Until my daughter was born, my family celebrated Christmas by going to my parents home on Christmas Eve, then back Christmas morning to open gifts and a wonderful turkey dinner on Christmas evening. My daughter was the first grandchild & when she arrived, I made sure everything changed.
To make sure my daughter could put out her milk & cookies for Santa before retiring to her own bed, Christmas Eve celebrations moved to my home. Since my daughter was born in early February, her first Christmas she was already walking. My family would arrive at my place around 7 p.m. so they could spend some time with my daughter before she went to bed. I would prepare Chinese dumplings, meatballs, smoked oysters & other finger foods for everyone to snack on. We weren’t a large family – it would be my parents, my maternal grandmother, my sister & her boyfriend, me & my boyfriend (who later became my first husband). Everyone would generally stay until midnight because they were due back at my place by 8 a.m. to see my daughter open her gifts.
I would clean up, grab a quick sleep & get back up again to make sure the coffee was made when everyone arrived. We were lucky because my daughter always loved sleeping late & Christmas morning was no different. Her daycare was just next door to me, so I always had the luxury of leaving her sleep, wrapping a blanket around her & dropping her off at daycare where my friend put her to bed so she would wake up naturally. Everyone could arrive Christmas morning & have at least their first cup of coffee before I would go in & wake my daughter to come open her gifts. No one had to miss any part of her enjoyment of Christmas.
My daughter was the only grandchild for over 5 years so she was always able to have her whole family with her Christmas morning. When I got married, my first husband’s family celebrated on Christmas Eve, so we changed our celebrations so we could spend time with her other grandparents when they celebrated & still have Christmas morning with my parents.
Unfortunately, with divorce & moving, I don’t see any of my family anymore at Christmas. My parents, my sister and her 3 sons still spend Christmas together. My daughter has just recently moved back to Wpg. so she may be included in some of their celebrations. Her father always lived in Wpg. so she has remained close to his family.
However you celebrate this season, I hope you have a wonderful time with family & friends.
behindthemaskofabuse
Dec 24, 2013 @ 03:04:22
I hope you have a peaceful and restful Christmas too. 🙂
LikeLike
benzeknees
Dec 24, 2013 @ 10:56:47
Thank you Zoe! Best to you, hubby, Pickles & Lowryder!
LikeLike
behindthemaskofabuse
Dec 24, 2013 @ 11:53:28
Thank you and to you both or all!
LikeLike
Angie
Dec 24, 2013 @ 04:29:34
Beautiful post, I hope you have a Wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!!!
LikeLike
benzeknees
Dec 24, 2013 @ 10:57:21
Thanks Angie! Merry Christmas to you & your family too!
LikeLike
Twindaddy
Dec 24, 2013 @ 07:43:27
Merry Christmas!!
LikeLike
benzeknees
Dec 24, 2013 @ 10:57:48
Same to you & your family Twindaddy!
LikeLike
pouringmyartout
Dec 24, 2013 @ 07:51:59
I wish you all the best, my friend!!!
LikeLike
benzeknees
Dec 24, 2013 @ 10:58:36
Same to you Art! Give Willie a big smooch from me! Merry Christmas to you & your family!
LikeLike
pouringmyartout
Dec 24, 2013 @ 11:29:38
I will do that…
LikeLike
El Guapo
Dec 24, 2013 @ 09:44:47
Hope you and Kelvin have a great christmas, and get to spend time on the phone to everyone else!
LikeLike
benzeknees
Dec 24, 2013 @ 10:59:28
We’re hoping for some Skype time too! Merry Christmas to you & TMWGITU!
LikeLike
bearmancartoons
Dec 24, 2013 @ 12:01:17
Merry Merry
LikeLike
benzeknees
Dec 24, 2013 @ 16:17:04
Thank you Bearman! Same to you & your family!
LikeLike
John Erickson
Dec 24, 2013 @ 14:07:44
Thanks for the story, it triggered some nice memories for me. A very Merry Christmas to you and yours, whether with you in body or in spirit.
LikeLike
benzeknees
Dec 24, 2013 @ 16:17:49
Same to you Erickson, Merry Christmas to you & your family! Are you out of the wet yet?
LikeLike
John Erickson
Dec 24, 2013 @ 16:35:43
Out of the pool, into the deep freeze. A couple days ago, we hit a high of 65 degrees. Right now, it’s 21 and dropping fast. Yeesh! 😀
LikeLike
benzeknees
Dec 24, 2013 @ 17:45:42
Just checked – it’s 0 degrees here (or 32 degrees F in your language).
LikeLike
John Erickson
Dec 24, 2013 @ 18:10:27
Whoops! Guess we’d be what, -5C or so? I’m like the Brits – I’ll rattle off Metric when I’m thinking about things, but occasionally slip and go Imperial. Just like the BBC News report, that stated somewhere was getting 30mm or rain, with winds up to 70mph! (Shouldn’t that be INCHES of rain then, or winds measured in KPH? The boys on Top Gear do that all the time!)
LikeLike
benzeknees
Dec 25, 2013 @ 10:52:15
When they mix up their methods of measurement it must be very confusing!
