I remember being a kid and how I couldn’t wait for Christmas to get here. Do you remember?  Perhaps it was a gift you anxiously awaited to get or the memories of your family coming together with one another.  One of my favorite is watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thanksgiving morning and seeing Santa.  Back then life seemed less hectic than it does now, and we did more things together as a family.  Christmas traditions are so important because they bring a sense of comfort knowing some things don’t change.

There are several ways we can celebrate Christmas.  Here are a few that I have carried over from when I was a child.

Probably my favorite Christmas memory is decorating the Christmas tree.  My mom would turn on the Christmas music; I’ll be home for Christmas is a song I can remember always playing.  We would make some hot chocolate and decorate the tree together.     My mother still decorates her tree with ornaments my sisters and I made in grade school.  They may be cheesy but each one holds a special memory.

Christmas Eve is one of the most special times of the season.  Every year we would all gather at my grandparents house for dinner.  My aunts, uncles, cousins and friends of family would all be there together.  I was the one always sneaking the chocolate peanut butter balls – some things never change!

One of the things I remember as a child is always getting one present on Christmas Eve, they were always our Christmas Pajamas and we knew it…  I started to do the same when I started to have children of my own and have been doing it ever since.  My oldest at seventeen still gets excited when opening that one present on Christmas Eve.

A few years ago I started to let the children help with wrapping presents.  They may not all have been perfectly wrapped but they have so much fun doing it, and that’s what counts.

Make an effort this Christmas to create special memories as a family.  Plan some activities together that will create meaningful memories for a lifetime.