Collecting Memories

Family traditions are very important to my husband, Terry, and I, especially at Christmas.  One of our favorite traditions is to take a trip on the Polar Express (the train from Elgin to Chicago) to see the Christmas lights and Macy's Windows in Chicago.

Every year Terry and I return to the Frozen Tundra to see our family and the lights.  Nothing feels more like Christmas than frostbite and ice roads (lol just kidding.)  But as much as I hate the cold our love for this tradition is strong enough to endure what every the Windy City has to throw at us:)

Here are some of my favorite shots from the 2014 adventure to a Chicago Christmas:

Holiday Traditions; Christmas in Chicago 2013

2013 property of Colleen Cornelius

Traditions are very important to my husband and I especially around the holiday season.  We have started many since we first began dating and because Terry is from the Chicago area many involve visiting that frozen tundra around Christmas. 

One of my favorite traditions is visiting the Macy's windows. Provided that the weather isn't insane we are usually able to make this date each year. 

First we hit the train in Elgin IL to take a scenic trip into the city; on the way we enjoy the beautiful lights decorating each of the small towns along the way.  Once there, we visited the Great Hall inside the Union Station:


2013 property of Colleen Cornelius

2013 property of Colleen Cornelius

2013 property of Colleen Cornelius

2013 property of Colleen Cornelius

 Then finally a brisk and very chilly walk to our destination;  the Macy windows:
 


2013 property of Colleen Cornelius

2013 property of Colleen Cornelius

2013 property of Colleen Cornelius

2013 property of Colleen Cornelius

2013 property of Colleen Cornelius

2013 property of Colleen Cornelius

2013 property of Colleen Cornelius

2013 property of Colleen Cornelius

2013 property of Colleen Cornelius

I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and you have a Blessed New Year!

I Dream Of Macy's Christmas Windows

We often hear about family traditions and I certainly talk a lot about them, but I have realized that over the years I have developed several of my own personal traditions.  I am sure many of us have those things that we just have to do every year or so and they are often called habits or something else but most are really traditions.  I love my traditions and have been faithfully celebrating and finding these every year on my own.

I've been married before and, of coursed, lived with my parents when I was growing up; I never thought much about how they would say I was boring for wanting to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.  Not a soul in my network thought it would be fun to watch It's A Wonderful Life for the 50th time but I faithfully watched my old movies every year, even as a kid.  I didn't even think much about how people would dismiss my desire to see the Macy's Christmas windows and they were disgusted to even think of going into the city just to see the lights.  But I still, to this day, watch old Christmas movies right after Thanksgiving and I still love the parade and I dreamt every year of going to see, first hand, the Macy's windows; that is until a few years ago. 

My first holiday with my husband, Terry, started with some challenges; I had just moved across the country and had mixed emotions about the coming Christmas season.  I missed my children and it since we just moved couldn't fly back to see them.  It was also a huge cultural adjustment.  The differences were more than I had expected since we were still in the US and I hadn't moved to a new country for Pete's sake. While I was a little sad in the beginning I soon discovered something truly amazing about us as a couple.

I hadn't shared with Terry my little traditions because over the years you just become so used to friends and family thinking they are strange or hokey you stop mentioning them.  As I made plans for Thanksgiving that year he mentioned watching the parade, what!?   I almost thought I didn't hear him right.  We started talking about how everyone always thought we were silly for watching the parade ever year and how we remained steadfast despite having to watch it by ourselves.  For the first time Terry and I watched the Macy's parade with someone willing and excited to join us in our personal traditions.

'Holiday traditions...Here Comes Santa Clause' by postcardsintheattic

The Macy's Parade and Christmas windows are a huge part of my holiday traditions.

Santa Claus And His Elf... valsphotoart $30.00	Santa balloon at Macy&#... RobertPLangdon... $3.50	Even More MACY's TH... KreativeStiles $20.00	2.25" Magnets-Macy... rogueradish $16.00
Chicago Holiday Scene C... ArtdeJoie $2.95	Macy's Day Parade- ... JRoseArt $6.00	Fine Art Photography - ... MarcysPlaygrou... $15.00	Vintage Marshall Fields... mammothcurios $400.00
Fine Art Print Reproduc... GwenMeyerson $18.00	Original 1935 New York ... ryder $16.00	Vintage Gold Key Comics... CharmingPony $2.50	Santa Animal Parade wit... LoriCrossStitc... $200.00
Polymer Llamas Waiting ... Llamatique $30.00	Wall Art. Winter Parade... cagneyandfrien... $11.20	Spray Gun & Tin Man Col... moregood $4.00	Believe- Christmas in N... MelissaLoraine $8.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

H2 style="FONT-FAMILY: sans-serif; MARGIN-LEFT: 10px; FONT-SIZE: 16px">'Holiday Traditions...Christmas classics' by postcardsintheattic

My favorite classic Christmas movies

White Christmas Recycle... Momsmedia $8.00	Vintage Movie Poster - ... VintageCanadia... $99.99	Magnet- Miracle on 34th... CrossEyedCatGi... $3.50	Miracle Ornament ThreeDegrees $4.00
Chevy Chase National La... DonnasCraftsnC... $3.99	Is Rusty Still in the N... omghidanielle $1.00	George Lassos the Moon ... teaessare $15.00	Scrabble Tile Pendant ... ziggles $5.95
How the Grinch Stole Ch... BubbleRoll $14.99	Grinch Steals the Chris... createhumankin... $24.00	1958 Rudolph The Red No... TheIDconnectio... $15.00	Christmas Classic "... anamgifts $16.50
Vintage A Charlie Brown... ALLTHINGSSNOOP... $7.50	Charlie Brown Christmas... noteableart $15.00	The A Christmas Story M... nukes $1.00	A Christmas Story VHS t... sallysSerendip... $5.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

During that first year I found that we both love It's A Wonderful Life, Miracle On 34th Street, and National Lampoon's Christmas; we watch them every year at least once.  Every year we decorate our tree and home the day after Thanksgiving and take it down the day after New Years.  And best of all my dream to see the Macy's Christmas Windows did not seem silly to him at all.  The very next Christmas he took me to Chicago to see their Macy's windows, until then I thought it was only done in New York City. 

My personal traditions have been so important to me that I didn't give them up even if I had to do them by myself and even face a little teasing. My traditions help me get into the Christmas spirit and simply made me feel good. But now these traditions are so much more important to me because they are no longer just my personal ones but they are true family traditions.

Happy Holidays

This years Macy's Windows