Wednesday, December 29, 2010

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...


5 comments:

Rianna said...

Awwwww what a cute doggy!!
Rianna xxxx

Blondie's Journal said...

I love surprises!! You received some wonderful gifts. What a nice group of ladies. I, too, hope all of you meet up!

XO,
Jane

Cathi said...

I hope you get to meet all your "girlies" in person too, someday!! Miss Molly is so adorable! Looks like some very cool gifts too! Happy New Year, Lori! xxoo :)

this free bird said...

Oh Lori I LOVE this post!! Girl have a chocolate for me!! Hope you're having the best holidays ever.

xo,
c

Anonymous said...

what a neat story Lori! I LOVE this idea!