2011 MilSpouse Holiday Blog Swap

So this faboosh blogger, The Wife on the Roller Coaster, has orchestrated a blog swap.  What's that you say?  Well it's when a bunch of bloggers get together and agree to post on each others' sites.  Smart right!  Today is the launch of the 211 MilSpouse Holiday Blog Swap.

Our guest blogger is Amber Willis. Her blog is here!   A stay at home mom with four kids, and a Marine wife, Amber is an active seamstress, crafter, and photographer.  She says, "I love pretty much all things simple, because simple is beautiful."  She also has an amazing etsy shop that you can see by clicking here.  

My (Molly Blake - Blue Star Families web editor, newsletter guru and freelance writer) post will be on Kristle Helmuth's blog, "Forgot the Dog Not the Baby." So be and sure and check out her blog too! 

Kristle's biography goes something like this: Once Upon a Time there was a Soldier, and his Princess. They had plans to live Happily Ever After, until one day the Soldier was called to war. The Princess waited day and night for his return, and when the day finally arrived, she had no idea what was in store for her. Turns out the Big Bad TBI Monster had put a spell on the Soldier, and destined him to a lifetime of cognitive impairments. Follow the Princess and her Soldier as they show The Big Bad TBI Monster that he will NEVER win!

Holidays in the Military 
By Amber Willis 

The holidays are always such a special time of year. It is a time for all of us to be with our families; to enjoy each other, to eat, to sing, to be merry, and to reflect upon the past year.  Sadly, being in the military, most of us are not able to be with our loved ones; be it our spouses {because they are currently deployed or gone training} or our parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, even nieces and nephews are usually far away.

Being in the military and celebrating this time of year, adds a whole new meaning to the holidays.

If I could paint my dream picture of the holidays; our house filled with family and friends, a beautifully decorated Christmas tree would dazzle in our front window, the stockings would hang over the fireplace mantel and children would be running around laughing and playing while our favorite Christmas music plays in the background.

I am okay with my dream description to be just that, a dream. I feel very fortunate to be able to spend this holiday season with my husband and our four children. I know that there are many military families that are unable to be spend their holidays with their service member.

Celebrating holidays in the military is something that each of us has to get creative with at some point.  Sometimes, we may have to celebrate Christmas Day a little early or a little late, so we can include our military spouse in the special day. We may have Santa deliver the gifts to Grandma and Grandpa’s house while we are back home visiting family. You might wind up with a house full of single Marines who are unable to make it home. And there are those who completely ignore the holidays because it’s simply too lonely.

We all have to make our own family traditions and sometimes they were not the ones that we grew up with.  That’s the magic of being a military family; being able to create an amazing holiday season for your family. It is something that is priceless. Being a military wife and mother makes us use our imagination to fulfill the dreams of what Christmas is all about.

During this holiday season please remember all of our Fallen Service members, Wounded Warriors, and their families this holiday season. I cannot say thank you enough, because those words seem so hollow compared to the sacrifice they have all made for us.