Christmas Traditions

I read a blog that asked us about our Christmas traditions. I started to comment with mine and realized that it was getting way too long, so I will just make it a post for all of you to read.

Growing up, we would always go to my Grammy and Granddad's for Christmas Eve dinner. It always involved shrimp to snack on before and prime rib. Then Christmas morning after we do the whole present thing at home everyone would go back there to open presents there. She would always have a big ham and rolls to make sandwiches. The last 5 years or so my mom started to make Monkey Bread for breakfast.
I don't know what it is, but the smell of a nice delicious ham will always remind me of Christmas.

My husband's family always goes all out for dinners, so Christmas dinner is no exception. I know they do prime rib, and I'm sure a ham as well. There is so much food I can't really remember all of it. And his mom makes home made apple, pecan, and pumpkin pie. Heaven!!!!!!!

Chris and I started by switching off families staying at one place Christmas eve and driving to the other one Christmas night. But we decided its best to do my side Christmas eve and drive down there on Christmas and stay a couple days after, so that is what we do. Before we would just go straight to my Grammy's house when we woke up. But now that Zo is a bit older, we are going to stay at our house and open family presents then go to Grammys at like 9. And hopefully be on the road by 11. Get to Chris's family around 2. Open gifts there and dinner at 5. Its a crazy 24 hours, but we like it. Nothing is better than family time. And getting to see everyone in both sides in one day is pretty awesome.

Chris's family doesn't put names on their gifts. His mom numbers them all and has a list of what number goes to who. I guess they had too many snoops back in the day. lol. So now someone sits by the tree yells out a number, Chris' mom yells out the name and the gift is gently (sometimes) thrown to the person. So there are presents flying all over the place.

My family was a little more traditional. My mom would use different paper for everyone, so we always knew what was ours. Santa didn't wrap presents. Which, according to Christopher is the strangest thing in the world.

So our family is going to number the family gifts and not wrap Santa gifts. Good compromise, right?

Oh man, who knew so many traditions were involved with one little day.