Traditions

What are your Christmas traditions?? I've been reading blogs today and people are either doing their traditions or they are doing a tour of homes...really like that one! I thought I'd hop on the bandwagon and write about some of ours.
Every year, for the past ten years, we've eaten a big lunch at a Chinese Restaurant. It all started one Christmas when we had finished our shopping and realized we had no money left to speak of. I went out to check the mail on the 23rd of December and my Grandfather had sent us a large check with strict instructions to do something fun on Christmas Eve. Everyone had a taste for Chinese and a tradition was born. We make sure to thank my Grandpa before we eat and to think of him now that he has passed on. It's something we look forward to every year.

Since lunch is so big we have cheese and crackers for dinner. We wait til it gets dark, light the tree, put on some Christmas music softly and have dinner together. The girls get to help make the platter.

On Christmas morning the kids have to wait til it's light out...or close to it...before they can come and get us up. Everyone has to make their beds, brush their teeth and get a robe on. The Capt lights the tree and puts some Christmas music on. Then they are let loose. I play Santa and pass out presents from under the tree. Then I start cooking the big lunch feast. We aren't doing the traditional turkey or ham this year. We had a pork shoulder last year and loved it so we decided to do that again this year.

I love Christmas time. It's one of my favorite times of year. We never go out anywhere on Christmas Eve so that it's just family time. Life gets so busy during the holidays that I need time to reconnect with my own family. I like to slow us down and make a night just for us. It's really special to me.

Okay, those are some of our traditions...what are yours?? Have a very Merry Christmas from my family to yours!!!!

dawn