Here Comes Santa Claus

I always start making my Christmas wish list months in advance. I make my list as detailed as possible in order to give my parents lots of gift ideas.

You see, Christmas is not just another day in my family. We have certain traditions that have been passed down for generations. My entire family ( immediate - close to 40 people) are always packed into my parents house on Christmas Eve for a wild game dinner and drinks! We are strong Catholics, we believe in having an adult beverage when we get the family together (or on any other day that ends in Y)!! Because it takes so much preparation for my parents to get ready for the Christmas Eve party, they start shopping early, and they usually ask that I pick up some gifts for myself. This takes a little bit of the pressure off of them, and it allows me to get exactly what I want. It works out good for all parties involved. This year will be no different. I have purchased the majority of the gifts my parents will give me, and they will pay me back when I'm home for the Holidays.

My parents have always made Christmas the most wonderful holiday. They cook this huge meal (with the help of me and my brother the professional chef) for Christmas Eve. The house is always decorated beautifully and it always smells wonderful. The entire family comes over and eats and drinks until the early hours of the morning. If it snows on Christmas Eve (which rarely happens) we always have a huge snowball fight outside, we track in mud and snow and my parents never complain. The house is always a total wreck when everyone leaves, and my mom and dad (and usually myself included) always clean everything up before we go to bed so it will be nice and clean on Christmas Morning.

Christmas Morning we awake to the smells of coffee, breakfast, and hot apple cider. We open presents, eat, and enjoy each others company until it's time to go to a relatives house for Christmas lunch. These traditions will stick with me forever. They make Christmas my favorite holiday.

I hope everyone has as nice of a Christmas as my family and I do. Merry Christmas!