Why I Love Christmas!

Today is Christmas and I have committed to write for 30 days straight in two challenges: My 500 Words and The 30 Day blogging challenge.  You would think that this would be easy to do because Christmas is such a joyous occasion and I should be able to churn out 500 words of bliss and yuletide glee. However today has been a challenge for me to say the least.

I don’t want to be that person that spoils a Christmas mood based on my feelings of blah… so I will turn it around right now and tell you  five things that I love about Christmas.

The smell of a Fresh cut Christmas Tree.  

My father always pulled in a magnificent tree each year for us to decorate.  The smell of a Christmas tree has always had a nostalgic aroma from my childhood.  Maybe next year I will get a live tree.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

I let the kids decorate the tree.  This is a great accomplishment since I have an obsession that  things being spaced out and distributed over the tree.  I try to steer them in the right decoration by letting them put one type of ornament on at a time and space them out.  Otherwise there would be a clutter of ornaments in one place.  This year it turned out just fine.  I didn’t give too many instructions and they loved it.

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

I love Christmas Cookies.  Every year I make tons of cookies on Christmas Eve.  That is what’s on the schedule every Christmas Eve Cookie bake off and hot chocolate.  This year I made chocolate chip, peanut butter and white chocolate chip, chocolate with chocolate chip and peppermint chips, oatmeal raisin and of course sugar cookies. This year I also made them all from scratch.

Children opening Presents on Christmas Morning

There is something about the twinkle in their eyes and the sound of paper being torn to pieces to the floor and children awing over their newly acquired trinkets.  No matter how small or large the haul is children love opening presents on Christmas.

Christmas Dinner

This year I took a break from the traditional Christmas dinner that I usually make and decided to go with a simpler meal.  I planned ahead I knew that I was not going to feel up to the huge extravagant 20 course meal.  It turned out just fine.  I got several thumbs up for the menu.

Christmas Dinner: 

Pot Roast in brown gravy, Yellow Rice, Pole Beans, Potato Salad and Cornbread

Dessert: 

Cheese Cake, Pound Cake, Lemon Cupcakes,Key Lime Pie and Lots of Cookies.

Christmas has a broader meaning than any of these things.  It is a symbolic representation of the Birth of Christ.  I keep this in mind however this post was simply about that traditions that have gathered along the years in my family.  I think everyone should celebrate the holidays in ways that are memorable to them and that they can pass down to their children.  .

In addition to keeping old traditions create your own.  The Cookie Bake off is something that I started with my oldest who is now 21 years old with her own lil family.  Now she can bake cookies with her lil one and talk about all the cookies that she has made over the years.

Do you have a Christmas Tradition that you do every year?  I would love to hear about it.  Please feel free to comment below.

Disclosures:  

The image is from www.picmonkey.com