Traditions

Now that Little Man is a tad older and can appreciate Christmas a bit more (even though he is clueless what is going to happen in 2 days), my husband and I decided it was time to add to the traditions. Up until now our traditions consisted of It's a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve and Black Velvets Christmas morning.

This year we will add reading The Night Before Christmas and Frosty the Snowman. We did a trial run with both. Frosty fared better but it still wasn't a hit. The experts do say you need to keep "offering" it up before your child will take to it. So we will continue to offer it up, year after year, and maybe by the time he goes to college, he will appreciate it.

Cranberry muffins for breakfast was the norm growing up. I made my first batch ever for Thanksgiving. No one coughed into a napkin. None ended up conspicuously in the trash and no one got sick so they will be on the menu for breakfast Christmas morning. If I feel like it, so will bacon and eggs. Please keep in mind, there are 3 of us and only 3 of us. No family near by. No one traveling in so we get off easy yet again. There is no turkey defrosting in my fridge, no potatoes waiting to be peeled, no squash souffle waiting to be devoured. Oh wait... that's easy and like a desert to me. Hmmm. OK. Maybe the souffle for dinner.

Tomorrow I will also attempt my father's cranberry bread for the first time. His occupation was elevator mechanic. His favorite hobby, his passion was bread. I didn't grow up with Wonder bread. I grew up with Applesauce Whole Wheat Bread. French toast in my house was made with French bread. Sourdough pretzels. Bannock. Apricot bread. Cherry Rose Rolls. Moravian Love Feast Buns. Cranberry bread and the ultimate sinful treat - Chocolate bread. The last 3 were my favorites. The Cranberry bread is the easiest of the 3. If I am successful, I will contemplate on of the other two. I fear not being able to do him justice.

I am giddy about Christmas. I love my son's excitement every morning as we go downstairs and he claps and jumps in my arms for the tree to be turned on and the same reaction when we get home at night. I love how he says good-bye to the tree each night multiple times as he heads upstairs to bed. I love his excitement when I turn on the lights for the village as he points out the horses, the kids, the tree.

I can't wait to see his excitement on Christmas morning. I was the overexcited child jumping on daddy's chest asking him if he was awake while prying his eyes open. Now I have the opportunity to watch my son experience what I did, I hope. We know he has the prying eyelid move down pat.

Experiencing Christmas through a child's eye brings back such wonderful memories for me which can also be very painful. Christmas is my favorite holiday. It is also my hardest. It is the time of year I miss my dad the most. But my husband and son will get me through it. My husband will give me a huge hug. When that stops working, he'll feed me another Black Velvet. My son, well he'll be a kid and how can that not bring a smile to your face?

Yes, I am sad but I am giddy to. I can't wait to see my son's face, his reaction. I hope I am able to make it as wonderful as my parents made it for me. Dad set the bar pretty high. Good thing I married a man taller than me.