Christmas Traditions

I find it difficult to change my perspective of Christmas. In my mind I still see my mom baking sandwich cookies and hiding them so we don't eat them all. I see candles in the windows, a christmas tree with the pine needles beginning to fall. I see the re-wrapped christmas presents my sister has peeked in and the strange code on each of the presents, trying to figure out whose present is whose. I remember Christmas going like this:



Christmas Eve we generally went to a candlelight service at our church. If you went to the early one, it was filled with screaming children. After the service, sometimes we were able to open one present. Then we would wake up Christmas morning and open our stockings which were filled with candy, socks, make-up, shower gels, etc. Then we ate breakfast, pancakes, sticky buns, crepes..... Then we would open up our presents one at a time. I appreciate that now because it allowed us all to see what everyone else got and take time to appreciate each gift. But at the time, I just wanted to open them all. After the presents were open, someone would always go back to sleep. Generally, we all headed over to my Grandma's house for a big dinner and would meet up with uncles and cousins who were in the area.



Since getting married and having kids, the Holidays are a bit different. Over the past 4 Christmas's we've been travelling. We were able to have Christmas at home 2 years ago, but we were living in Nantucket at the time, so we still had to travel. Christmas at home, is what I'm looking forward to in the future. I hope to do some decorating, have a Christmas tree and presents sitting under it. Although, the way my husband and son feel about wrapped presents, I'll have to keep them hidden until Christmas.



We were blessed this year to be around a Christmas tree. On Saturday, we had an early christmas with my in-law's. They live across the street, so we spent the day decorating, cooking and opening presents. James was enthralled with opening everything possible. He gets that from his dad. I put all the presents under the tree to make it official and when James came into the room running, he wanted to open a few. We told him not yet and he was good about it. However, any adult that came around the house, James would grab their hand and take them to the presents thinking " I can't open any, but maybe you can".



Anyways, I hope to start some family traditions next year when James is old enough to understand. We'll have to teach him about presents and not to think every bag or box brought into the house is his. I look forward to doing some of my own decorating, baking more cookies, trying new recipes and have a Christmas tree with ornaments.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

Daddy's Boy

James is turning into daddy's boy. Over the past 5 months or so, he's been very interested in spending time with Alex and doing what he's doing. So if you want to send us a present, just send us a box with something inside to put together and you will have made them both very happy.

Yesterday, James and I went to Alex's house project in Kiawah island and took him lunch. James had a great time running in between the posts and all over the house. He also enjoys throwing dirt up and on his head. When it was time to leave, he started crying because he didn't want to go. But his freezing cold ears and hands made us concerned so we left.

But anyways, here's a photo of us inside this house and one of the outside. This is house that Alex is hoping to sell within the next few months.