Little Sisters

# 53 You are your little sister's hero...

I am certain that they can be annoying. I actually have no first hand knowledge of this fact, because I have always been the baby. I have always been the little sister. But I can say with certainty that you are most definitely your little sister's hero. She looks up to you. I know this because I have an older brother and sister who I have always looked up to. I also have two nieces, one of which wants to do everything her older sister does. She wants to dress like her and act like her and be as strong as her. She wants to be a part of every single aspect of her older sister's life. My oldest niece, Abbey is very good about this. She looks out for her little sister, Sophie. She tries her best to include her and make sure that when they are with "Abbey's friends" that Sophie is included and treated with as much respect as she is. In a perfect world this will last forever... however what is more likely to happen as they get older is that Abbey will go through a phase as all older sisters do where she finds this homage being paid to her annoying, frustrating and down right inconvenient.
The older sister or brother gets to all the fun things in life first. They get to drive, wear makeup, date, get in a good fight with their parents, go to concerts, the mall with friends, college, and many other of life's wonderful adventures.
Your little sister thinks that you hung the moon. To her you can conquer the world. You hold the key to life's questions; to success and happiness. Everything you do is cool in the eyes of  your little sister. She spends her days trying to be you. Chances are she will will rebel harder than you and she will get in more trouble than you. She may even give your number to some random who might call you at 3 am looking for her. However, she will need you to bail her out... sometimes literally. She will depend on you to drive her by her crushes house just to see if he's home. You will be the first to know when her heart is broken and you will have to dry tears, provide comfort. You will be the one driving to leave her now ex boyfriend's clothes on his porch in bag. You will be the one lighting the match in the coffee can when she decides to burn his pictures and all memories of him. You will be the one who made a secret stash of all of her memories of him so that when she is older and wants to show her kids or her nieces and nephews her boyfriend, she will have one to show them.
Being an older sibling is big responsibility. Please don't treat it lightly. You may not always think its the coolest to have your little sister hanging around, but in adulthood or even the teenage years, she will defend you to the death if necessary. You will definitely go through periods in life where you would rather sell her at a yard sale than spend another awful second with her, but as an adult, you will depend on just as much if not more than she ever needed you.
It is the two of you who will be able to discuss when your mom starts acting crazy. If and when your mom turns into your grandma, it will be the two of you who are rolling your eyes and whispering every time she leaves the room.
Please keep this in mind the next time your little sister starts to annoy you. Play with her, let her wear your clothes and your makeup. Hang out with her sometimes. Make a special effort to make her feel special, even though she interrupts all of your "me" time. One day she's gonna be pretty cool. One day she is going to be holding your train when you marry your prince charming.

Old Fashioned Christmas

As a grown up I realize that through the course of life I have learned many valuable lessons. some of them were taught to me by my mom and dad. some of them I learned in school and through experience. Many of them were taught to me by my aunts. Now, I am an aunt and my oldest niece recently started kindergarten. I know that they say everything you need to know you learn in kindergarten. I disagree. I believe that there are some things that one cannot learn in a classroom. These are things that can only be learned by living. So, here it is. A year's worth of tiny words of wisdom for all the nieces and nephews out there, or really anyone who will listen. You may not agree with all of them and the may not work for everybody but each is a rule that I either try to live by or wish I did.

# 50 Have an old fashioned Christmas at least once

Growing up, we always had a wonderful Christmas. We had tons of decorations, baked goods and a beautiful fake tree, that was very reliable, but just didn't have that pine scent of a Douglas fir or a blue spruce. One year I begged my parents for the old fashioned Christmas that I had read about in my books. I wanted a real tree and brown paper packages tied up with string, and popcorn and cranberries. I wanted the works of on old fashioned down home Christmas. Finally they gave in. Daddy and I went to the Market Basket parking lot to pick out our prize tree. The nice guy who worked there even "accidentally" placed a "free" tree stand in the back of my dad's truck. We searched and search and then there it was. The tree of my dreams. I am pretty sure that the nice young man either felt sorry for us or was full of the Christmas spirit because for only $10 we left that parking lot with the tree of my dreams and a free tree stand. It was a sign that my old fashioned Christmas was going to be perfect.
We got the tree home and while daddy was putting on the lights, my mom and sister and I were stringing popcorn ( I let them talk me out of cranberries) into strands of garland. We only pulled out our most special ornaments, many of them handmade, and we decorated for our old fashioned Christmas. I have long since moved away from my parents house, but I go back there every year for Christmas and one of my fondest Christmas memories was the year we shared an old fashioned Christmas.
Yesterday my roommate and I along with some friends decorated our NYC apartment for Christmas. We put up our three feet tall tree on its table and then we had an old fashioned decorating party. We made paper chains out of red and green paper, snowflakes out of white paper, and we strung popcorn. We drank hot cocoa and ate semi-homemade cookies, and watched Christmas movies. The entire event probably cost less than $20 total but it was so much fun. everyone should experience an old fashioned Christmas at least once. It is well worth the memories that will be made.
Recommended Read: Old Fashioned Country Christmas

Family Vacations

As a grown up, I realize that through the course of life I have learned many valuable lessons. Some of them were taught to me by my mom and dad. Some of them I learned in school and through experience. Many of them were taught to me by my aunts. Now I am an aunt and my oldest niece recently started kindergarten. I know that they say everything you need to know you learn in kindergarten. I disagree. I believe that there are some things that one cannot learn in a classroom. These are lessons that can only be learned by living. So, here it is. A year's worth of tiny words of wisdom for all the nieces and nephews out there, or really for anyone who will listen. You may not agree with all of them and they may not work for everybody, but each is a rule that I either try to live by or wish I did.

