I took a small break from blogging late last week to go on an amazing (and super quick) trip to New York to get in some quality Family Christmas time.
For those that follow me on Instagram, you know I saw some beautiful holiday magic in the City that doesn’t sleep. From the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center, to snow in Times Square, it was all pretty amazing.
You also know that I had some ridiculously yummy meals over the past four days.
Much more on all those things in my posts later this week!
But the reason my husband and I flew to New York wasn’t just for fun in the City- it was something far more wonderful.
I got to spend a lot of time with my family.
All of my Mom’s side of the family lives in the Tri-State area. Every year, they all get together to celebrate “Reilly Family Christmas” (my mother’s maiden name is Reilly) a few weeks before Christmas.
My mom is one of five siblings, so it’s no small group when you multiply those five by spouses, children, and grandchildren.
Although Reilly Family Christmas has been going on for years, I live in Sacramento, California, so it wasn’t easy for me to make the trip. This was my first time heading out to my Aunt’s house on Long Island for the big family holiday celebration.
And going back to experience this holiday celebration was absolutely wonderful.
First- in my very unbiased option- I have the best family in the whole world.
Everyone is so loving and supportive of each other. I grew up thinking this was the case for every family. But the older I get, the more I realize what my family is really something special.
I know that no matter what, I can go to any one of my Aunts, Uncles, or Cousin for anything and they will be there for me. The same is true if they ever needed anything from me.
And my family loves to laugh and have fun.
We are a loud bunch, but its all laugher and joy. Again, another thing that I know isn’t necessarily how most families operate.
During Reilly Family Christmas you could hear conversations revolve around everything from our Family Fantasy Football League, to politics (yes, including the election), to current events. And no matter what the topic, there was no drama and no tension.
It’s funny how easily I can forget how lucky I am. I just assume that everyone has it this good.
But on Saturday, being surrounded by people that mean the world to me and have loved me through thick and thin, I was reminded time and time again how blessed I really am.
So instead of trying to save money by not flying back East, I’m taking my husband’s view on these things and plan to go back more often.
In fact, we’d like to make Reilly Family Christmas part of our annual tradition every year, if that’s possible.
Not many people have what I have. The family that people wish for is something I am blessed with already. Instead of pinching pennies, I plan to maximize moments.
