Christmas

These were the years. Christmas has been the same since FOREVER in my family. One of the traditions that no matter how old, how many people, or how much drama, it was ALWAYS the same. The one thing that changed was the caroling part. I think when we became old enough to not sound "cute" as we sang horribly, mom decided to call it quits! I did love baking cookies and singing to people...but trust me, you don't want ANY of us Nelsons singing on your door...pretty sure we are the reason people ignore the door on Christmas eve. Anyway, on to the things that never change. We still bake RIDICULOUS amounts of cookies the ENTIRE week before Christmas. I am debating which day to go to my moms this week to bake...Usually the best cookies are saved for Christmas eve...because Santa always needed the best. After baking was finished, and dinner was served, we would scurry to the living room and wait not so patiently as dad searched for all our presents smartly labeled "pj" on them...only it would have been an even smarter idea to keep all of them in the front, all around each other. I remember one year it took an hour to find the pajamas...insane I tell you! We each hold our box of pajamas, sometimes slippers too if we were extra good, and listened to mom read the giant book of The Night Before Christmas. I love that book...I have it memorized...and I love that we have the recordable ones for the grandkids...how I wish dad would have read it too...but that was Mom's thing...she is the reader in the family with her weird voices. As we got older, we would read along with her. Not because she asked us to, because we knew it by heart! Then finally, youngest to oldest, we would open our amazing looking jammies and run to put them on! Once pajamas were on, it was time to set up Santa's plate of cookies and carrot on the lawn for the reindeer. I don't really know how the carrots would disappear each morning, but they would. MAYBE that is why we couldn't put them in small pieces?!? Mom always said because they would choke...but maybe it was so they could pick them up nice and fast? Either way...it was fun to do and even better to see them gone the next morning! This is why I believed in Santa way into jr high...because I had parents that did EVERYTHING to make sure it was a magical time of year! Christmas morning was always special. We would try so hard to sneak outta our rooms early, but dad was ALWAYS the light sleeper. You would open your door and not even .2 seconds later, dad would be standing in front of you asking what you were doing! We ALWAYS had to wait for everyone to be awake...and being the youngest, having teenage siblings who would rather sleep made for a very unhappy girl! Anyway, we could do the stockings once everyone was in the room...and we could do those all at once...making sure to stop and smile for the camera every once in awhile. Mom has these really annoying little soldier bell things that play Christmas music...seriously I cannot remember a Christmas without them...you would they would break sometime...but they don't...we have ALL tried!!! Anyway, after stockings were all opened (Because mom wraps everything in them) Then we had to put them away, and get ready for the day while mom and dad hurried and made breakfast. We were never allowed to eat breakfast in pajamas...still aren't. Breakfast was my favorite part. LOTS of food...TONS of food...pretty sure we could feed all of Modesto with the amount of food we have, but it is how we do it! It's the southern part in all of us, go big or go home! :) Last one to finish breakfast (ALWAYS Garrett) had to clean up, except he NEVER did it, it was always the girls. We cleaned while mom and dad got dressed. Then we sat waiting again, for dad to pass out the gifts. One at a time, youngest to oldest, we sat in a circle, smiling after each gift as mom took a picture on the camera. I never did understand why mom went before dad...she is older...but the rest of us went in order. Christmas lasts all day this way...one time it took over 3 hours to open gifts. Mainly because after each 5 we open, we have to take a break and go put it away. Not just set it on our bed, put it AWAY. Every 2 people had a black garbage bag to put the wrapping paper in...mom is OCD can you tell?!? When the last present is opened, we all sadly walk away, but happily go and search for a new gift to play with! We play with them for a little big, then we go to the movie. I remember one year, dad made us go out and work with him. I wore a new outfit to try to get out of the work, but he smartly said, "well good thing we have a washing machine". Dad was always smarter than me. Dinner was never a big thing to us. We were the breakfast family. I don't remember many big special Christmas dinners...probably because we were lucky if we were all talking at dinner. It wouldn't be complete without a holiday fight! I love Christmas. Maybe I should say, I LOVED christmas. I am scared. Scared of what it is going to be like this year. Who is going to cook the great breakfast?!? Who is going to jump on all of us and wake us up?!? I will be making a special trip to Turlock to visit Dad, probably take him a stocking...but it wont be the same. My whole family wont be together...really ever again. I am scared of moving forward, of trying to keep things the same. Part of me wants it all the same, the other part wants it all different. There should be a handbook for this kinda stuff.