Tradition.

Well, the count down to summer has begun. My Christmas vacation (aka my time away from work) is now over and I am back on the money-making grind. I despise this time of year. The hustle and bustle of Christmas is over and New years will soon come and go; all that's left is this nasty, cold, dry weather. Winter is so not my season. My bones do NOT like this cold, and my skin is as dry and cracked as those horrible Michigan roads. Yes, that's an over-exaggeration, but you get the picture. I may be grouchy on this side of Christmas, but this time last week I was a totally different person.

Last week I was fortunate enough to fly home just in time for Christmas. I love those few days before Christmas. Everyone is busy doing last minute shopping, every where you go people will wish you "happy holidays" (which frankly still makes me mad, so I respond to every one of them with a "Merry CHRISTmas!"),
families are distributing who will bring what to the family Christmas dinner, and every child across God's green earth is on his or her very best behavior, because no one wants to be on the naughty list and receive a lump of coal in their stocking.

I love the happiness and togetherness that Christmas brings. On Christmas Eve my family always gets together with my Dad's side of the family, which is always an experience to say the absolute least. Dinner is served, including all of our traditional family food; -insert colorful word that begins with an S here- on a shingle, oriental salad, kielbasa and cheese, Sloppy Joe's in a mystery sauce....Catch my drift? We are NOT your usual family, we are that family people always warn you about; the uncle who is always passing gas, the cousins whose sanity is questioned, the strange cats lurking around the house, and the loud mouths who cuss, burp, belch...and any other inappropriate bodily function you can imagine. Let's just say, they've provided me with enough entertaining stories to last a lifetime. We may be crazy, and we may have faced a lot this past year, but we love each other and wouldn't have it any other way! Although most times, we kids won't complain when it's time to go home and go to bed!

On Christmas day, my family (the six of us) have so many timeless traditions. The four kids always wake up really early, because lets face it, how could we sleep in knowing Santa was HERE and brought us presents!! There are rules though.
1. No one is allowed to go downstairs until Mom and Dad say so...and don't even think about opening a present without Mom snapping a picture of us impatiently waiting on the staircase to get the "go-ahead".
2. Stockings are always unpacked first.
3. Opening presents is not a free for all. Dad and Taylor always hand out each present, and you must wait until your turn to open a present.
4. One, and only one present can be opened on one turn.
5. Tags stay on until after you try it on.
6. If you get a present you don't like, you better find a nice way to say it...or else.
7. Know that "Mom and Dad spent the same on all of you. You might not have the same amount of gifts, but we spend the same amount."

After all our presents are opened and we are done trying on our new clothes it's time to head to the kitchen where Momma is serving the breakfast casserole, which always tastes extra yummy on Christmas morning. The rest of our morning is filled with cooking and preparations for Mom's side of the family to mosey their way on over to our place. Every year we always have a big feast for lunch in which every one pitches in and brings his or her signature entree. Since there are so many of us we usually have to split up the tables, kids and adults. Ironically enough, I am legally an adult and still sitting at the kids table, which was renamed this year to the "cool table" in the "cool room". Trust me, it's an honor to sit there (Shout out to my fellow cool cats, Taylor and Jillyan!). The rest of the day is filled with lethargy, naps, and opening presents. I promise, when it comes to Christmas day, my family does it the BEST.