Holiday traditionFollow

When I was young we would always get to open one present on Xmas Eve before we went to bed. That present always ended up being a new set of PJ's. As we got older and the last kid gave up the idea of Santa Claus we started exchanging gifts and opening presents the night before and just sleeping in on Christmas day. That is probably my favorite tradition, but it didn't make it over into married life. My wife is just too much of a traditionalist. And now that my sister has a toddler, it's back to dragging my a[b][/b]ss out of bed at 4:30 in the morning so we can all go to Grandma's and share the joy of the baby eating wrapping paper and playing with boxes.

I will always be grateful to my parents for making christmas rather magical for us kids.

The tree didn't get brought into the house until christmas eve. Then, two enormous boxes of ornaments would be brought down from the attic. Those two events would be enough to really get the kids excited. The empty stockings would be hung and we'd eventually get shooed off to bed with the warning "if you kids aren't asleep, Santa will know it and won't stop here." We somehow always managed to get to sleep.

In the wee hours of the morning, whichever of the three youngest kids who woke up first would wake up the other two with the whispered exclamation "Santa was here!" We'd sneak out to the living room, where one of us would flip the switch to light up the now decorated tree. It was always still dark out and the tree was the only light in the room. We'd stand there, transfixed for a few moments, relishing the sight of the tree, and the mountain of presents beneath it. Keep in mind, there are 9 kids in my family, so a few presents each makes for a big pile of goodies. We'd creep up to the tree (our parent's bedroom was right off the living room and a pin drop would wake my mother) and start scoping out that year's gifts. "Here's one for me! Ooh, here's one with your name on it! I wonder what this big one is?"

At this point, reassured that Santa once again had paid our family a visit, we'd shuffle back to bed for a couple hours and wait for the rest of the family to wake up so they too would know that christmas had begun.

It took me years to figure out why my parents were always so tired on christmas day.

Traditions? My oldest brother made a red construction-paper stocking in grade school which was always lovingly hung on the tree and filled with a peanut and a shiny penny. Our stockings never had gifts in them. They were filled with nuts, candy, and in the toe, shiny pennies and a tangerine. Another brother made a really sad little ornament made with a styrofoam ball stuck with pipe cleaners embellished with glass beads and his name in glitter. We call it "sputnik" and it went on the tree every year, despite protests from some corners.

Christmas is probably the day my siblings and I miss our parents most.

I'm still trying to think of new traditions my husband and I can start for ourselves to celebrate yule/solstice. This year I believe we'll incorporate a yule log.

Call them "holly blunts" and you've got a holiday tradition! Those would be festive too, no matter the name.