So it’s Christmas Eve which means that tomorrow is the “big” day!
I *honestly* cannot believe how fast December has flown by, which is a LOT to say as I count down the literal hours before my husband is off in hopes that labour will ensue (356 hours and 10 minutes if you are wondering). We haven’t really done a lot of Christmas stuff this season as we have focused on preparing our house for … well just preparing it not to be a hoarders paradise. But, seriously, the month has flown by and I sit here wanting to share with you our simple Christmas Eve tradition.
Our Christmas Eve tradition is pretty straight forward but something we look forward to each year. We buy Christmas jammies for everyone in the family (no, they don’t always match because I am REALLY hard pressed to spend $50 per person on jammies that are generally not well made …) we get one treat per person *usually a candy apple from Rocky Mountain, the boys share two and mommy and daddy splurge on their own decadent treats* and we pick up a group game or movie, something that we can enjoy together.
We wrap each item, and by WE I mean I wrap each item with the exception of my own PJs, and then everything gets put into our oversized Christmas Eve box.
After service, we head home for a quick, finger food dinner, and we unwrap our Christmas Eve entertainment, we get changed and we play or watch the special gift.
*it’s pretty simple*
You see, we started the tradition because I am notoriously HORRIBLE with waiting to open gifts.
As a child I would unwrap my cousin’s gifts (we all celebrated together at our Grandparent’s house and we would usually be gifted the same things, s if I opened THEIRS and didn’t do the greatest job concealing my efforts then I still wouldn’t be the one to blame … but, I digress) because I just couldn’t wait to know what we were getting and I like to be prepared with my “reaction” incase it wasn’t something I actually wanted.
So, in an effort to avoid their desire to pre-open gifts, and as a way of ensuring that we were all home and in bed at a reasonable time, we decided that a Christmas Eve box would work for our family.
The next morning we are all dressed … well, I actually can’t guarantee that my boys will remain in their PJs because they are notorious for stripping down to underwear no matter how cool it gets at night … so we all re-dress, and we head down for stockings, breakfast, the Christmas story and gifts.
No over the top celebrations, no running to and from people’s houses, just our little *ever expanding* family and the true story of Christmas.
^^ but that’s a totally separate discussion.
My advice moms, keep things simple. If you want to do the Christmas Eve boxes then do them! Enjoy them! But don’t buy into the need for them to be extravagant or over the top, don’t compare them to someone else who may or may not be in a totally different situation from you, just do you. Enjoy your family and remember the REAL reason for the season.
Merry Christmas,
