How to Create a Sense of Occasion

My mom has a knack for making a holiday seem special.  She goes all out on decorations, and she makes sure that all the details of the gathering point back to the reason we're celebrating.

This 4th of July was a perfect example.

At the bay house my parents share with my brother's family, we all gathered to celebrate.  When we arrived, we were immediately in the spirit of the weekend.

And throughout the weekend, we had to appreciate all the details and effort.  Who knew a simple flag or two could add such a sense of occasion?

Besides decorations, games and paper goods added to the festive air.

On special occasions, I appreciate that my mom has always added her own touch to the holiday.  It has inspired me to want to do that for my own family, to create memories and treasure significant moments in our lives.  It takes time.  It takes effort.  It often takes advanced planning. But it is so worth it.

How do you create a sense of occasion?

Nesting

When we'd been in our new house about two days, my son looked out the window and pointed.

"Look!" he said. "A bird is building a nest inside our birdhouse!"

Sure enough, we watched the progress of a little bird carrying twigs in its beak, wings fluttering in to land. A new home!  

We had brought this clay bird from our old house. Originally a gift from my mom, it was really a yard decoration in my mind, not an actual home. I loved it, but I just looked at it.  It even became part of the background after a while, not something I regularly admired.  It was beautiful, but I didn't see it as a home.

I loved that my son now took the time to notice what was happening outside our window. This clay bird, a new home to two real little chirping birds, dangles right outside my daughter's window.  We all like to lay in her bed and sleepily watch those birds.  The way our house is built, we can also see the birdhouse from our living room, dining room, and kitchen.  I like to keep tabs on them.

Their nesting has reminded me of our own nesting in our home.  It also reminds me how simple we can be if we choose. We can gather what we need for being cozy, and then we can get right on with living.  They aren't sitting around fussing with the twig placement; they're flying!  Our birds seem peaceful and right at home. I love watching them, and I love that they moved in right when we did. Our neighbors.