Holiday Traditions

 Holidays tend not to be a very happy time for my household.

It's a shame to say but it is unfortunately true.

And especially now that all of the "kids" in the immediate family are young adults, there are no longer those little trifling acts to keep up appearances. We just let everything slip through the cracks. 

I can pinpoint when in my life those things changed, it really isn't hard to do. It's been a steady decline ever since.

Easier still, is remembering how amazing it use to be, when the magic was still alive and there was still joy spread among us and the twinkle in the eyes hadn't diminished.

Spending that first brisk day in December shivering outside even though you're bundled up in a coat that makes you look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man's cousin. As you help drag all of the bright rope lights and candy cane stakes out to the front yard. As you roll out all the tangled green cords trying to have enough length to reach the 10 foot inflatable snow man. The scrapping of the metal reindeer against the asphalt as you struggle to get it out and in line with the others to help pull Santa's sleigh. Going back inside afterwards and wiggling your feet in front of the fireplace trying to thaw your toesies as you slurp out all the half melted mini marshmallows from your cup of luke warm hot cocoa.

Coming home from school every day for over two weeks straight and there being a different sugary aroma wafting out the door because mom had spent the day baking a different one of her 24 cookies for the tins you need to go hand out to friends and family. Clambering up the stool to the counter so you can try and snag a swipe of raw cookie dough from the bowl before she notices but then scattering the tray of fresh, soft cookies as you try to steal one running out of the kitchen because you were not slick enough with the bowl.

Getting to take an envelope of money with you to school with a list of everyone you had to get a present for and trying to save as much of the money as possible because you want to get yourself something too. Grabbing the cheapest of dolphin necklaces for your mom because what woman doesn't love jewelry. Dad gets the new grill flipper that says world's best dad. Little sister gets those smelly erasers while the boys get the grossest and slimiest of goo.

Trying to steal a glance down the laundry shoot to spy what gifts you may all be getting. Y'know, big sis said that during the month of December, Santa relocates his workshop down in the musty basement because his workshop gets too cluttered and it only makes sense that the toys already be in the house when he arrives to re-arrange the gifts because how else would he deliver them to everyone in one night?!

Getting up at 5 AM to drive down to center city Philadelphia on Christmas Eve. Just so you can get a Geno's cheese steak  for breakfast before you head over to Termini's to wait in line for 5 hours while you get to snack on cupcakes the size of your palm and eat cannoli after cannoli of deliciousness that you got to pipe yourself because your dad grew up with the brothers and this is how he loves to spend his birthday. 

Taking the week off from school for Christmas and New Years where you get to spend day after day slowly opening all of your presents and spending hours upon hours lost to your own devices. Getting to build skyscrapers from legos. Reading fantasy novels about damsels in distress and fire breathing dragons. Watching the latest Barbie movie, the one with the little fashion pixie sprites. Having an all out turf war with your brothers because you got the new pink Nerf gun made just for girls. 

Trying to stay up to midnight to watch the ball drop and falling asleep just before.

...

It's funny how that became working through the holidays and not even bothering to stay up until 9 for an evening snack.