The Eve

My mother is Swedish.  It used to be our tradition from the time I was old enough to know it, until I was about 20 that we had our holiday meal on Christmas Eve and we opened presents after...  In Sweden, Saint Nicholas comes to your house via the door to actually hand deliver the gifts to everyone.  (Now, I would imagine that's a bit harder with 5 year olds using texting devices. "Santa here.  Got 2 go!" with the other child realizing Santa just got to his house, too!)  Anyway, that was what we did.  All the family came over to our house and my mom cooked and as kids we excitedly waited till it was dusk to begin asking if we could open presents yet.

Then something changed.  My sister had everyone to her house one year.  Then my brother and his wife at their beautiful new home...  Then my other brother in Montgomery.  Suddenly, the tradition was gone.  My niece, Renee, and I have tried over the years to revive it without luck.  After my father died, there seemed to be no chance that it would ever revert to the old ways.  (Not to say that he was a big fan of everyone over at his house, anyway!)  My mom's rarely at home.  She doesn't want the hassle.  My brothers both live far off.  One nephew is grown and has to visit his dad and that family, and then probably has a girlfriend to visit with.  Another nephew we just never know where he is or when he'll be around.  Renee, who I think will always be around with me on the Holidays, now has a family of her own to make Christmas memories with - not that I won't be a part of that, but you get what I'm saying...  There just seem to be all these reasons why not.

I never thought I'd be so nostalgic over Christmas.  I truly miss that time when everyone was there.  Now that I'm grown and don't care (so much) about the gifts, and find that it's truly more about the getting together and seeing everyone be happy, I realize how terribly I will miss that that how much I really appreciated it even as a kid.

So here's to traditions.  Here's to families.  Here's to everyone being with everyone else.  Here's to holiday happiness.