11^th day of Christmas,

Family Traditions

We all have traditions that we have practiced for years.  Some we do consciously and some we do it because it’s familiar, what we know or what our family always did.

Today, I’d like to share a few of my family traditions.   We always opened our presents on Christmas Eve and of course everyone knows that “Santa” comes on Christmas Eve.  My parents were very creative and we always went to my maternal grandmother’s on Christmas Eve and when we got home, low and behold, Santa had come while we were gone.  It wasn’t till I started to get a little older and wiser, that I realized that every time we left for Grandma’s, Dad forgot something in the house.  It was his wallet or he forgot to turn off a light, and I began to think either he’s getting forgetful or you know the rest.

After my maternal grandmother died mom took over the Christmas Eve event.  I was 14 and my brother was 13, so we were past the Santa thing.  To this day, everyone comes to my house to eat and open gifts on Christmas Eve.  When my granddaughter, E was born, we began going to their house on Christmas morning to watch her open her presents and have brunch.  She’s 18 now, but we still go there just get to sleep in a little now, because we mostly go for brunch.

For me, Christmas evening after everyone is exhausted or gone to bed is my time.   I sit in front of my Christmas tree and reflect on all the goodness of life.  I think of Christmas past, present and think about what Christmas future will look like.  It is my time to spend quiet time to say goodbye to Christmas this year and move on into the New Year.

I would love to hear about some of your family traditions so please feel free to comment and share some of those.