Tradition – A mode of thought or behavior followed by a people continuously from generation to generation.
This holiday season I have embarked on a quest, journey, state of mind, call it what you want, but I pointed my compass to an uncharted course and prayed. This notion came to me in August. After my fourth trip home for family events and friend’s gatherings, I was literally exhausted. Don’t get me wrong my “people” mean everything to me and I wouldn’t have missed one of these trips for the world. But the summation of vacation plus travel for personal reasons did not compute to a positive relaxation outcome. It was then I decided that for the jolly holiday I was going to change my narrative. Is 2025 the year without Jacky Claus?
I am a nostalgic person with a deep love of generation and historical traditions. Heck, The Year Without a Santa Claus is one of my favorite Christmas classics. Give me Bing singing White Christmas, eggnog and a fireplace any day. Leaning into this new concept my mind flashed back to my earliest Christmas memories.
I was a very blessed little girl. I grew up in a world of holiday magic. My grandparents lived within a stone’s throw of our home. Grand Christmas Eve’s and candlelight midnight service at Bethel Lutheran with my mother’s family. Oh the memories of my cousin Stacy and I in matching dresses and one of Grandma Roberta’s tinsel inspired corsages. We were fabulous before we could spell the word. Christmas morning with my mom and dad was full of Santa sprinkles. My brother Johnny and I would sneak out first to see if our handmade, felt stockings were full to the brim with treasures galore from Ole Saint Nick. Then off to Pop Coon’s house we traveled. Here the living room looked like Santa’s Workshop exploded. We all waited as patiently as we could, for Pop to have his breakfast and one more cup of coffee so the main event could take place. Once he gave the nod, the giving began.
Then I thought about my three kids. Nolan, Kayla and Lilly encompass for me all that is good in the holiday season. We embraced our family habits while creating our own new sparkle. From creating a “theme” each year for our décor and packages to creating the Island of Mis Fit Toys, welcoming anyone who needed a place to land on Christmas Day, this season has always been a time of family. They have and still bring me joy of being their Santa. Nothing brings warmth to this mom’s heart than when I see those three smiling, sleepy faces posed under my tree.
This past year, two of my children got engaged. With weddings on the horizon for 2026, the change in our norm was getting clearer. They now have not only their future spouse’s kin but the family they will be building together. My days as being the grand master of the North Pole would be shifting. It was their turn to take the memories and traditions and morph them into their story.
Change is tough at any time, but the holidays can feel like you lost your best pal when the course of action is altered. I knew that I could not sit in Indiana with Tod and Louie and find joy in the same way as I had done for years. Putting on my thinking cap, I devised a pretty solid plan. If I went on a trip (Merry Christmas to me) to a location I have always dreamed of visiting, I would stand a good chance of not being too regretful come the morning of December 25th. So here we are today, writing poolside in Key West, Florida.
What I miss. There are a few staple moments I miss this year. Going with my Dad and daughters to the Templeton Cemetery to make Christmas boughs, rates right at the top of the list. Watching my father walk the property telling stories to the girls about family and friends never gets old. And we always get lunch courtesy of Papa Coon, double score.
I will miss my mother bustling around as she declares, “ I am never hosting another holiday meal”. All the while pulling out eight pounds of butter, frozen baked goods, a non-stop supply of bubbles and just maybe a frozen lasagna (because God forbid) we run out of food. (For the record she had fifteen around her table on Christmas Eve and will gather double that in the coming days.) At the end of the evening mom sits exhausted with pure bliss across her face, a glass of wine in her hand, cherishes her family and her heart is full. Odds on bet she will be hosting another full house come next season.
And of course I will miss my true loves, Nolan, Kayla and Lilly. The girls and I celebrated with early cheer, complete with a nice dusting of snow, in Indiana a few weeks ago. They all had new Christmas jammies to wear last night. As my children begin to write their own holiday story and choosing their narrative, I feel blessed to have them as the center of my novel.
What is my takeaway after five days in the tropics, miles from my norm. I will borrow some lines from a few of my favorite writers, Dr Seuss and Mel Robbins. What we learned from the Grinch is that Christmas is a feeling and that my friend can be found in your heart, no matter where you rest your head on December 24th. It came just the same, the spirit of the season is alive in your heart and can always be found, you just have to look. Taking a page out of my new go to book “Let Them” by Mel Robbins, I am letting everyone in my orbit do their thing this Christmas. And I am letting me enjoy my memories, the peace of the moment and smiling every time I get a photo that shows my kids under their tree taking a page from our past and spinning into their future.
Did I start a new tradition this year, time is yet to tell. But my final lesson learned is that the message of the advent are firmly planted in my soul. Little Jacky Coon was always mesmerized by the advent wreath. There was a gentleman by the name of Jimmy Holloway at Bethel Lutheran, who would make in my eyes the most grand, beautiful, decadent wreath in all the land. Every Sunday I cherished watching each of the candles be lit, one by one, pure magic. Later I learned that each candle represented a belief; hope, peace, joy, and love. No truer words encompass today and all that make up this time of year. This holiday season may you find peace in the time spent with loved ones, joy in the celebration, hope for a better tomorrow and love that fills you from the tip of your toes to the top of your nose. Merry Christmas – Love Jacky Claus
“All I want for Christmas is a real good tan,
take me to the Islands put my feet in the sand,
rockin’ to and fro with the rhythm of the ocean.
singin Silent Night with the palm trees ablowin’.” – Kenny Chesney
a little bit about a lot of things 
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