Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Figuring out Christmas Traditions


This year, we are trying something new.  We are staying home for Christmas.

The holidays for us are often a time of running around from this party, to that one, from this city to the next.  By the end of the Holidays, I am stressed and I wonder what people see in celebrating Christmas.  So this year we (ok, it was I - still not sure if my husband is completely on board) decided to stay home for Christmas.  It’s our first Christmas in Jackson this year!  The first thought of this made me very excited.  I can sleep in!  I can wear my pjs!  I don’t have to do ANYTHING!  Who doesn’t love these things?  But now I try to make plans with friends, and they are all off celebrating with their families.  Bah Humbug!  Where’s my happy middle?

I haven’t found it yet.  I feel like it’s all or nothing.  If we travel up to KC/CS, we have two parties on Christmas Eve, one (sometimes 2) on Christmas Day, and usually the next day.  That’s where our family is, that’s where the parties are.  I find that I’m constantly looking at my watch to make sure we aren’t late for the next one.  Sometimes that means that I’m bugging the host to hand out gifts so the kids can open them and have time to play with them before we leave OR reminding family members what time we need to leave for bed time.  It’s not any fun.  Plus, since we aren’t home on Christmas Eve or Day, we have our Christmas days earlier and have to write Santa to make sure he knows when we are celebrating and the kids are opening presents and we are taking off.

Now, in Jackson, we’ll go to church Christmas Eve and go check out the Nite Lites sometime the weekend before.  We’ll sleep in Christmas day…oh wait.  No we won’t (what kids sleep in Christmas day?).  We’ll sleep in the day after Christmas, and have a nice pajama day, all by ourselves.  I’m interested in how we feel (as a family) about not traveling.  We don’t know what works for us, until we try it!  Merry Christmas!