Christmas Traditions

Just a warning I'm reminiscing today, so this is probably going to be a long post. LOL I tend to reminisce a lot at Christmas, today I've got Christmas traditions on my mind. It's really kind of funny, I was talking to my mom the other day and I was trying to remember past Christmases. I couldn't really remember details about where we went for dinner or the presents that I got for Christmas growing up. There are some Christmas presents that really stand out in my head like: a Pee Wee Herman scooter, an awesome keyboard, a karaoke machine, the jewelry that Andy got me the first year we were dating, and an ipod touch (which I won't really count since I got it last year lol). But the fact that I can only remember 5 presents out of Heaven only knows how many goes to prove that Christmas isn't about what you get, but who you spend it with.

I think it's safe to say that most people, just like me, remember events, and traditions that were done at Christmas. When I was growing up we would go and see Christmas lights every year. There was this one neighborhood in Utah where every house was lit up and each yard had a portion of the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2. I went Christmas caroling with my youth group both in Utah and in Idaho. And there is this one Christmas party from Jr. High that sticks out in my brain because someone got hit in the stomach by a beef stick. LOL Oh man, that still makes me laugh.

I've found myself remembering Christmas morning traditions. For example, when I was little my brother and I couldn't come into the living room on Christmas morning until the Christmas music was turned on, then a mad dash to the living room. For a while, we had to wait to open presents until my Great Grandma came over because she liked to watch us open our gifts. And there were some years when we would go to Grandma Pearmain's house and have Christmas breakfast with pretty much the whole side of my mom's family. lol

Most of those traditions were just part of my childhood and are now a thing of the past. However, there is one tradition that has followed me into my adult life. I don't remember when it was started but every year my mom would get me a new Christmas ornament to hang on the tree; Andy and I still do that to this day. It's a really simple tradition that I look forward to every year. We buy each other a Christmas ornament and I still them from my mom too. :)

I have found myself building new Christmas traditions just over the past couple of years. First of all Andy is as bad as a little kid when it comes to presents. He has been asking if we can open presents since the first week of December, his gifts weren't even wrapped yet. So since we don't have kids yet, and I am married to a night owl, we usually end up opening presents really early in the morning...like at midnight before we go to sleep. LOL That will change once we have kids but until then, I imagine we will continue the tradition. I see two other traditions that are in the making right now; Christmas cookies, and ornament craft parties. This is the second year that I have made cookies to give to my neighbors and the second year that I have had an ornament craft party. I think I really like those two traditions so I'll keep them too. :)

If you've made it to end of my ramblings, what about you? Do you have any traditions that you remember from your childhood, or ones that you still do today? I would love to hear about them. Feel free to ramble on as much as you want to. :)

Your reminicent blogger,
Jessy <3