Christmas Traditions

Growing up I think back to remember if my family had any xmas traditions and I don't think that we did. There were a few years where we opened presents xmas eve and other years we did it christmas morning. Some years my grandparents were there, more often they weren't. There was no special set breakfast the we ate, there wasn't really a set dinner for the night before or the day of. There were a few years where we went out for xmas eve to other peoople's houses, other years we stayed home together. As my sister and got older we had to work xmas eve so we were home later but some how found the time to go to church. We never went christmas day, to crowded and we all wanted to sleep in so we either went to christmas eve mass or a few times we went to midnight mass. Tim's family on the other hand has one, for sure, that I know of. On Christmas Eve everyone goes over to Grandmother's. It starts around 6p or so and goes til whenever. That way grandmother has gotten to see everyone at Christmas. You don't have to stay long, but you have to stay long enough to make an appearance and then you can go. Simple enough right?

Tim and I have started our own traditions. Christmas Eve is more for us. I make dinner and that varies from year to year, usually it is something speical that we don't get to have that often; prime rib, lobster, stuffed shells, etc. Usually while I'm cooking we start watching A Christmas Story, you know the one that they play on TBS for 24 hours on Xmas day. I miss that being over here but I have it on DVD so I get my share. I remember watching it mostly with my father. One year when he was here for thanksgiving he left and told me that he ordered somethign for me. He said that it will be around long after I'm gone. It will be something that you have forever. Yes, I own the leg lamp. No kidding, I should take a picture to prove it. None the less that movie always reminds me of my father and the times that he would sit and laugh at that movie. After A Christmas Story we have to watch National Lampoo's Christmas Vacation. I never laugh so hard and it is the same every year. I cry at the squirrel scene cause it is so funny. Then we watch something else, usually another christmas movie. I have Polar Express and Elf so it kinda alternates between the two and while we watch we drink and just have a good time. At some point during the night we have to call grandmother's house to make our "appearance" the phone gets passed from person to person and the same questions are asked each year, when are you coming home? and how's the weather over there? the latest question of course is the kid question. Christmas morning we wake up, make coffee and possilby breakfast and open whatever presents we have under the tree. We try and get the dogs to open their own presents but that went better when Dakoda was a puppy than now, he use to tear into anything for the attention. The last few years we have been going to our neighbor's house for dinner and games on christmas day. It is nice cause it takes the pressure off having to do anything and lets me just enjoy the day, which is what christmas is all about right? Well the presents help too :-)