Christmas Day Traditions

For this week’s Because I Said So Buck and I are going to discuss Christmas a little further.  Christmas Day traditions, opening of presents and Christmas vs Xmas.

My extended family such as parents, siblings, grandmother, aunt and including my immediate family all get together to celebrate on Christmas Eve.  We have a family party at my parent’s home every year and exchange gifts.  We mostly only buy presents for the children in the family and will either buy stocking stuffer (small gifts) for the adults or just focus on my parents and grandmother.  Usually my sisters and I don’t buy for each other considering we have several children between the three of us. 

Christmas morning my kids awake pretty early with the excitement to see what Santa has brought.  After they receive their Santa gift and empty their stocking I allow them to open their presents from me.  I don’t take the gifts I buy my children to our family party on Christmas Eve because there are so many people there that I can’t really see them open their gifts.  I enjoy spending quality time with my kids watching them open their gifts on Christmas morning.  Just our small family, it’s more intimate that way.  I am able to take photos and video their excitement without any distractions.  After they finish opening their gifts I let them play part of the morning and then they usually get ready and spend the rest of their day with the other side of the family.  Noah usually goes with his father and the girls usually go with their grandmother.  If their plans on Christmas Day are later in the evening then we try to go out and see a movie which this year we hope to see Alvin and the Chipmunks Two.  Gab is real excited about that!  While the kids are gone on Christmas Day visiting their family I spend the day cleaning up, putting up toys and relaxing.  It’s actually quite nice.

My views on using the term Xmas over Christmas.  I have seen heavy debate over this topic.  But honestly I have never viewed it as negative.  The times I use the word Xmas is just to shorten the term.  I do not view it as less of a Christian term or to discount the true Spirit or meaning behind the word.  I look at using the word Xmas as any other way of abbreviating a term.  The true meaning of Christmas is there no matter what you call it and the holiday is celebrated in many different ways.  I don’t think the meaning or the Spirit of the holiday lies in the word alone.

I’m headed over to read what Buck had to say on the topics, you coming?

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