Because this blog may someday serve as a journal for my posterity, I decided to chronicle some of the traditions we Wallaces do each and every year as the advent calendar makes it way down to December 25th.
Something to note before I kick it off is that we have always spent the holidays in California. My Grandparents lived in Colorado the entire time I was growing up, so it's always been just the five of us out here in the golden state.
Leaving milk, cookies and carrots for Santa + Co: One of my favorite feelings from childhood is the intense anticipation of Kris Kringle making his way down our (nearly non-existent) chimney. My parents always made me go to bed fairly early, but I would lay in bed for hours listening for those silly reindeer and the clickety-clack of their little feeties. I'll never forget getting up in the middle of the night to use the little girls room and quickly turning away from the direction of the living room lest I catch Santa in the act--how horrifying!
In the morning, my brothers and I would wake up to our cookies and carrots gone with the wind and a note detailing the gratitude of the fat man and his pets.
Watching a Muppet's Christmas Carol: Okay so this one's like a little embarrassing to admit, but the Wallace clan love love LOVES the Muppets and their Christmas Carol. We laugh, we cry, we enjoy.
Every year.
Opening each and every present. One by one: There's truly nothing more excruciating as a six year old than having to wait while her big brothers open their socks and deodorant. That's real. Bless my sweet parents for trying to teach me patience and that the world does not revolve around me (did I get that memo?) and making us all wait our turns as we each opened a present, "ooed" and "ahhed," and then someone else took a turn.
It was actually great because it made Christmas morning last like hours. Especially in the later years right before my oldest brother went on his mission and I was an older child (we're almost nine years apart) because I really understood what was happening and that this wasn't going to last forever.
You only have a certain amount of time together as a nuclear family before the inevitable changes of life creep up and sweep you away into adulthood. I am so grateful for those long, drawn-out Christmas mornings. Which were followed by...
Breakfast: So, as an adult I realized that tons of people have some sort of casserole situation (is this a Utah thing?) but we always had breakfast sandwiches, complete with english muffins, a poached egg, cheese, canadian bacon and in later years, Tapatilo. Mother would sneak into the kitchen a few minutes before all of the gifts would open and start cooking.
I actually can't wait for them this year.
I've always loved the holidays. The lights, the decorations, the wreath on the door. Mumsy has always gone all out when it comes to decorating the house, trimming the tree and making it smell like Christmas morning all month.
Now that I am away from home, and have been for nearly seven years, I have come to see how important it is to have these traditions within a family for everyone to hold on to. We've all grown up and moved away, but we'll aways have these little things we do to remind us of how much we love this time of year.
xoxo
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