Christmas Traditions

The Christmas Season is over for this year. We have our tree and decorations already put away. This year all our plans fell through for the Holidays, some because of the weather, some due to illness, and others sadness over a lost loved one. Our Christmas this year wasn't what we planned it to be at all, but it got me thinking about all the Christmas traditions we all had growing up, some we make up as we grow up and move out on our own, and others we keep and treasure every year to make them live on for everyone else.
I remember when I was a little girl my Grandparents would make a huge dinner and we would go over and eat on Christmas day. It had to be Christmas day or it wasn't Christmas dinner according to my Gran. I also remember being allowed to open one present on Christmas eve.. it was already slated for the Christmas eve gift so was usually something small and fun to play with to keep me occupied until Christmas day. Now that I have children of my own we don't open a present on Christmas Eve. We make sugar cookies and spend the evening decorating them.. and picking the best 2 for Santa. And because our family is so spread out we have a huge family dinner on Christmas Eve for my husbands family, everyone comes in. This is usually the only time we see most of them. All of us together is a riot.. but each person brings a Man's gift and a Woman's gift. And we bring a present for our children to open that night. We draw numbers for the man and woman's gifts and have a wonderful time. We also get together with my Grandparents.. This year was going to be a start to a different tradition.. I was going to cook the Christmas dinner (..on Christmas Day of course) and because my Granda isn't allowed to drive anymore and my Gran can't drive this far my husband was going to get them and they would stay with me for a few days. They would get to see their son and visit with him while they were here. That didn't happen due to the weather but we will try again next year. And the most important tradition I started with my girls is to ask them why we have Christmas every year then we talk about Jesus's birth and what it means to us even now. A new tradition that has started because of Facebook not only do I send out cards to my friends and family far away NOW I send out a Merry Christmas to all those online! I don't know how to do the really neat ones my friends send me they are always beautiful..maybe one day I will... but until then I just send a message or if I'm lucky and find a cute picture I like I send it.
I have asked on my Facebook what their traditions were growing up and really looking forward to what they say. One tradition that has come through is from the Director of HAWK Center, that they all gather around the tree and pick a present for someone else rather than one of their own.. then take turns opening them.. but they also wait for the person to look their gift over and enjoy it for a moment before moving on to the next person. Another one that came through is from one of my Africam friends, that they also open presents on Christmas Eve and use to open the rest on Christmas morning.. but now they wait until about 3pm or so until his sister gets there. It's a wonderful thing to wait on family to open presents!.. Very hard on little ones to wait so long in some cases I think... and some big kids!.. but they learn how great it is to watch someone else opening a gift. A friend of mine also from Africam and from the UK says her Gran started a tradition of playing Bingo!, and instead of playing for money you get little presents, that's a neat tradition! Everyone is together and having a great time.
 A neat page I have come across looking up traditions is HERE. It has a lot of information on there but what I was reading of course was the traditions.. and it tells where some of our most long standing traditions started and why. Now I don't know the validity of the information on the page but it made for good reading and was certainly interesting.Thank you everyone who posted to my FB on your traditions.. if your post didn't make it into the blog I had already posted it before yours came through.. But will add it to the comments! I love learning all these family traditions everyone has. It may give others an idea for their own tradition. This blog could go on forever talking about Christmas traditions, traditional foods, etc.. so I will end it here and wait for more responses and add them as they come in as comments! Until next time...

The HAWK Center

I recently came across a page on Facebook for the HAWK Center (Helping Arkansas Wild "Kritters") while I was trying to learn about all the fabulous birds in my back yard on the Arkansas Birders page on FB. I watched the page for several weeks, reading the updates, watching the videos, reading the good news and the bad. All I could think was... I really wanted to get involved in this place. One story that has held me and many others captive at this facility is the story of 'Ms Perryville' the Barred Owl. Many people who follow this page.. even newbies to it like myself.. fell in love with this owl. She first came to the center in October I believe from being hit by a car... she was released the beginning of November. They were called out again just a few days before Thanksgiving Day because the SAME person found the SAME owl at the SAME place they found her the first time.. and she had been hit by a car AGAIN!! Only this time she was hurt worse. This time instead of getting her bell rung hard as was the case the first time, she had a skull fracture. They didn't know if she would even make it to the vets. But Ms Perryville is a trooper.. she is a survivor. She has healed fast and amazed everyone. Just the other day I read on their page she had started eating by herself when just a day or so before she wasn't able to. Now with reading about this owl, and reading stories about a goose they helped, watching a release video a month or so ago.. reading about the little screech owl that will be blind in one eye that they are rehabbing.. the red-tailed hawks they are rehabbing.. the more I read on this place the more I wanted to drive out and see it. I had never volunteered at a facility before and didn't know what to expect nor did I care what I had to do. I just wanted to see this place that seemed to be full of caring people who healed and loved these animals. I contacted them and went out on a Thursday which is a work day for them. Everyone is so nice, and we were busy! I didn't find out WHY we were so busy until about 2 hours after I had gotten to the center.. A news crew was coming out to do a story on the wonderfully amazing Ms Perryville! So we cleaned the work room, folded the towels, picked up the yard, and a few other things. I was able to see the owls, and they were so beautiful and well cared for. The news crew came in and handled everything quickly and efficiently, and gotta say the camera man was excited about the hawks he really wanted to get shots of them tho the story was about the owl. You can click HERE for the teaser video, news story and the written piece.  After the news crew left I got the pleasure (haha) of taking a scrub brush and a pressure washer to the hawks room.. after they were moved next door of course. And in case you don't know. A hawks poo is made of calcium.. its all white and its like shooting chalk at a wall and letting it dry. It is really hard to get off. After I finished in the Hawks room I was introduced the 2 hawks in residence.. one is an Ambassador Red-tailed Hawk named Kate, the other is a hawk that was probably hit by a car. They are uncertain if he will be released or not due to his injuries, but time will tell. I was also sort of introduced to the Ambassador Barn Owl Tito (laugh) He didn't want to come out of his box to say hi.. he only peeked over the top. They had another young red tailed hawk that had just come in a day or two earlier he was upset from all the noise so we left him alone. But I got to see the little screech owl who looks like he will be released even tho he is blind in one eye. He just has to prove he can catch his own food. And of course Ms Perryville. It was a very special day for me and I am looking forward to going back, and when I do I will get pics.. I need them for here!! So until next time....