Old Traditions and New

I grew up watching White Christmas and singing the Sisters song with my sister. I introduced Scott and the kids to the movie and it has become a tradition at our house... minus some of the snoozie scenes. We have a theater in town that has been showing some old Christmas classics on the big screen - Elf, A Christmas Story, Christmas Vacation and White Christmas! What a fun thing to do with my mom and the girls today.

 On our way out to the movie.

We had fun seeing this movie in a whole new light!

After the movie we went to my parents for dinner. I had secretly planned a mini-celebration with a yummy dessert. Remember, I love a reason to celebrate! This was a first for us, to be able to celebrate my adoption finalization on the actual date. I was able to have my adoption decree after I was reunited with my birth mom, Julie, this year... there will be more about that another day. In the decree it stated that on December 19, 1972 my adoption was final - 38 years ago today.

Decree of Adoption: The document that a judge signs to finalize an adoption. It formally creates the parent-child relationship between the adoptive parents and the adopted child, as though the child were born as the biological child of its new parents. It places full responsibility for the child on its new parents and changes the name of the child to the name selected by its new parents, and orders a new birth certificate to be prepared and issued for the child.

I obviously didn't need the decree to tell me my parents were my parents or to formally create our relationship, that happened on its own. But to know that there is an official day to celebrate, that was worth knowing. With the pieces to the puzzle of my life coming together, I am feeling more settled about who I am and where I came from. I feel grateful for this time in my life and for a new tradition - celebrating my adoption finalization date.