November is the month for Bonfire Night in the U.K. As a child, it was one of my favorite nights of the year, second only to Christmas Eve.
We’d have a bonfire in the backyard, and my dad would bring home a box of fireworks to set off and a couple of packets of sparklers. We’d have baked potatoes and roast chestnuts, and my mum would make parkin and gooey, delicious bonfire toffee. It was an evening spent outdoors, clustered around the fire. It was about friends and food and a little bit of danger.
It’s one of the many things I miss about my homeland, and it’s one of the traditions I would have enjoyed sharing with my children. And that’s the topic for this week’s Whiny Wednesday:
Traditions you won’t get to share with your children
Happy Bonfire Night and happy whining.
Cindy Fox says
My parents always made christmas so special for us four kids. My mom passed 5 years ago and we are just getting around to selling her home. The home we grew up in. I am so sad and not looking forward to the holidays this season. I miss not having children the most at christmas, the excitement of santa coming and going to midnight mass. I don’t think I want to even try to celebrate this year. It has become impossible to avoid triggers at this time of year. I am sixty years old and it has been 18 years since my last try at IVF and I find it never really gets better, I just put it deep down in my heart and try to get on with my life. Some times it works, some times not so much. I think a vacation in Lake Tahoe this christmas without family and children is just what the doctor ordered.
Marci says
I completely encourage you take the vacation for the holidays. A couple of years ago, I won a trip at work to Hawaii and I could go anytime I wanted. My husband is former military and a big history buff, so we went for Pearl Harbor Day. Not Christmas Christmas, but the decorations were out, etc. But the weather was sooo perfect and the scenery reminded me nothing of home that I decided then we were going to do that again in the future.
We also did a dude ranch a couple of years ago. Most ranches are closed in the winter, but I found one in Colorado that is open for the holidays. I have never experienced a white Christmas so that will be another destination someday.
Good luck with the house. I know it is not easy.
Cindy Fox says
Thanks for the reply and the ideas. I really need to just get away. Thanks for the encouragement.