Holiday Blog Event: Cate Ashwood – All I Want For Christmas Is You
Andy, thank you for having me today, and thank you even more for organizing this holiday event. Christmas can get so hectic and it’s nice to take a minute or five to reflect on what a special time of year it is.
Christmas has always been the most important holiday for my family. We have all sorts of traditions that make it wonderful, but this year I will be missing out on most of them. This year is the first year I won’t be going home for Christmas. I am sad to be away from family over the holidays (although they are coming down to see me on Boxing Day, so I can’t complain too much). And this year marks the year that our little family is growing.
I found out on September 29th that I am pregnant with my first baby. So this year, even though Nugget (as my family has nicknamed him or her) won’t be born for another five months, it is filled with the thoughts of brand new possibilities. I am imagining what next year will be like when we have a seven month old who may be crawling around enough to pull the ornaments from the bottom branches of the tree (and likely trying to chew on the cord for the Christmas lights).
There are a handful of traditions I hope to carry on with my kids.
One of our very favourite traditions is our tree-decorating ceremony. We open up all the doors and windows in the house, turn on Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You and we sing at the top of our lungs and dance around the living room. We are out of breath about halfway through the song from all the jumping and dancing, and even though we’ve been doing it for years, we still haven’t completely memorized the words (there are some mumbly bits in the middle that just make us laugh and dance harder). Our voices become all screechy and hoarse, and although it’s tradition, I don’t think our neighbours are used to it yet.
The song isn’t one of the traditional Christmas carols, but it holds so much meaning for our family. We are very close, and the best part of Christmas for us is being with each other. The song makes me smile every time I hear it in a department store, and I remember how hard I cried the first year I was away at University and I heard it on the radio—I was going home for Christmas a few days later, but I still had exams and was missing out on the tree decorating (my parents did save “my” ornaments for me to put on the tree when I got there, and while I did, we sang louder than ever).
This year, that song holds even more meaning for me. I am carrying around this little life inside of me and I spend all day imagining who he or she is. What kind of person he or she will become. I have finally figured out what people mean when they say that pregnant women “glow”. That glow is absolute, unadulterated happiness.
And all I want for Christmas is Nugget.
All I Want For Christmas Is You.
About Cate:
Cate Ashwood wrote her very first story in a hot pink binder when she was in the second grade and found her passion for writing. Her first successful foray into romance writing came five years later when she wrote her best friend, who was experiencing a case of unrequited love, her own happily ever after.
Cate’s life has taken a number of different and adventurous roads. She now lives a stone’s throw from the ocean, just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia with her husband and two cats. Her life is filled with family and friends, travel, and, of course, books.
Cate loves to hear from readers. You can find her at:
Website: http://www.cateashwood.com
Blog: http://cateashwood.blogspot.ca/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cate.ashwood
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