This year Christmas will be a little different. It is definitely a bummer to think that we cannot enjoy our holiday season like we normally do. I have decided to set the bar very low and give this year a wash in order to not get me hopes up. For every loved one I do a drive by seasons greetings to, or for all the walks I will go on with my family members, I will count as icing on the cake.
Normally I am a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to the Christmas season. I LOVE Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Years Eve. But I could do without Nov 12th- December 20th. I do not like Christmas movies, I do not like Christmas music, I do not like packed malls and I have always had mixed feelings about giving gifts on Christmas. However My family’s Christmas traditions are my absolute favourite.
My two favourite Christmas traditions are my Christmas Eve with my sister and our full family Christmas dinner. Every Christmas/Mid December I gift my sister a well researched 2 player video game which we attempt to beat during the Christmas season. Every Christmas Eve we attend the early church service, stop by our grandparents for a fresh pair of PJs then stay up until about 1am playing video games, drinking wine and eating snacks in our new PJs. Those nights are some of the nights where I have laughed the hardest. We are doing it a little different this year, virtually, but it will still be a blast!
Then on Christmas Day we spend the whole time with family. Parents and sister in the morning, aunts for lunch then the entire extended family for dinner, all 12 of us. My parents were high school sweethearts and I love seeing how close both sides of the family are. My aunts and uncle all went to the same high school and 3 of my grandparents went to the same high school! Wild! But we all get together for dinner and play games until the wee hours of the morning.
This year will be very different. But knowing it will only be one year, and that we are missing out for the greater good, is getting me through it. Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you find small ways to make this holiday season special.
Hilary