# 44 Enjoy your family vacations... One day you will cherish them.

When I was five we started going to Gatlinburg, TN for our summer family vacations. My dad had gone the summer before with the youth group from our church and he loved it. We stayed in the Windchimes Chalet. It was wonderful. We were in the woods and the surroundings were lovely. There is a place called Cades Coves with old log cabins and trails and hikes and waterfalls. We had picnics and hiked. Then during the evenings we went into town and played skeeball and mini golf. We rode the ski lifts and the cable car. We ate dinner at all the touristy spots like the Hard Rock Cafe. We went to the Mountain Mall and bought homemade fudge and tons of souvenirs like airbrushed t-shirts and key chains. We went to Dollywood and learned all about her life and rode the roller coaster. We went in door sky diving. We went to the Ghost Town in the sky in Maggie Valley. We drove to the Roaring Fork and took more pictures than anyone ever needed to take. We did Gatlinburg right and we all got the t-shirts to prove it.

Then the next summer mom and dad decided that we would go back to Gatlinburg. I was only six so I was still excited about it. We went back to Gatlinburg and did it all over again. The third summer, my sister who HATES the outdoors, opted out and stayed home. Then we continued to go back to Gatlinburg.... every summer. We hiked the same trails and played the same Skeeball games, and ate the same fudge and bought the same t-shirts... We saw the same waterfalls and streams and bears and dear and picnicked in the same spots... over and over and over.
My parents could never get enough. They had found their place in the world. Gatlinburg, TN. It was their dream vacation every year. Eventually my brother, who had been my only vacation ali for years, moved away and stopped coming on vacation with us. Then I was forced to do what my sister had done all those years ago. Opt out. It took a really long time. I went from the time I was 5 until I was about 14 religiously without complaint. Then I began my graceful opting out. Mom and Dad didn't mind. They loved it there so much that they eventually began going in the fall too, just to see the leaves change. I went a few more times over the years and then after college I also moved away and it became difficult to go on family vacations. 
Now, more than anything, I wish we could all pile into our Beige Ford LTD and drive the eight hour trip to Gatlinburg. Dad and my brother Erik in the front, because he had the longest legs, Mom, me my sister Stacey and the dog in the back seat. Those were the days when anything could be solved with ice cream and doughnuts. When we were on family vacations no one seemed to have a care in the world. I finally realized that it didn't matter if my parents were taking pictures of the same things every summer, because they were having the time of their lives. Oh, what I would give to be able to go on another family vacation with all of us. The original five plus my brother-in-law, my nieces, and anyone else that wanted to come.
Cherish those moments because one day they might not be so available.

Recommended travel guides: Gatlinburg: With Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and the Smokies & 100 Secrets of the Smokies

On Traditions

As a grown up, I realize that through the course of life I have learned many valuable lessons. Some of them were taught to me by my mom and dad. Some of them I learned in school and through expereince. Many of them were taught to me by my aunts. Now, I am an aunt and my oldest niece recently started kindergarten. I know that they say everything you need to know you learn in kindergarten. I disagree. I believe that there are some things that one cannot learn in a classroom. These are lessons that can only be learned from living. So, here it is. A year's worth of tiny words of wisdom for all the nieces and nephews out there, or really for anyone who will listen. They might not work for everybody and you may not agree with all of them, but each one is a rule that I either live by or wish I did.

#11 Take traditions seriously

I grew up in the south and down there, for the most part, it is a completely different way of thinking. My grandparents grew up on farms in northeast Mississippi. No food went to waste, they quitled to keep warm, clothes were passed from one sibling to the next and then mended until they could no longer be worn. Then they were turned into quilts. Flour came in giant cotton sacks, and when the flour was gone, the sacks were turned into quilts.
I know that this way of life has long since gone to the wayside. However, some things should stay the same. Listen when the older people in your life tell their stories. Write them down if you can. Trends come and go, but it will never again be the way it was when our grandparents, and even our parents were young.
If your family has traditions that have been going on for years, do your best to keep them. Or, create new ones. My family is large and extended, but before it was so large, it was long ago decided that everyone would buy a present for everyone at Christmas. One year, my cousins all got together and tried to change this. The "grown ups" all pitched such a fit that it was never even discussed again. Now everyone gets a present, but they might be very small.
If your family has a watergun fight every Memorial Day, or drinks hot chocolate while driving around looking at Christmas lights, or volunteers as a group to a homeless shelter on Thanksgiving, these are special memories that were created just for you. Cherish them. If you don't pass them on, no one else will.
This can also include hobbies such as quilting, knitting, hunting, and cooking. Take traditions and the skills and knowledge of your elders and keep them, hold on to them, and pass them down for future generations.