The Christmas Traditions I Miss

Since I've "grown up", Christmas hasn't really felt the same. I've really missed the Christmas Traditions that I grew up with. These are a few that I really miss.

1. Our Christmas Tree: It was the custom in my family to go pick out our Christmas Tree on Thanksgiving weekend. I'm not really sure why it was always that weekend, but it was. The 4 of us would get into the car and drive to a tree lot, usually in Greenwood... about 35 min away. It was always my mom who picked out the tree in the end, and most of the time we would end up with something like a Norway Pine with nice long soft needles.

2. Christmas Lights: Our house always had outside lights. This was something my dad did every year.

3. Christmas Eve Present: It was a tradition in our home, that on Christmas eve, usually after dinner, my parents would have my brother and I each open 1 gift. My mom would usually pick out something from under the tree that we could play with. This was something I always looked forward to, mostly because it was a custom that most other people did not do. I liked that it was a little unique to our family.

4. Mimi & Grandpa's: After opening our gifts at home and hanging out for a while, we would head over to Mimi & Grandpa's, getting there around 1030 or so. Mimi' always fixed hamburger gravy for biscuits and her egg cassarole with sausage and cheese. All the Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins would be there... often, for some, it was the one time in the year we got to see them because they lived out of state. When it was time to open presents, everyone would line up by family starting at the top of the basement stairs, winding through the kitchen into the living room and hall. Then one by one, we would go down the stairs and wave to the camera saying Merry Christmas, with Mimi & Grandpa being last.