Hard to believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve.  While I enjoy seeing my grandchildren open presents, I am also a tad content when it’s all over. 

If you come to my house on December 26, you can bet my tree will already be down.  I’m notorious for taking the tree down on Christmas.  I get that from my dad.  We always opened presents on Christmas Eve.   That’s how it still is for me today. Presents are opened with my husband’s family on Christmas Eve.  Christmas Day I shall take the tree down.  Call me Grinch.  Call me Scrooge.  It’s one of my Christmas traditions.

In the back of my mind, all I think about is another Christmas being a motherless daughter…this makes two now.  Yes…I am counting.  I won’t get the pleasure of walking into my mom’s room with Gracie Mae and seeing her eyes light up.  Gracie Mae loved giving her Granny kisses.  My mom would just eat it up.  She loved telling everyone that her granddaughter, Gracie Mae, was named after her.  True statement…Mae is my mom’s middle name. 

I will smile and enjoy watching my grandchildren’s faces as they open their presents, and hopefully like them.  Ha.  But my heart still has this missing piece.   I won’t be at my parents’ on Christmas Eve to see my brother, Chubs, sitting quietly in the corner.  This will be the 11th Christmas without him. I won’t get to climb in my mom’s lap to give her a hug.  I still did that as an adult before she became too frail to hold me.  I always felt so safe in my mom’s lap.  She was an angel on earth.  How could I not feel safe in the arms of an angel?!

There are traditions my hunka hunka and I do together at Christmas which I absolutely love.  I have 24 hours of watching the best Christmas movie ever, A Christmas Story.  I love waking up in the middle of the night knowing I can turn it on at any time.    My hunka hunka rolls his eyes.  He doesn’t understand the need and the fulfillment “Mommy’s little piggy” brings me.  Ha!

My hunka hunka and I spend Christmas Day all to ourselves, and with Gracie Mae.  We sleep in, which means staying in bed till 6:30 am, if we’re lucky.  I get up and drink coffee while watching A Christmas Story.  He will most likely read.  We sit in silence.  Sometimes sitting in total silence is the best moment.  Just being in the room together, no words need to be spoken.

We will shower and head to our favorite Christmas Day Chinese restaurant.  We absolutely love this meal, a break from normal Christmas food. 

Then we come home and relax.  My hunka hunka will read or take a nap, maybe even both.  I’ll put away all my Hallmark ornaments and carry the tree back to the garage till next year.  I’m kinda glad I put it up the year. The rest of the evening will be for just relaxing.  We close the day just like we started, just the three of us.  I like traditions.  Traditions are consistencies.  Those are the best.

Before I end the day, I’ll scroll Facebook and enjoy seeing all the pictures of individuals’ family and kiddos smiling brightly.  I love the twinkle in their eyes as they tear into gifts galore.   I will most likely post a few pictures myself.  Take lots of pictures, even if someone doesn’t want their picture taken, make them. (Huge pet peeve of mine.) Don’t allow someone to skip out of a picture. Moments are memories. One day when you look back, memories are all you have left. Make it count!

Cheers to traditions, old and new!

Merry Christmas, everyone!