All I want for Christmas

We have never been a BIG all out Christmas kind of people in the traditional presents and turkey dinner sense. When I was a kid we didn't have any family around, so normally it was just mom, dad and the 5 of us kids. I remember years when we didn't have a tree, or when we elected to give up Christmas gifts all together to do something special for someone else. When we did do gifts under the tree, usually we got pajamas, maybe a Christmas outfit and some books, maybe a Lego set. We never woke up early and opened gifts at the crack of dawn in our pajamas - the rule was reading the Christmas story, a big family breakfast, clean up, everyone combed & dressed, THEN present opening - usually late morning or early afternoon. The rest of the day would be spent doing giant puzzles, eating chili & sweets and playing games. Not so traditional, but great memories of family time together.

My husband and I have been together for over 10 years and married for almost 6 of those. A few years ago we officially stopped buying each other Christmas & birthday gifts, opting instead to spend as much money as we could possibly afford (ok maybe more than we could afford...possibly delaying retirement by a few years) to travel. In between we have snuck a few special gifts under the tree - like the DSLR camera that I got for him a few years ago, or the photo book he made for me of a trip we took to Germany (aka my favourite place to go), but in general we have stuck to the plan pretty well.

This is my baby's second Christmas (hard to believe - although last year he was just 4 weeks old, and all mama wanted from Santa was 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep and a pinch of her sanity back) and even though he won't have any memories for a few more years, I find myself thinking about what kind of traditions I want for my own family. They will be different than my own, as we have lots of family around, and no plans of moving, and I'm excited for my kids to grow up with their cousins. I love putting up the tree and listening to Harry Connick Jr. (but not his most recent holiday album), and Christmas lights outside (even if we just left them up from last year...). I definitely would like to keep the story of the first Christmas, and I think a few gifts for the kids to open will make their way under my tree. Food will also play a part, seeing how I love it so. Luckily I don't really have to come up with any big decisions probably for another year or two, but I'm excited to start making our very own Christmas traditions and memories with our little family!