My family has many different traditions. From childhood, I can remember the family gathering together to watch the television specials together. The specials were often animated although many were regular movies. I always enjoyed this time. My all-time favorites were: Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold, Jack Frost, Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Of course, those are just a few. Every year, if they aired on the television we watched them. I also had the pleasure of baking cookies, pies and cakes with my mom in the kitchen. The house always smelled so good. Sometimes I think we would make extra batches just so we could enjoy some prior to Christmas day.
On Christmas morning, my brothers and I would get up at the crack of dawn to watch the twinkle of the tree lights while we tried to patiently wait for our parents to wake up. More often then not, we would have to wait approximately three to four hours before they would come slowly out to the living room at six am. While waiting my brothers and I would look at all the presents and wonder what was wrapped inside each one. We would also look inside our stockings and sneak a piece of candy. Each year one of us was chosen to play Santa and hand out the presents. That was an honor each of us wanted. Christmas day would then be spent enjoying the gifts we received from one another, family togetherness, enjoying God's love among us and Christmas dinner. As I got older, I had the pleasure of going to church on Christmas Eve with friends to enjoy God's wonderful message of love.
As an adult with children of my own, I have started doing the same traditions with them. My children loved watching the Countdown to Christmas specials with me. They loved the same movies I did as a child. A couple of years, many of the specials did not come on the television. Thank God for VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray. I have since found and purchased the very specials we loved so. Now, it does not matter whether they will come on television or not because we as a family will watch them nevertheless. My children and I would spend days baking goodies together. We would then create cookie boxes to share with neighbors and friends. Part of Christmas Eve would be spent delivering cookie boxes, gifts for friends and spending time with friends and family. Whenever we got the chance, we would dress up and enjoy church service on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning, I imagine, my kids would get up hours before I did. I now slept in until 6 am and would come crawling in so they could enjoy unwrapping their presents. My children would take turns playing Santa and handing out the gifts. I would then take them over to their grandparents' house for more present time and dinner.Now my children are grown and have little ones of their own. I hope they continue the family traditions and perhaps create some new ones to add to them. What great family traditions does your family enjoy?
