I am now decorating the tree on my own. No more going out on Christmas eve for pizza and looking at Christmas lights. Then coming home for coco and cookies as we watch The Christmas Story.   There's no longer any reason to get up early on Christmas day. The kids show up around noon to open presents and have dinner, then it off to their significant others  homes for Christmas with their families.  Which is only fair,but still doesn't make it any easier seeing them walk out the door.

   Life changes and no matter how hard we want to hold on, it will keep moving. One day they will have kids of their own even move out of the area. I guess what I am trying to say in a long draw out way is that I need to let life move on. And learn not to hold on so tightly to past Christmas. Maybe it's time for Rick and I to start new traditions of our own.     My one hope is that my girls hold on to some of our family traditions as they start their own families. Yes I know by saying that I am still trying to hold on to a little bit of past Christmases .( Baby Steps, Baby steps )