When I started this page, it was to deal with some broken traditions I didn't want broken and to deal with the unhappy feelings and very negative vibes. But as I started adding the art, I began to realize that not all "broken traditions" were negative.

**Due to the nature of the less-than-positive things that happened this holiday season, I've opted to show you the page before I add the journaling.** However, some of the artwork turned out better than I could have imagined!

First Broken Tradition: "Am I Beginning Punished?"
Early in our marriage, the first time I ever gifted clothes to Chris at Christmas he wanted to know if he'd done something wrong. His version of being punished was to get clothes because "they're not fun." He wanted toys or something he could play with...unless they're something he WANTED.

Chris saw the guitar fabric when he was with me when I stopped into a quilt shop. I found the Real Tree® camo fabric a few days later and made the two scrub tops on the sly so he'd be surprised. Seems if it's something you choose, getting clothes for Christmas isn't such a bad deal!

Second Broken Tradition: "Please Tell Me You DID NOT Get Me A Vacuum For Christmas..."
No, I've never been gifted a vacuum for any reason...after all, Chris is still alive, isn't he? However, I did get a toaster, but there's a reason. I've often kvetched about our old toaster as it's not meant for bagels. You can just barely squeeze them in, but on occasion, the toaster decides to eat the bagels. It won't turn them loose and it turns them to charcoal briquets in short order. The problem with this is you NEVER know when it's going to have a snit-fit and burn the bagel.
It just so happened Chris was home when this occurred right before the holiday and he saw what the problem was. So we know have a bagel-friendly toaster that has a "High Lift Toast Boost"...so you don't have to burn your little fingers fishing your toast out of the slots.

On my page, you can lift the bagels out of the toaster via the small tab at the top and then push them back in. If I had been thinking, I would have made the handle go up and down at the same time, but I didn't think of it until it was complete. So, yeah, I guess getting appliances for the holidays are okay...when they're something you want!

Saving The Goofy Fun For Last
Last, but certainly the most fun (for me), was this fuzzy guy!
This guy showed up from California and I it just so happened that I'd already been working on a long, vertical format for another project. This guy was the perfect subject for a thank you card for the fun package that was chocked full of goodies.
You can't look at this guy and not giggle and it's nearly impossible not to play with him. I scanned the card before I sent it off and then printed it for the purposes of putting it in my journal. It's not quite as interactive as the toaster. I almost made an envelope for the card to rest in, but I was concerned it might not find its way back inside, so I compromised with a painted envelope.

While it wasn't strictly necessary to add the tab and the word, lift, I figured it would see more action if there was an invitation there. Below, you can see the full figure as well as the top portion of the card I made.
The figure is actually a pen and looks like a cross between Animal from the Muppets gang and Big Bird from Sesame Street...

And all of this serves as a reminder that if I look, a little bit, maybe even a lot, of good can be found in a bad situation. Please, make no mistake, my holidays were very fun and joyous, but there were some traditions that were broken and it's very sad to see them go. Journaling is simply my way of dealing with it.