Our Christmas Morning

This Christmas just wet my appetite for the ones to come. Although it wasn't Eden's first Christmas, it felt like it in so many ways. It was our first Christmas in our own home. I got to play Santa for the first time. And Eden, for the first time, was actually able to open and enjoy her own presents.

Christmas morning as a kid was always SO much fun to me. My sister and I always woke up at the crack of dawn to open our gifts. When we got old enough, we even started setting our alarms for the earliest our parents would allow! But in our house there was none of this "run-and-see-what-you-got-before-your-parents-are-even out-of-bed-business." Mama and Daddy always gave us strict orders to come and get them before we ran into the living room and tore into our gifts. (Hence, not being allowed to set the alarm TOO early). They had worked hard to make our Christmases special, and they wanted to enjoy our excitement right along with us.

I totally understand that now. I didn't spend a fortune on Eden this Christmas (she's only 14 months old!), but still, I couldn't contain the excitement I felt watching her see and open her gifts! It was so much fun getting everything ready the night before (Tyler had to work Christmas Eve, so I was a lone Santa) and then sitting back and soaking it all in the next morning.

Here's a peak of our Christmas morning. It was as good as it gets.

Home Alone...the embodiment of the Holidays

I was reading Jennifer Pyron's blog post about family traditions and the Holidays, and it got me thinking about some of my own family's. My sister and I are two of the most "traditional traditionalists" I know. There are some things we do just because we always have, yet we still enjoy relish the activities like it's the first time every time.

Prime Example:  Tomorrow my sister and I will watch Home Alone for approximately the 186th time. It's tradition. Every Christmas (along with other times in between) we bust out the old VHS tape, pop it in the VCR, kick back and quote the movie Line-For-Line. For us, Home Alone embodies the Holiday season, and I really don't know if we could celebrate Christmas without it.

Amazon.com

As kids, there were lots of other things we did every year, too. I don't know if anyone knows this (mom, dad, sister, anyone...) but every year when I was little, at some point during the holiday season, I would sneak off to my room with my "Twas The Night Before Christmas" book in hand. In the back of our copy, there were a handful of pages of Christmas Carols with all the words and music. And as my own little tradition, I would follow along and sing each and every song, verse for verse. It was my own Christmas ritual, and it always put me in the Holiday Spirit.

My sister probably had more of these "personal rituals" than me (or any other person alive). Every. Single. Year. (until she was like 16, I'm serious) the girl would watch "Spunky's First Christmas," a Christmas cartoon about a little puppy dog. It was probably made for kids ages 3-5, but she broke it out every year (because she always had) to get in the Christmas Spirit.

I actually did find an image for this obscure film at Swap.com. Amazing.

She also put out cookies and milk for Santa until she was about the same age and made a Countdown to Christmas construction paper chain, because... you guessed it... she always had.

As quirky and cheesy as these "traditions" may sound, they made the Holidays the Holidays at our house. While my mom, dad and I may have made fun of my 16-year-old sister for spending time making a construction paper chain, I think we would secretly have been disappointed if she hadn't.

Now as an adult, I've been thinking about how to create a memorable Christmas season for my daughter, one that is rich with tradition that she'll remember year after year. A couple nights ago we drove through the Enchanted Forest of Lights at Sherwood Forest (and loved it!). Maybe that will be one of our traditions. Obviously, I don't think the traditions have to be extravagant or costly. Consistency is the key! If you have any Holiday traditions you'd like to share with me, please leave a comment. In 20 years, I may look back and thank you for suggesting what became the embodiment of our family's Christmas season!

(Editor's note:: This post isn't meant to be taken too seriously...Christ is the real embodiment of Christmas. The rest is just fun fluff! Thanks for reading!)

20 Years Later...

I've been going to Razorback basketball games with my dad since I was three years old. My mom would dress me in my red and white cheerleader uniform, put on my tights and white Reeboks, and I'd hop in the Ford with Daddy for our 4-hour trip upstate. In the early days, before they opened I-540, we traveled Hwy. 71, along all its twists and turns through the mountains. As a little kid, I didn't know where we were. I just knew it was a long trip, and I looked forward to a few things along the way.

1.) The big Hog sign in Atkins, AR. On the side of a mountain, there's a billboard-size sign hanging with a giant Razorback and the words "Go Hogs Go!" Daddy always pointed it out to me, and I knew we were headed to the ballgame! 2.) The Hillbilly gas station. A little farther into the trip, there was a service station where we always stopped to get gas. It wasn't really a "Hillbilly" gas station, but it had a tiny rack filled with "Hillbilly" souvenirs. To me, there was nothing funnier than those knick knacks (For example, Hillbilly Bubble Bath= a sack of beans). See, you think it's funny too! 3.) The Ozark Smokehouse. Somewhere farther along the way (I told you, I was young; I don't remember exactly) there was an Ozark Smokehouse where we stopped to eat lunch. They smoked all kinds of fresh lunch meats and served kettle-cooked chips. It knocked fast-food out of the water.

And once we got to Fayetteville, there was a whole new list of things to look forward to-- shopping at the mall, playing arcade games at Locomotion, and eating at AQ Chicken and picking a toy from their "treasure chest." And of course, the ballgame (Section 122, Row 20, Seats 1 and 2). Each of these activities was "tradition" for Daddy and me. We were creatures of habit and did virtually the same thing every time (2-3 times each year).

The point is that these day-long (and sometimes overnight) excursions with my dad are etched in my memory forever. They are hands-down some of the best memories from my childhood. And a couple of weeks ago, I got to do it again. Now 20 years later, our trip has changed a bit. We travel interstate the whole way, there's no Hillbilly souvenirs or treasure chest toys, and the basketball team plays for a much smaller crowd. But the most important part of the trip hasn't changed:  the person I am with. I may be an adult, married and have a kid, but I still don't want to go to Fayetteville with anyone but my dad.

The only picture I could find of me and Dad in Hog gear... at a game in 2008.