Traditions

Lately I have been missing my family a lot. Not only am I excited to go home for both Thanksgiving and winter break, but I am also excited to carry out the many traditions that I have over the holidays with my family.

On thanksgiving, my family and I all wake up in the morning, flip on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and begin cooking. We all participate in the cooking events. My dad is usually in charge of the turkey and stuffing because, in all reality my mom, sister and I want nothing to do with all of that raw meat. My mom usually helps with the veggies  and crescent rolls, my sister likes making the potatoes and I love making the dessert, pumpkin pie! Yum! My personal favorite thing to eat on Thanksgiving is the cranberry sauce-yes I know that is very strange.. haha. After dinner we usually head to the movie theater to watch a christmas movie to begin the christmas spirit. This year, since my family lives in Minnesota and is closer to my extended family, we are going to have a few more people than just my immediate family-I am excited for the minor change in tradition!

Our Christmas traditions start a bit sooner than December 25th. Usually within the first couple of weeks of December we begin decorating the house with all of the classic christmas decor such as wreaths and lights. Although I won't be in town for the decorating this year, I know I will come home to a beautifully Christmas-y house. About a week before Christmas we head to the tree farm to pick out a Christmas tree for the living room. For the past six years we did this in about 40 degree California weather and we still complained about it being cold. Im not so sure how this part of our tradition is going to go this year, being that it's most likely going to be below zero and snowing in Minnesota.. but what great memories! We have the tree tied on top of the car and we head home. (After my dad tries to pull in the garage with the tree on top of the car still, as he usually does, forgetting its up there-creating some more memories and laughter) :) We put the tree on the stand and spend the rest of the night decorating it and drinking hot cocoa. Christmas Eve: On Christmas Eve we always attend a Christmas church service and then go to dinner. After dinner we get to open one present-usually christmas pajamas-and off to bed we go. The next morning we circle up around the tree and distribute presents-at this point my sister and I usually get in a fight because she is terrified of opening up gifts in front of people so she tries to hide.... but once we coax her into opening the gifts everything is fine! After presents and pictures my dad usually makes a pancake or crepe breakfast and we spend the rest of the day hanging out with the family and enjoying all of our gifts!

Traditions bring you closer together. The actual traditions aren't the real important things, but it's why you make these certain things a tradition that matter. Traditions are a trigger, a reason to get together. They get you in the right mind set and help you focus on the good things, the things that truly matter. You reminisce on traditions, they bring back memories and times of laughter. Without traditions life would not be as fulfilled.