Christmas Memories

One of the best things about Christmas are the memories that are created with your family.  I love spending time with my family on Christmas, eating great food and enjoying the excitement on their faces when they unwrap their presents. It is not just one person that makes Christmas special but all of the different individuals that you spend Christmas with.

I have been very blessed to spend every Christmas with my parents, no matter where we have lived when I was little, or when I was in college or now that I am a married woman and have moved away. This year was no different then Christmas' past.  My husband and I headed out when he got out of work on Friday to stay at my parent's house for Christmas. This year my mother had Christmas eve off, so she wanted us to come up on Friday, so that we could spend Christmas eve and Christmas day together.

So, on Saturday we went to lunch with my parents and then my mom and I went to pick up my grandmother.  Ever since my grandfather has passed away and when he was in the nursing home, my grandmother stays over night at my parents house on Christmas eve.  This way she can enjoy Christmas morning with us.

That night we enjoyed driving around and looking at all of the beautiful Christmas lights that people had put up for the season.  Even though we were packed in my dad's car like sardines we had a great time!  I know my grandma enjoyed looking at the lights too!  After that we enjoyed prime rib at home, that my dad made.  Our old tradition was to have lasagna every year but since my husband does not really like lasagna, we did something different.  Note to my husband:  I get my lasagna back next year!!!!

Christmas morning had arrived, Santa had come!  It was time to open presents with my husband, mom, dad and grandma.  Ever since I was little I would get so excited for Christmas morning and would start waking my parents up at 4:00 a.m. to see if Santa had visited yet and if it was time to open presents.  I still get excited, not about Santa but just the day in general.  However, now it is my parents waking my husband and I up early in the morning to open presents!  I guess it is time for pay back, considering all of the years that I woke my parents up early.

After presents had been opened, wrapping paper and boxes put away, it was time to start cooking the Christmas meal.  This year family was coming to my parent's house.  Every year we usually rotate between my parent's house and my aunt and uncle's house.  I love everything about my mom's Christmas meal, the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, noodles, green bean casserole and much much more.  There are to many favorites to name.

So who did we share our Christmas memories and meal with this year?  We shared it with not only my mom, dad and grandma but we also enjoyed sharing it with my aunt, uncle, cousin, his wife, their two little ones (ages 4 years & 6 months), my great uncle, my second cousin and his wife. We had a nice size group of people this year.

Christmas day had come to an end and it was time for my husband and I to head back home, since he had to work on Monday.  We had a wonderful Christmas with family and we were able to create Christmas memories together and with our family.  The only sad part about this Christmas is that we lost my husband's father and mother this year.  There were no new memories to make and share with them this year but we will cherish the Christmas memories that we had with them.

I hope that everyone who reads this blog (and even those who do not) had a wonderful Christmas and that you were able to create some special Christmas memories with your family and friends.  I know that my husband and I did!

Merry Christmas!