Santa Lucia Day

If you had an interest, or if you found something that you got really excited about, she would encourage and support that interest.
When I was little (8 years?) I was really interested in Sweden. I don't remember what it was, but I remember only wanting to read the All American Girl books about Kirsten the Swedish immigrant and Addy the African slave. Mom bought me those two dolls - Kirsten and Addy.
I started to look into Santa Lucia Day during my Swedish interests, and I think I even interviewed a Swedish person for a class assignment at some point because I was so dedicated.
There's nothing Swedish about us, of course.
That Christmastime during my Swedish obsessions Mom took me to Strawberry Bank in Portsmouth, NH for their Swedish Christmas celebrations. They had events and classes where we could learn about Swedish traditions and try Swedish holiday activities. There was a Smorgasborg and other very Swedish things. And Mom made sure we got to go to this event.
I remember LOVING it and learning about Santa Lucia Day and little Swedish cultural highlights with Mom. Like the sprite that will steal stuff from your house if you don't appease him during Christmas.
I was thrilled that my Mom joined me in learning about my interests around Sweden - her investment in my interests helped me love our day there even more.

Mom was Creative

Mom always embraced the unusual things that I was interested in when I was growing up. Whenever people called me weird or strange at school, she would always tell me that I wasn't weird, that I was "uniquely creative".
She was emphatic about this.
That it wasn't a bad thing. That it was okay to be not like everyone else, to be weird. She encouraged it in a lot of ways.
One of my memories of this was when I got into acting when I was little. I was such as a theatrical kid.  And Mom dove in head-first with me, into the theater world and theater programs I found and joined.
If I wanted to dance around, she would dance around, too. She supported the behind-the-scenes of almost all of the plays and performances in which I participated. She helped people with lines, she worked on costumes and decorations. She learned the music.
She always wanted to find the quirky joy with me. She would sing songs that were funny or new (or at least new and original for her).
Or she would find original stuff for us to try or make - she was so crafty.
She always encouraged us to be creative and not be hindered by our self-doubt.