The Holidays Are Upon Us!

Thinking of holiday traditions this morning and how important those traditions are.  Each family should have a few they can look back on and feel sweet happiness.  I hope my boys can do that.  I have always loved Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Christmas I have to say is my favorite.  We celebrate it because we are celebrating Christ's birth.  Thoughts of preparing for a Christmas program at church was always fun but a but very nervous to me.  I never liked to have people look at me.  There was always a part to remember which was not so good but singing all the Christmas songs was the best.  I usually start playing Christmas music November 1, every year.  The holidays still seem to make even the grumpiest person and little nicer when you smile and tell them "Merry Christmas!"  Giving gifts is the best feeling!  For as long as I can remember our holiday tradition was to have Thanksgiving dinner at my house.  I think it has been 36 years now.  There have been a few Thanksgiving dinners recently that we have had at Blake and Mindy's house or at Tobias and Andrea's house.  I am always in the kitchen no matter where it is and I love Thanksgiving especially the part about eating pumpkin pie.  Christmas has always been a whirl of excitement for me. For months I prepare for that one day.  We would go to church Christmas Eve and when the boys went to bed we would read The Night Before Christmas.  Christmas morning was always the best when the boys were young.  They were not allowed to open gifts until morning and there was always a flurry of little boys wanting to get up at 3 am or before.  We all had to be around the tree before anyone could open a gift and they would wake me up all night long with a little voice, "Is it time yet?"  My favorite was to open my eyes to see someone very close to my face looking at me hoping I would wake up and give in just this one time.  Tobias I have to say was the worse.  He never could wait until Christmas to see what he was getting I found out later.  He told me he always knew where the gifts were hidden and would peek and tell his brothers what they were getting too.  He is my middle child and always VERY motivated!  Looking back on my childhood and their childhood was a magical time at Christmas.  Little boys wearing pj's gathered around the tree with that great look of excitement only Christmas can inspire early on a Christmas morning.  I do miss those days of excitement when the boys were young.  Enjoy every Magical moment!