It’s All About the Memories

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. The twinkly lights, spending time with family, and Papa’s peanut butter fingers. What could be better?

I eagerly awaited the day after Thanksgiving so we could pull out the tree and take a trip down memory lane as I hung each ornament. After the lights went up, my favorite place to be was under the tree by the manger looking up at all the sparkly lights while Christmas music played in the background soothing my soul.

We opened gifts after Santa came on Christmas Eve and my brother and I were convinced Christmas Eve was always THE LONGEST day of the year!

We would have supper at Grami and Papa’s and all the dishes had to be washed before Santa would come.  Of course, we used the fancy china so that meant the dishes had to be washed by hand. No dishwasher. I couldn’t figure out why we couldn’t just use paper plates!

Santa always came through the garage and gave each of us a gift from his bag. After the obligatory photos with Santa, we could open his gifts. It usually was a toy that required batteries and the batteries weren’t included so we couldn’t play with them.

After Santa left, my brother and I had fun handing out the presents from under the tree and we would go around the room taking turns opening our presents. Papa tried to cheat and open his before his turn. I think he was as excited as we were, especially since he never really got gifts as a child.

Sleep came easier that night than it had the night before. When we woke, we could open our stocking gifts. It was batteries and an orange. There may have been other gifts, but those are the two things I remember getting every. Single. Year.

I always wondered why Santa, who knew everything, would bring us oranges. Didn’t he know we had a fridge full of oranges that Grandma had sent? The last thing I wanted was more oranges for goodness sake!

And another thing. If he brought us a toy requiring batteries, why couldn’t he have just included the batteries on Christmas Eve? Why did we have to wait to get them in our stockings?

When my kids were little, we still decorated the day after Thanksgiving and I still loved lying under the tree.

We let them open gifts throughout the day on Christmas Eve so they could enjoy each present. Santa still came every year on Christmas Eve but we made sure Santa knew that any toys requiring batteries should have them already included.

Traditions can be as simple or as complex as we want them to be. They can be modified from year to year as the seasons of our lives change. The important thing is to provide our children with traditions that will be the basis for their memories.

My mission with Kidderbug Kreations is to provide gifts that connect people to one another. To provide the opportunity to make memories during the holidays and the everyday moments of your life.

Enjoy your holidays and please let me know if I can help with your holiday gift-giving needs.

Anne from Kidderbug Kreations