One tradition my family and I have always done since my brother and I were little... I wonder. Could it be.. yes, it would be. My brother and I waking up at 5am, go jump on mom and dad's bed, wake them up, and then head on downstairs to see what Santa brought us. However, when we were really little, we used to sleep in my bed because we wanted to wait until 5am "together". And, it's usually us waking my mom up. My dad sleeps on the couch. But of course, this is the most important tradition above all. I can't believe many of you forgot that.

In all seriousness, our traditions have changed over the years due to newborns in the family, grandchildren, etc etc. What used to happen was Christmas Eve, our family would go have dinner and open presents with my dad's side of the family. The three siblings from my Grandma Cassell (my dad's grandma), which were Grandma Bess (my grandma), Uncle Guy, and Aunt Jacque, would switch off every 3 years with having dinner at their house. After my grandma didn't have a house anymore and could not host the dinner, my Aunt Jacque took her years over, and now my cousin Kim does hers, now that she's passed away. But NOW, we still do eat with them as if it's Christmas Eve, but because my Aunt Jacque has 2 new grandchildren they like to be with on Christmas Eve (they live out of town) we eat with all of them the Sunday before Christmas Day. So this year, that's December 19th.

On Christmas morning, we wake up at 5, see what Santa brought us, fall asleep downstairs until about 8 or 9, wake up, and open other gifts. Gifts between my brother and I, and gifts for my parents from my brother and I. Then, sometime Christmas morning, we head down to my grandmother's house. Eventually, sometime that night, or the next night, or whenever everybody is free (since it's a Saturday this year, it'll be interesting when we actually get together for the dinner) we'll have a Christmas dinner with my mom's side of the family and open presents later that night. We usually stay down there a few extra nights.. just because we love it.

When we were little, my grandparents would come up either Christmas Eve or early Christmas morning (I forget, now that I think about it..). My grandmother and my dad would battle in the kitchen trying to fix us a biiiiiig breakfast. My uncle, his wife, his kids, my Grandma Bess, and maybe a few more people, and us would all have breakfast together, and then open gifts between eachother. We'd save the gifts from my grandparents (mom's parents) and us for that night. Then they'd all leave, and we'd all go back down to my grandparents' house. That night (when our schedules were less hectic) we'd go over to my uncle's house to have dinner. All I remember from those were those NASTY baby corns my uncle always wanted me to eat, and my great-grandfather who would always crack me up when he spoke.

Sigh, I miss the good ole days, when people were less frantic about their schedules. I wish my grandfather, Dandy, was still alive. He knows how to keep the Christmas spirit alive.. sadly, this will be the first Christmas without him. This past Thanksgiving was the first Thanksgiving without him. That's all I've ever known, that's all my mom's ever known. It's sad, very sad. And everytime I sit down to make my Christmas list out for people I need to buy for, I always put "Dandy" and list things he'd want or might want.. then it dawns on me. :*(