Traditions

The holiday season is all about traditions

whether it is pulling out the family recipes

cutting down your own tree

having the same thing for supper on Christmas eve

attending the candlelight service

they all hold a special place in my heart

there is another tradition

that I have carried on since 2004

and that is 

a Secret Pal gift exchange

with a group on on line ladies

I met before the days of blogging

I have spoken of these ladies here before

some have blogs

some don't

we met on the Martha Stewart Wedding site

as we were all in some stages of wedding planning

at the time

some of the girls have been fortunate enough to meet

and I met 3 of the girls last year

which I spoke about here

every year we do a special post about

"who is in" this year

then one of us takes the names

makes the draw

and then emails everyone separately

to let them know who they are buying for

the anticipation of waiting for the package

is exciting

and hearing of the other ladies reveals

is a welcome smile during this busy season

this year my Secret Pal package

came from Pittsburgh, PA

Santa ~ aka Canada Post

arrived at the door Christmas Eve day

everything was wrapped and labeled

and I had a blast sitting by the tree

with my trusty sidekick

opening each and every gift

I loved each and every item that Stacy

picked out for me

 she included an ornament for my tree

and a special treat for Miss Molly

sitting pretty for one of her new treats!

You can see why I cherish this group of ladies

not just for the gifts

but for the support we give one another

in good times and in bad

I hope and pray that one day

we will be able to all get together

meet in person

I can see us all sitting around

drinking wine

talking, talking and talking

someday girlies ~ someday...