Our Christmas season usually kicks off right after Thanksgiving, at the tree farm. Troy used to always go with his Dad and Carolyn (and siblings) to pick out their Christmas tree and I have been lucky to be included in three of these adventures! It is a lot of fun, driving out there, riding the wagon to go chop down your tree, hauling it over to the “shaker” and driving it home in the truck. Davis and Isabella are always a hoot when we go, and we have gotten some great family photos over the years.
Troy and I both share the memory of books at Christmas. His book of choice is The Night Before Christmas in Texas, That Is, by Leon A. Harris. It is a very cute Texas twist on the classic The Night Before Christmas. Troy talks about how his mom read him that book, and he loved it because it was about Texas!
For as Long as I can remember, my mom and sisters and I read the classic Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. This was before the major movie was made. We would sit around the tree, or sometimes in bed, in quiet anticipation holding that little jingle bell as my mom read, just waiting to give it a ring. Mom gave us a collector’s edition a few years ago, and we have the book on tape, DVD, hard cover book, and our own little silver bell. I still like ringing that bell.
Chili – enough said. That is one that makes Troy smile. He loves him some chili and he loves thinking about how his mom and grandparents always made chili to eat on Christmas Eve. We got to eat it a few years ago when we spent Christmas at his mom’s and man, that is a tradition a girl can get used to! Dang good chili! Chili fest is usually followed by a round of games with siblings – a tradition that both our families share. Whether Pictionary or Scattergories, Trivial Pursuit or Balderdash, Guitar Hero or Charades, we all have a blast laughing our butts off. It is one of the funnest times and the best holiday memories we both share and look forward to each year.
Another fun tradition that Troy has helped me keep alive is cookie-making. Now that one takes me back………….way back. We have always made homemade Christmas sugar cookies right before Christmas. We cut out fun shapes, bake them almost as quickly as we could cut them, and then dive into the sprinkles and homemade icing. They usually looked terrible, but they taste great and it is always so much fun. I have fond memories with my mom’s best friend and her kids on our first Christmas after my parents’ divorce, memories of this tradition with our new siblings (boy did we make a mess) and memories with kids that celebrated Christmas with us when they didn’t have much. This tradition has grown to include Troy’s family the last Christmas we were at his mom’s house and it was really great. His grandpa even sat at the table and decorated with us! I suppose this tradition inspired me to love baking, but most of all, it always brings us together.
Happy holidays everyone! Here’s to making, keeping, and enjoying traditions!
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