Twas the Night Before Christmas

The Things and I are filled with holiday cheer and are just about ready for Santa to make his much-anticipated annual visit. Some of the most exciting aspects of the holidays - for me personally - are the emotions stirred up by creating and establishing our own traditions and memories.

As a child, Christmas was a warm, loving, electric time of joy for my family. When I was a little girl, I was a giant ball of energy before the holidays. I couldn't stand the wait and drove my parents crazy with my excitement and antics as December 25th approached each year. While I can pretty much guarantee they will tell you I was waiting to tip-toe down the stairs on Christmas morning and tear into the beautifully-wrapped presents that Santa left under our perfectly decorated and sparkling tree (and of course that is true), for me it was always more about the time we spent together as a family. I looked forward to Christmas Eve dinner at my Nan's house, when each year all of us Maritimers would dive into a steaming hot pot of fresh seafood chowder. So utterly rich and creamy. With fresh-from-the-sea local lobster. And fresh rolls. And something decadent for dessert. Like maybe hot milk cake.

We would then pile into our car and drive back to our house. As my sister and I snuggled and giggled in the back seat, my father would burst out - in such an eager and boisterous tone that at the time was always credible - that he had just glanced up in the sky and seen Santa's sleigh and eight little reindeer. We always fell for this. We would stare up at the sky, directly where he had been pointing and not move our eyes for a second, hopeful that we, too, we catch a quick peek of Saint Nick himself.

When we arrived home, we proceeded to put together a delicious snack for Santa and leave it on a plate in the kitchen. We would then slip into our pajamas and get ready for our father to partake in one of the best traditions of all.

As we all settled in nicely in our living room and sat in front of our old woodstove, he would read us that timely holiday classic, Twas the Night Before Christmas. We would hang on to each and every last word, not wanting it to ever be over. But when he eventually would reach the last page and wished "to all a good night", we would scamper up to our beds to wait for visions of sugarplums to dance in our little heads.

I'm so proud to be continuing this time-honoured tradition with my own Things. And I've thrown in How the Grinch Stole Christmas just for good measure! I absolutely love the looks on my boys faces when we lay down each night for our bedtime stories and they each beg me for these two favourite classics. And so we will continue to read them each and every night this December, right up until Christmas Eve on December 24th. As the holidays wrap up we will gently put them away with the Christmas-related decorations, not to be seen again until next year.

Want to take a peek at some more of our Christmas cheer? Having such a soft spot for crafts, most of my Christmas decorations are all hand-made, either by me, my mom, or other talented artisans.

Aren't these Santa gourds just the cutest??? A good friend of my mother's makes these - I LOVE them!

Happy Holidays blog-readers!!!