Christmas Memories

Yeah, I am leaving tomorrow for California and two weeks with my sister, brother-in-law and all the kids....I am so excited!

So everyone has Christmas memories and Christmas traditions....what are some of yours?

Here are a few of mine:

We almost always got to open one present on Christmas Eve....and it was always a present that Mom & Dad picked out. And probably 90% of the time it was new pajamas to go to bed in and wake up in on Christmas morning? Why do I think that this is a tradition in many households across America. I guess our parents don't want us to be too disappointed on Christmas morning if we opened all our good stuff on Christmas Eve.

Secondly, I remember as a very young child (this is going back way long ago, even before my baby sister was born. I remember being at my paternal grandparents house with the few grandchildren that were born at that time (the number has grown to well over 50 by now!), and my dad would play his guitar and play Christmas carols. It really wasn't a tradition, but more of a simple memory of my Dad and just remembering how much fun it was to listen to him play his guitar and to sing with us!

And lastly, I remember many, many Christmases at my maternal grandparents house in Spokane. Those years usually involved snow on the groun, snow mobiling around the alley and back in front of the house (Grandpa in front, me and my sister in the middle and my Dad on back...crowded but fun), flocked Christmas trees (my Grandma did this for years!), and someone (perhaps my uncle? my mom and aunts aren't talking) dressing up as Santa Claus and coming to the house and delivering presents to us kids! I was much closer with these Grandparents and they made holidays so much more fun, that it was always exciting to get to visit them. My Grandma Pat still has this ceramic angel that goes on her tree every year, and on the bottom it is inscribed, "Love Rachel 1979"....yep, she's had it since I made it for her in Kindergarten.

Those are the memories that I will always remember. Of course, I will continue to make new memories and new traditions as I get older and trust that you will as well.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!