Christmas Traditions

Less than a week until the Jolly Fat Man makes his global delivery run - if only UPS were as efficient (or maybe they are since they basically make global runs every day and it doesn't take them a full year to get ready for them). So I've been thinking about Christmas traditions. Here are some of my favorites.

No rankings, other than how quickly they come to mind:

As Kids:

Midnight Mass - beautiful service, choir with all the Christmas favorites (except Rudolph), we got to stay up late and have cookies before service, and.... we didn't have to go to mass on Christmas day!

Reading the Gospel of Luke's account of the birth of Jesus before opening ANYTHING. We would pray & Dad would read it to us. As a young kid it was right up there with the movie/camera lights (see below), but as we got older I appreciated it, and we'll do it with our kids too.

Decorating the tree - "He who names it hangs it" game : Dad did the lights; we all did the boring glass balls; then we got out the "special" ornaments, most of which were given to us at one point in time. Mom would hold up an ornament and whoever could name where it came from got to hang it. Jeremy was excellent at this game and I was usually pissed off and whining about 30 minutes into it. Glen was too busy sneaking See's Candies to care.

Christmas eve opening of 1 gift - pajamas "you kids should wear those tonight so you have on nice pj's for tomorrow's pictures." Every year. 'Til I was 18*.

"No coffee no presents" - Mom & Dad's rule on Christmas morning. Somehow, being up 'til 3am (having to put out Santa presents after midnight mass and us not going to sleep immediately) and then us being up at 5am wanting to open presents made them a bit groggy and in need of caffeine. Once we got old enough we'd make the coffee and bring it to 'em after.....

Christmas Morning board games!!!!! Once we could tell time Mom & Dad set a "do not disturb until Nam (N = 6:30 usually, but sometimes 7). Well all three of us were up at 5am, so what were we going to do that was quiet? Castle Risk in the freezing upstairs bedroom! Risk & Monopoly were too long; Sorry didn't allow you to properly dominate your brothers; Nerf Hoops wasn't quiet (and led to fights and we were smart enough not to wake parents with bloody noses on Christmas morning). So most years we played Castle Risk!

Setting up the movie/camera lights before opening presents. Mom/Dad, really, you guys couldn't get those up on Christmas eve?


Jamey & I's traditions as a married couple:

Annual Christmas Tree Fight! I've got another post planned for this one, but I'll tease it a bit: It involves fishing line, 8' trees in living rooms with 7-1/2' ceilings, a man trapped between trees and frozen ground, lost trees, $10 differences, and lots and lots of lights. Newly married guys - a little advice, if your wife doesn't object, get a pre-lit fake tree. It will pay for itself in 3 years monetarily, it will pay for itself in utility cost immediately.

Big Christmas Eve dinners! This one comes from Jamey's family. Her grandparents were married on Christmas eve during WWII while her grandfather was on leave from the Navy. So every year they were together they celebrated their anniversary with a big Christmas eve dinner. Gumbo was often the choice, and I now look forward to Gumbo for Christmas eve every year.

Day after Christmas shopping - OK, this is J & her mom, but it means that for the first 6 years of our marriage, I had the day after Christmas all to myself. I could spend hours playing my new PlayStation or X-Box games. I could sleep all day. I could ... well, do whatever! Now it means I'm in charge of the kids, but that's OK - pancakes for breakfast, frozen waffles for lunch, and Mac&Cheese for dinner makes the day easy!

Recently developed : Thanksgiving Weekend Get Ready For Christmas! The year that Trenton was born, I took the Monday after Thanksgiving off to extend that weekend and help Jamey out a bit. We decided to take the kids down to the mall for pictures with Santa so we could give them for gifts. The mall was empty! We had Santa all to ourselves for 15 minutes. We have now done it each of the last 3 years and will continue to do so. This year, with a late Thanksgiving, we put the "Christmas Prep" into the weekend. Jamey shops the day after thanksgiving (this year I did too since her mom was sick & my folks watched the kids). Saturday is work day - get out all the Christmas decor. J&C decorate the inside. T&I decorate the outside (lights for the house & a string of snowmen). Put away all the non-Christmas decor. The tree didn't get put up this year, but I think it will next year. Sunday is relax and enjoy the day with a little work on the inside. Monday is Santa & lunch at the mall.

*From 13 - 18 it was a new pair of sweat pants & a sweatshirt, not footed bunny jammies.