LikeLike
John Erickson
Dec 25, 2013 @ 11:51:58
Fortunately, from my military studies, I’ve learned to ballpark Imperial to Metric and back fairly accurately. It helped that my beloved Cavalier had a digital dashboard that could be switched from MPH to KPH and back. Great fun, too – get a nervous passenger, casually reach through the steering wheel to the little “English/Metric” button on the dash, then wait for the passenger to look over and see you’re doing 80 in a 45 zone! 😀 (Yes, I did that several times. I’m a little .. poop. 😉 )
LikeLike
benzeknees
Dec 25, 2013 @ 13:18:13
A (little?) poop? On the few times we have crossed into the States, I forget what the real speed is & get confused now. Where our signs say 100 kph – it’s your 60 mph. Our 60 kph is just above residential street speed.
LikeLike
John Erickson
Dec 25, 2013 @ 13:31:43
Okay, then explain this. The signs around Ottawa were 100kph (the freeway around/through town – this was about 15 years ago). I was doing a full-blooded 70mph. And I had a string of headlight-flashers climbing my butt! What is there, an ordinance for Ottawa that says “Add 20kph to all speed limits”?!? 😉
(There is an interstate, I-55, that runs from Springfield, Illinois to Chicago. I commuted up and down it when I was doing a consulting gig with the tax department down there. Everybody would drive the limit, pass on the left, drive on the right, use indicators, and behave themselves impeccably coming north from Springfield. Until you hit the sign for the Aurora exits, about 20-25 miles SW of downtown Chicago. Then it became Mad Max territory – 20mph+ over the limit, 3 lane changes at once, no indicators, no mirror checks. Absolutely incredible.)
LikeLike
benzeknees
Dec 25, 2013 @ 13:37:50
Having never been to Ottawa, I can’t really explain it. I know on the highway between Edmonton & Calgary the speed is 110 kph, but everybody does about 140 & then they will still pass you like you’re standing still.
LikeLike
Mark Petruska
Dec 24, 2013 @ 14:13:40
Marriages and divorces and remarriages always require a bit of schedule shifting around the holidays. We’ve already got Christmas 2014 planned out before we’ve even gotten through 2013. Hope you have a merry one!
LikeLike
benzeknees
Dec 24, 2013 @ 16:18:32
Same to you & your new bride Tara & the rest of your family! Are you still in Seattle?
LikeLike
Mark Petruska
Dec 24, 2013 @ 20:24:33
Nope, we’re back home now. Headed to Nevada on Saturday!
LikeLike
Ronald
Dec 24, 2013 @ 17:30:13
Valuable info. Lucky me I discovered your site accidentally, and I’m stunned with it. And have a Merry Christmas!
LikeLike
photosfromtheloonybin
Dec 24, 2013 @ 19:02:19
We changed a lot of things when our boys were born too, so that they would always have wonderful memories of the Christmas traditions in our home. And even at 20 and 17, they are bubbling with excitement tonight. They don’t like to admit it, but I can see it in their eyes and their behaviour tonight LOL!! Have a wonderful Christmas!!!
LikeLike
benzeknees
Dec 25, 2013 @ 10:45:05
You too Cindy! Merry Christmas to all your family!
LikeLike
Ron
Dec 24, 2013 @ 19:26:03
Beeeeeeautiful post, Benze! As I was reading it, I was recalling how our family celebrated our own Christmas Eve and day. Back then, my mother and father would decorated the tree and wrap presents after we kids went to bed, so when we woke up, the whole living room was transformed into a Christmas wonderland. It was MAGICAL! My parents never even slept because they stayed up all night.
Wishing you and Kelvin a beautiful Christmas day tomorrow!
X
P.S. It’s snowing here now. Yahoooo! I love when it snows on Christmas Eve!
LikeLike
benzeknees
Dec 25, 2013 @ 10:46:33
It was very warm here on Christmas Eve, 0 degrees (32 F). This morning its only -4 degrees & snowing big white fat flakes!
LikeLike
AnswerIt
Dec 25, 2013 @ 13:31:07
Time to make new memories and traditions. I hope you had a wonderful day.
LikeLike
benzeknees
Dec 25, 2013 @ 13:42:22
We’re so laid back here, we’ve been up for hours & haven’t even bothered to open a gift!
LikeLike
joehoover
Dec 25, 2013 @ 19:57:44
Merry Christmas!
LikeLike
benzeknees
Dec 25, 2013 @ 20:58:46
Merry Christmas Joe! Did you have a nice day? You’re still away, right?
LikeLike
joehoover
Dec 26, 2013 @ 01:43:49
Hi, didn’t celebrate it, I had Xmas with family before I came over here so feel like it is already done. I went out for sushi!
LikeLike
benzeknees
Dec 26, 2013 @ 11:50:10
I don’t think sushi would be my first choice, but that’s probably because I’ve never tried it.
LikeLike
joehoover
Dec 26, 2013 @ 16:58:40
I was making it as non-Christmas as possible 🙂
LikeLike