Friday, December 24, 2010
Caffeinated Christmas : It was the night before....
I am currently writing to you the Night before the Night before Christmas and am living to tell you about it. Never go to Toys R Us on the Night before the Night before Christmas. What a gong show! Was I insane you're asking. No, not really. My husband's work purchased gift cards to Toys R Us for each of the children. I usually purchase their "Santa" gifts with these cards. Luckily for me, my hubby was there with me helping with the kids and with the decision making. I thought the middle man was going to be hard to buy for - NO! It was the littlest and oldest. What do you get a 21 month old and a girl who is 7. I'm hoping next year will be easier.
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| What Everyone looked like leaving Toys R Us today! |
Now that you know what I feel like, I think I'll move onto to our theme today - Christmas Eve Traditions.
I have always enjoyed hearing my friends families' traditions. I loved hearing about people attending Candle Light services, going to their grandparents to open gifts, driving around town looking at lights, etc... I always thought everyone else had a tradition and my family didn't. We rarely left the house to look at the lights (usually not on Christmas Eve), we didn't go to church so that one was out and I lived with my grandparents. What I didn't realize is that my family did have a tradition and I didn't know it until I had moved out of the house. My family's tradition - eating take out on Christmas Eve and hanging out watching Christmas movies on tv. I know it sounds corny, but it was great. My grandmother would be getting ready for the big dinner and just wanted to relax a bit before she spent the day in the kitchen. We would order pizza, Chinese food, A&W, etc.. What ever was close and what we could all agree on.
The Christmas Eve after my grandfather died, my family decided to get together for our last family Christmas in the family home. My grandmother and I were trying to decide what to make to eat as it was just the two of us that night. We realized what were we doing? We should be going out, so we did. We walked up to the local A&W and had some teen burgers, fries and milk shakes. It was great and we finally started feeling like Christmas.
My fist Christmas with my husband and his family, I was introduced to his family's traditions. They open their gifts Christmas Eve so that they can spend Christmas morning at church, celebrating the birth of Jesus. It was a little weird for me at first as I was used to the Christmas morning extravaganza chaos festival. However, there was something peaceful about it all. There was no yelling, no screaming, no jumping up and down. There was quiet contemplation. Something that I had never had on a Christmas day.
When we started our own family, I wanted to try to merge a little of both traditions with our family. We opened a few gifts on Christmas Eve and our "Santa" gifts and stockings are saved for Christmas morning. We also eat out or get take out so that mommy doesn't have to cook dinner before the big day. One year we found our favourite steak house because of Christmas Eve. Another year, we just ate appetizers. This year, I have some pizzas in the oven, but I may actually cook as we are having our first ever Christmas with just our little family and instead of having a turkey, I'm cooking a ham as most of the family prefer ham.
I can't wait to hear what your family does Christmas Eve. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. I will be posting a small gift for all of you tomorrow, so check back in when you can.
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- Michelle
- Alberta, Canada
- I'm a 39 year old (oh yeah I'm telling you my age) Stay at Home mom. A former Bad Girl now reformed sinner, I'm married to my Y2K guy and raising 3 great children from God. Proudly Canadian, however, missing the West Coast, I currently live in the prairies watching the farmers fields produce as I learn how God produces the fruits in me.
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2 comments:
I enjoy reading how you merged your traditions into your family's very own. :-)
Every Christmas Eve we go to the candlelight service at church. After that we head to my inlaws to eat and have the children open their stockings and 1 gift (always a new pair of pj's.)
They then stay the night at grandma's house sleeping under the Christmas tree while hubby and I (and the little guy still this year) head home.
We will all meet up again at my inlaws Christmas morning for the day.
P.S. We're having pizza tonight too. :-)
Merriest of Christmas's to you and your family!
We always open one gift...And it is always pajamas. The girls now exchange each other's gifts so they get something fun! We ate chili tonight after going to the candle light service. Of course, our tradition changes depending on where we are going to be: our house, my parents, or my in-laws. This is our third year to spend the entire holiday with just the four of us. And I love it.
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