Friendly traditions

I have a LOT of family traditions... I'm a huge fan of them. (Though 30 years on they can get a little played out.) We're starting new traditions in my family and I know I'll have them again with my own little family (years from now).
However I also have traditions with my friends. Two specifically: one is a potluck dinner that I have been having with my girlfriends since our second to last or last year in high school- which would have started about 6 years ago- ahem. Okay- I think we're on year 15 or maybe 16?
Not all of us can make it every year (Char, Josephine, Sandy and me are the diehards who make it every year)- though we all try. It's fun to see the evolution of our friendships- and see how we've grown and changed each year (or specifically how our families have grown!).
I love the fact that we are all still friends, who can spend hours and hours laughing about something that might have happened in high school, or happened just the previous week. Yes I still have the friends I had in high school and I couldn't be happier.
Here we are in Heather's new house at our annual potluck.


(This year I actually made something- a casserole- last year I was so hung over I'm lucky I even made it- just so that I could lay on Char's couch and whimper and cry from the pain). Why was I hung over last year? Because of a rather newer friend tradition with another set of friends.
My good friend Lori has us over for an annual get together on boxing day- people she went to high school with and other people (me included) who have somehow been absorbed into the group along the way. It's also an amazing group of people that I don't get to see that often...



This year I was good though- I couldn't afford to be out of sorts as I was visiting my other friend Lori (Lola) the next day- and my goddaughter and her brother.
We had brunch and I got to see the joy and excitement that is Christmas through a child's eyes...Kaleb and Theo are the PERFECT age where they know what Christmas is all about and celebrate it in excessive splendor. They also happen to be two of the sweetest children who are able to express gratitude through their exuberance. Theo jumped up and down in excitement at the doll I gave her- but made sure to let me know she was thankful. Kaleb exclaimed "I can't believe you got this for me!!!" (I suspect I could have picked up a twig from outside and wrapped it and he would've said the same thing). That was a morning I definitely wanted to be present for.


And tomorrow- I will write about the rest of my trip: Snowy wintry Winnipeg, and New Years...