When i was younger I awoke before the rest of the family on Christmas morning. I wouldn't snoop in the presents, or even sneak a cookie from the kitchen. Instead, I would curl up on the sofa under a blanket and stare at the tree. Those twinkly lights held a magical power over me and it's still a tradition I carry on today, but that's not my favorite holiday memory!
For many, the holidays are a great time for tradition. The memories can be in gift giving, providing service for others, or small things that are made in your own home. They can also be a time of big events such as marriage proposals, babies and new love.
If you had to choose your favorite holiday memory, what would it be? In my own home my favorite memory is one my husband and I can revisit every year. Our first year of marriage we snapped a polaroid of us kissing. Each year it's my favorite thing to pull out of the box of ornaments and place on the tree. It's often the last thing out of the box because of its shape and because deep down I'm a total sentimental girl, it makes me all teary eyed and I'm thankful all over again for all the memories we've made along the way.
Share your own holiday memories, traditions and heart warming moments in the comments below!
Image: Flickr member Lamerie licensed for use by Creative Commons
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Opening presents on Christmas Eve. My mom could NEVER wait until Christmas Day to open presents, so when she grew up, she started opening them on Christmas Eve. For us, Christmas Day was for resting and playing, sometimes a trip to my aunt's or my dad's house for more gifts and dinner...but Christmas Eve was always presents, and it always felt the same.
My mom died in May. This year, we'll be opening presents on Christmas morning, at my aunt's house. But! My brothers and I will be getting together on Christmas Eve night, to hang out and drink eggnog and play video games. It wouldn't feel right to open presents then, but it also wouldn't feel right to have each of us alone at our homes.
That's a really sweet story about the pictures. I too have good memories of Christmas Eve opening gifts. We always did ours in the evening before Christmas. It was dark and cold outside, warm and cozy inside, five of us excited kids. None of us would get spoiled but we were so excited for the few gifts under the tree. Lots of warmth and fun.
I really miss my grandparents at Christmas time because we used to go there christmas day the whole time I was growing up. When I was older (before kids)and dating my now husband, everyone else would leave (party poopers) and my nan would look at me and whisper excitedly "you guys are staying right?"..brings tears to my eyes even now. We really loved each others company. My husband and I would stay and my papa would open a bottle of wine and we would stay really late chatting. I have lots of other memories...with my kids of course..but this one always pops up first.
My parents would not let me open ANY present until cristhmas morning, but now they insist on opening them on cristhmas eve after dinner, so they can watch the huge smiles on my little cousins as the rip the paper. I, of course, play evil and dont actually let them open them until after 12 .... or as late as i can get away (11:35 last year, So Close¡)
Cristhmas day is spent with our cousins, aunts and uncles.... everyone brings the leftover from dinner (Just don't call them leftovers¡), meat is grilled(more food? Yes), there are like 5 desserts and we hit a piñata and skip the rope (the "adults", that is...) (my 60 something aunt still beat us all, ).
And of course, all 10 and under brag off their new toys and fight over turns in the Xbox. The "grown ups" fight over the karaoke.
Best memory : everyone sitting in the living room, talking about the year's events, relatives & visitors from far away, telling funny stories, a room just full of people, all relaxed, well fed, and happy.
I have three:
1.) My large extended family has a pre-Christmas do every year. When I was maybe 8 and my brother 5, we were at my aunt's house. My cousin, a few years older, tipped the mattress off her bed and the three of use used it like a slide and a trampoline. We bounced around her room until the noise drew the adults... I so clearly remember the thrill of recklessness and the punch-drunk euphoria.
2.) When I was maybe 15, my younger sister was getting a pet bunny for Christmas. My wonderful neighbour let my parents keep the rabbit, cage, food, etc. at her house in the run up to Christmas. The neighbour went away for the holidays and late on Christmas eve, while my sister was in bed, dad and I went to retrieve the rabbit. Everything was exactly where it should have been, except for the rabbit. Did he escape? Did the dog get him? You can't give a six year old an empty cage so we searched the house top to bottom, growing increasingly frantic for hours until we found the bunny in the basement. We got him back in the cage, hauled everything home and even got a bit of sleep! The rabbit came to be named Harry (Houdini).
3.) The first Christmas that my boyfriend (now husband) and I spent together without visiting family was an exercise in sloth. The night before Christmas we spent our limited means on a bottle of Champagne, put it in a big pot of ice next to the bed, piled the night stand with snacks (including shortbread that arrived in the mail from my mom), and stocked up on Christmas movies. When we woke up Christmas morning we got drunk on our first bottle of actual Champagne, had a movie marathon and gorged ourselves on sweets - all without leaving bed! Oh, how I wish every holiday could be like that.
My favourite holiday memory is spending Christmas in an ancient (but renovated) chalet in Verbier, a posh ski resort in Switzerland.
We spend it with one of our best friends, a brilliant writer (she had just won the Guardian First Book Award), her son and our kids, who are all best friends from school. We had to drag our 6 year old daughter off the slopes from her ski class, I roasted a goose with two kinds of stuffing, crispy roast potatoes and fruity red cabbage. There was mulled wine and strudel, a special Christmas episode of Dr. Who.
Of all my Christmases, it was perfect.
How I wish we were still living in Switzerland...
As for traditions, in my family we always had fish (it was supposed to be carp, but my dad requested cod) on Christmas eve, and opened presents after dinner. I actually prefer getting presents in the morning (less stressful), but it just isn't Christmas without fish, potato salad, white wine, strudel and our traditional Christmas cookies. (we'd make turkey or goose on Christmas Day)
This year, we will be going to my husband's family, and they always celebrate with a Reveillon on Christmas Eve -- no fish on the menu.
My great-grandfather would climb up onto the roof, lean over the fire place and yell "ho ho ho" and ring bells. Then he'd walk around the roof so it sounded like Santa was up there. I would leap out of bed and run to the livingroom and somehow my great-grandfather would be sitting there in his chair smiling. He'd always say to me "You missed him again, Senorita,". Thats what he called me. Senorita. I dont know why. He was polish.
I love all your memories!
Mine has to be looking at china with my mother, when I was nearly 5, and my father returning with me later to be certain he was getting the correct pattern. When we were done opening presents on Christmas morning he asked if there were any more, and I said no, but he said look again and I found the big box beneath the table skirt. My mother loved it, it was exactly what she'd wanted, and that evening she proudly set the holiday table with her new china. Unfortunately though he didn't buy my mother the matching gravy boat so she every year used a Pyrex measuring cup from the kitchen (and with a bit of a sigh). Well about two decades later I happened to be walking through a favorite antique shop when I spied her china pattern's gravy boat, I couldn't get the owners to sell me just the gravy boat but they made me a terrific deal on the entire set, I'll never forget my mother's face when she opened her first present and it contained the gravy boat to complete her china set. Then, of course, she looked at all the rest of the boxes and with wide eyes said 'What's that? Not more???' and I said 'Oh that's just everything that comes WITH the gravy boat!' That evening, as she brought the gravy to the holiday table, it was in her usual Pyrex measuring cup - and then she remembered the gravy boat! - so dinner was delayed for a few minutes as she washed the gravy boat, transferred the gravy to it, and proudly brought it to the table.
Rucy, that's so sweet! ^_^
Girl Jen, thanks!