The True Meaning of Christmas

Christmas is and always has been my favorite time of year. When I was a little girl it used to be all about the toys, and then when I got a little older it was all about the clothes, tack on a few more years and technological gifts take the lead. Now That I am in my 30s when I think about what I would like for Christmas, no gifts come to mind. Instead I picture family, all of us together reminiscing about Christmases past. Spending time together, cooking, playing games, telling stories and just having fun while making memories. In my opinion that is what Christmas is all about, the Memories and traditions. There are quite a few things my family does, without which Christmas wouldn't feel the same.


Recently since I've been married a new Christmas Eve tradition was added to the mix. My husband and I head over to his parents’ house for dinner. Every year my mother in law picks a theme and we all come dressed up. This year it's western (I need to get some cowboy boots). After dinner we usually play a game called left right center which is always fun and then we open up our presents to each other and stay up and talk. We sleep over at their house and wake up really early to head to my parents’ house.

The day starts with coffee and breakfast. My family always gets a bear claw from Meyer’s bakery that we cut up and pass around. We enjoy eating while we open up our stockings. Each year we draw names out of a hat to see who gets whose stocking. When we are all done with the socks we usually take a little break and chat before we move on to the gift exchange. We have a Santa hat that gets passed around depending on who is handing out the gifts and we take turns opening so everyone gets to see what present was given. After the gifts we get out of our pjs and start to cook dinner. We almost always have prime rib with veggies and salad and for desert we get petit fours from Meyer’s bakery. After dinner we either play a board game or take my parents dog on a walk as a family. It is all these little events that define Christmas for me and without them it just wouldn't feel the same.

Family is the most important thing and I am looking forward to mixing new traditions with old tradition my husband and I have kids have kids. I have given you a glimpse into my cheery holiday world so now it is your turn. What are your families Christmas traditions? Please leave them in the comments below and I will be sure to acknowledge each and every one of them. Maybe it will give me some new ideas. I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. Merry Christmas