There is something very magical about December festivities that I simply love repeating every year.
Every December 1st my best friend and I (and consequently, my family members) begin our Christmas activities. We begin the day with blasting Christmas music and then rushing off to the local grocery store for food. The rest of the day is filled with baking and one or two classic Christmas movies.
Throughout the rest of the month I follow through with other Christmas traditions that my family and I have conjured up over the years.
There's the tradition of putting up our Christmas tree. Every year my family and I make our tree come alive and look beautiful while watching Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story. Every year my brother and I argue with each other about who got to put up the Angel the year before.
Other traditions fill the month of December... ice-skating, Christmas caroling, special movies watched, driving around with the family looking at Christmas lights, Christmas wrapping...
I love Christmas Eve and Christmas Day's traditions especially. Christmas Eve is always held at my house with my dad's family coming over. I love this night so much. It is filled with such anticipation and excitement for the next day.
Every year my older cousins come over at around 8 p.m. and it isn't until around 11 p.m. that we eat as we must wait for my dad to come home from work. My dad has a very demanding job at this time of year and he's got many customers to please on the 25th! By the time he gets home, we are cozied up by the fire in the family room, most likely watching Home Alone or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. After a delicious meal and my brother's nagging, we finally open up our cousins' Christmas presents, as they open ours. This night is so special and usually ends around 3 am.
The next morning is probably the most traditional day of the year for my family... and I love it! My brother and I (to this day... even though we're probably too old) run into my parents room and urge (by urge I mean jump on bed) and plead with my parents to wake up. After much too much convincing, the two finally agree.
They brush their teeth and put on their house coats and slippers (my brother and I had done this what seems like hours ago) and make their way downstairs as us kids wait on the top stair. My parents walk up to the family room and continue to say "Oh my goodness! No!" "Wow! I can't believe Santa didn't come this year!" This use to worry my brother and me when we were little, but we now just play along. After much preparation (quickly making coffee and hot cocoa) my mom finally tells us we can come up to the family room.
We run down the stairs and up another flight only for our jaws to drop at the beauty which is our family room. Our stockings are stuffed and brightly wrapped boxes and bags fill the room as the fire is blazing. While the presents surely are eye-catching, it is my parents faces which I enjoy most. I love seeing the excitement and cheer spread across their faces - they look just like kids themselves!
The rest of the day is filled with laughing, cooking, playing and watching movies... Then, finally we meet with my mom's side of the family. This is always a very merry time. Hugs, kisses, smiles and laughs are shared amongst usually 12 - 15 of us. The food is always absolutely delicious and the company is always precious.
Yes, Christmas surely is a time filled with many beautiful traditions that I hope to always keep forever. What are your December traditions?
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