Christmas Favs

When I was teaching I'd always ask students what their family traditions were this time of year. I was surprised to find that many families don't have Christmas traditions. My family has always had quite a few. Some I love and some I don't really understand. But, my favorites are decorating the tree, looking at Christmas lights, stockings and the German pickle. One I don't really understand, although I've been told the stories about it, is the "Orange Man". After my parents have scoured the Sacramento area for the perfect tree and have it decorated a bag of oranges "magically" appears under the tree. Like I said, I don't get the significance of it but this year Preston enjoyed it. We came around the corner at my parents' house and Preston squealed with delight when he saw his very own bag of Cutie Oranges. It was adorable! Another one that I started that I, myself, don't get is sleeping in a pile of wrapping paper. Every year for as long as I can remember I'd lay down in the discarded paper, after all the presents were opened, while everyone else went back to bed for a couple hours. I guess it's my way of savoring the hours of Christmas preparation before it gets thrown away. No matter why I have this tradition, I can say I've taken some pretty good naps in piles of Christmas wrap!
Every year holiday tradition starts for me once I find a tree. Unlike my mom, I don't go to several tree lots but I do bargain for the best tree I can find. I love spending hours decorating it, making sure the ornaments are put up just right. After it's decorated I look forward to the sun going down each night so I can turn it on and illuminate the room with its magical glow. Since I usually have a few presents by that time, I like to wrap them and put them under the tree, adding to its beauty.
Another tradition my family has that is one of my favorites is looking at Christmas lights. In years past we've gone to a Christmas Eve service then have gone to In n Out Burger for dinner. From there we drive to a wealthier neighborhood in Rocklin to look at the Disney themed homes. There are so many cars that pass through this neighborhood that it can take up to an hour to drive about 1-2 miles. But it's worth it, just sitting back admiring the neighborhood's hard work. This year I am looking forward to finding neighborhoods in the Reno area to look at with Rob and Preston. It's a tradition that I hope we keep going because there's something magical and special about looking at all the beautiful lights.
Christmas day brings me to my last 2 favorite traditions. Stockings and the German pickle! On Christmas morning the first person up wakes up the others then we all have to wait to enter the living room together. A massive sheet covers a row of stockings. Once the sheet is removed we get to look at what "Santa" has brought us. I could spend hours just going through my stocking alone! "Santa" Dad (and his elf helper)always spend so much time trying to get our stockings just right, loading it with stuff that we'll use but don't necessarily buy for ourselves on a regular basis. Sometimes my stocking is better than any gift I unwrap. It is hands down my favorite part of Christmas morning.
The last tradition that tops off the day is the German pickle. After we've devoured mom's Christmas meal we all go in the family room while she hides the glass ornament in the tree. It's great because she's only 5'1 so it limits how high she can put the ornament and gives us an advantage. When she gives us the go ahead we make a mad dash for the tree, scouring the branches for this shiny green ornament. I don't know who has more fun....us or my mom as she anxiously awaits for someone to spot it. Whoever finds it first- without tearing down the tree- wins a gift certificate. It's been to the movies, to Starbucks, to Blockbuster. No matter who wins I always love searching for the German pickle.
These are the traditions that fill my memory bank around the Christmas season. They are things that I'll cherish as Preston gets older and we create more family traditions. I encourage you to come up with your own special family traditions if you do not have any. It makes the holiday season that much more special!