Christmas Traditions Compilation

The mattress squeaked as I snuggled into bed. I shuffled over as far to the left of the bed as I could get. Partly to hear daddy reading in the other room, partly because I knew that in the night Mr. Blueberry Eyes would steal all the covers if I didn't.  You know, you have to take precautions against brothers who are squirmy sleepers. The street light glowed warm yellow through the soft cream curtains of Grandma and Grandpa Sample's upper, west bedroom. The wind shook the window gently. Light from Mama and Daddy's room bent around the curtain and raced across the floor. Daddy's soft voice began to reach my ears as he read from the latest Christmas In My Heart book. After a wee while, Mr. Blueberry Eyes' breathing began to deepen. Daddy's voice grew soft as he choked up over the story. Christmas In My Heart has a way of doing that to people. Soon the dog decided Mr. Blueberry Eyes was asleep enough to escape his grasp, and the bed squeaked as she hopped off to join my parents.

Every Christmas the picture repeats. And oh! how special it is. Over the years many traditions have come, stayed, or gone, but this one is a forever favorite.

Because I love traditions so much, I collected a small list of favorite traditions from my friends and family. I'm here to spread the Christmas cheer. So without further adieu, I bring you the list.

• "Cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning."

• "All the Asian food on Christmas day." 

• "Circulating the same weird Christmas present every year." 

• Opening gifts Friday night by doing secret santa… because with 17 plus people getting gifts for everyone can be a challenge.

• "Decorating the Christmas tree. Preparing gifts for family members. Listening to Christmas music."

• "Driving through Walmart parking lot belting out Christmas tunes."

• "Folding the bags to use the next year."

• "Hiking up Mt. Hollywood to see the last sunset over LA before the new year."

• "We go to Brazil and have a white elephant Christmas with our family every other year." 

• "Finding a pickle in the tree and also making Christmas cookies together. Secret Santa with friends is fun, too."

• "Every year we send our nephews new Christmas jammies and a book to open on Christmas Eve so they can snuggle and read before falling asleep!"

• "Eating tamales with my fam." 

• "Binge watching Hallmark movies."

• "Eating my grandma's lefse."

• "Reading the Christmas story before we open presents. That doesn't always happen, but I really like it when it does."

• "Looking at Christmas lights with my people. And, trying to surprise my people with things they love." 

I do believe that is about it for what I have. However, I still want to hear more, so feel free to leave a comment. Do you prefer traditions that are fun and lighthearted, or ones that have more meaning? I like a mixture of both. 

 ~TBS~