Christmas Memories

Tyler text me earlier this morning while I was at work to tell me he thought we should make a list and a budget of sorts to finish up our Christmas shopping. Just like most families, things get a little tighter during the holidays while you're buying for others. My first thought when he suggested this was that it wouldn't work. I responded to him that every year when we are finishing things up, he's always the one who has to be reeled back in.  It's just his nature. He LOVES to buy for others and is always pushing limits on what's acceptable for our budget. It made me start thinking about the Christmases of my childhood..

1990

My parents contributed all year long to a Christmas Club savings account at our local bank. Their employers would withhold money from their paychecks and make a direct deposit to the savings account on their behalf. Come November, they would get a check from their bank in the amount of their account balance. I never asked how much money they saved each year. In fact, until I was older, I had no idea that they even did it. I suppose like most kids, I believed that Santa was sending gifts for myself and my brother from the North Pole.

Our traditions were the same every year and as I grew up, I counted on them. On Christmas Eve we would go to my Mamaw Bessie's house.  All the kids took part in chocolate chip cookie making- Uncle Greg was the only one strong enough to stir the batter. We'd fix homemade pizza, vegetable soup, fried rice, and gyozas.  It was an all day event. After we were all stuffed with food and hot, we'd pile into the living room around the Christmas tree for exchange gifts and our special gifts from Mamaw. She made sure to save all year long so that she could afford a gift for everyone. It wasn't necessary but she'd be damned if anyone tried to stop her. Once the presents were all undone and the mess was cleaned up, we'd head home. My Mom made sure that we had a gift to open that night and it was always new pajamas. We'd leave out cookies and milk and try hard to fall asleep. By morning, Santa had came. Seth and I would get to lay in the floor all day playing with our toys- mom made breakfast and dad would assemble things and play with us too.

From Left; Mom, Aunt Donna, Dad, Aunt Debbie, Aunt Kristy,
and Uncle Greg. (Not pictured, Uncle Richard) 2013

Mamaw showing off some new panties! 2013

Our First Christmas 2008 (minus Harleigh)
 

Now that Tyler, the kids, and I have become a family, we include his family too. Everyone in his family has a signature dish they make- Lisa makes stuffed mushrooms and Ginnie makes bbq cocktail weenies. We spend the evening overeating, exchanging gifts, and laughing. We all play a game called Take-Away where there is a pile of gifts in the middle of the room and each person takes one gift from the pile or steals one from someone else. It's so much fun because you never know what you'll end up with. The best gift I got was a pack of toilet paper with  $10 taped to the front.

 

I'm trying to keep the traditions that I had as a kid alive for my girls while incorporating new things. I hope that my kids' memories of Christmas are as memorable as mine are.