Fiction, Food, and French: December 2016

Saturday, December 3, 2016

Christmas Trash™

So it's December, you know what that means! HAPPY HOLIDAYS! While this blog post won't be highlighting all the December holidays, I just want to wish everyone who celebrates any holiday during this month to have a wonderful time doing so this year. Gods above know we need it.

Since I was a baby I have been celebrating Christmas. Now, I never really made a connection between the festive holiday and the religious holiday. I always felt that they were separate. My young brain (even though I went to church as a child) just thought the two happened to land on the same day. I mean, it's not Jesus who brings the presents, it's Santa Claus. So, for me, Christmas has never been religious. Instead, it was just a holiday where I got presents, watched Christmas movies, and spent time with family.

My Christmas traditions have been simple. Decorate with multiple toys, figurines, a tree with a plethora of ornaments (not just the simple ones but A TON of fun ones), singing Christmas music all month long, and watching the classic children's movies (which I still watch today for a nostalgic feel). On the actual night of Christmas Eve, I would go with my sister and mother (on even years) to my Uncle and Aunt's house where that side of the family would have a small get-together and exchange some presents (most weren't allowed to be opened until the next morning). If it was an odd year, my sister and I would be at my father's, where another family Christmas party would ensue. When we got home or all the family would leave, we would set a plate of cookies and a glass of milk by the tree. (Chocolate chip at dad's house, Oreos at mom's house). Next, we would place some carrots for the reindeer. My sister and I checked the 'Tracking Santa Claus' website, and get nervous that he would bypass our home if we were still awake when he got too close to our home. So we'd quickly go to sleep and await the next morning to come.

tbh this is my EXACT face on Christmas morning.

When we woke up, it was holding back screams of excitement. My sister and I would carefully tiptoe past the bedrooms and into the living room, where all the presents would await us. We weren't the type to run into our parent's bedrooms, instead, we would sit and stare for a while, soaking it all in. Eventually, our mother or father and step-mother would come in and let us open presents. It was always fun to dump out our stockings and pile up all our little treasures, and then rip open all the paper and boxes to reveal the larger presents. My father used to tell me, when I inquired about why Santa never wrapped the presents he left at his house, 'He wraps the ones he leaves at your mom's. Then he gets tired and doesn't wrap the one's for our house.' to which I replied:

'That doesn't seem fair.' but I didn't care that much. Around ten in the morning (it was always ten so my sister and I could remember) we would leave whoever's house we were at, to be dropped off at the other's and open the presents there. It was like two Christmases in one! I used to think I was so spoiled with that. After that, we would be brought to other family member's home that we had not seen before Christmas to get more presents and food and quality time. But let's face it, child me didn't care about the formalities of family bonding. I just wanted my dang gifts!

After all that, my sister and I would return to our mom's home. Then we would collect all our gifts and hurry them into our room for security and enjoyment. The gift cards were spent within the next week and most of the candy was eaten the next day.

I am so excited every year for Christmas because it is filled with such happy memories for me and love and family and friends. I can't wait to sleep on the 24th and wake again on the 25th to this nostalgic holiday for me. This year it will be more special with Kaden. Let me know some of your traditions on Christmas and if any of yours matches mine! (I'm sure they will I mean, I had a pretty basic list of traditions here).