{Tis the Season}

When i think of the phrase "Tis the Season" I think of the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. That was ONE of my FAVORITE christmas movies all growing up and still is. I love it.

I was sitting here thinking about the Christmas Season. I am sick right now and when i am sick i am forced to slow down, i am calmer, and i think a lot. So, i was listening to Christmas music just thinking about Christmas Past. I have some of the MOST WONDERFUL memories of Christmas time. It was the ONE time of the year i knew i could count on MUCH JOY and happiness. My heart was always filled with gratitude. Not only Gratitude for my Savior, but so much gratitude for FAMILY.

Growing up, we OFTEN spent Christmas with my Dad's family. We would make the drive to Illinois either from Oklahoma or South Carolina. We always knew when we were close to Grandma's house b/c there was a white picket fence that we would come upon on the right side of the road. When i knew we were close to the white picket fence, i would anxiously watch for it. AND once we came upon it we all got REALLY excited! Almost couldn't contain myself, and when i think about it now i almost can't contain myself! :) They lived in a neighborhood out in the country. We turned left into the neighborhood and drove a minute or two and then turned left to go down a hill. They lived at the bottom of the hill. There was ONE other house at the bottom of the hill that my Aunt Donna and Uncle Zip and three cousins lived in for awhile. They moved often during that time. We would pull up to Grandma's and OOHHHH the excitement! I loved being there. I loved the feeling. Especially the Christmas feeling. I loved the smell of her home. I loved the carefree attitude in the home. It was so welcoming. AND during the evenings each night, ALL my dad's siblings and kids came over. That house was jampacked with people. My aunt donna, uncle zip and there three kids. My aunt sandy, her husband and three kids. My aunt nelly , her husband and her two boys. (When i say "her husband"...that's b/c i don't remember their names. That's b/c they weren't around much and ended up divorcing them.) My grandma was a HOSTESS! She loved hosting. In the evenings all the adults would sit around and play cards. We had to go to bed. They would all sit around my grandma's table, smoke, laugh, bet on their cards with small amounts of money(i think they used pennies)....we would sneak out of our rooms and spy on them. My grandma had a LOUD and contagious laugh! I would always hear her laugh in the back room when we weren't spying on them. :)

Christmas at grandma's house was awesome. I remember going to my other grandparent's house a couple times, maybe. BUT they lived so far away(california) that my paren't couldn't afford to visit them as often as they would have liked.

In my home...
AND when we spent christmas in our own home...aahhhh, that was the best. I loved when we put up our tree....we never put it up until about ten days before christmas. We always went and bought a fresh christmas tree. I LOVED sitting in the formal living room where the tree was placed right in front of a big window facing the front. At night, sitting in that room, with the tree all lit up was the best feeling. I loved laying under the tree, by the tree, etc. My parents made christmas feel so good. My dad told us a few christmas stories every christmas eve. My mom made us a yummy christmas eve dinner. It always varied. Sometimes it was ham, one time it was chicken cordon bleu, etc. We had christmas music playing all night. We had candles lit that filled the air with yummy christmas smells. We just enjoyed being together. My sister and i and two brothers ALWAYS slept in the same room on christmas eve. It was tradition for us, all the way up until we left home. Holly and I always slept in the same bed so it wasn't new for us. We had our own rooms, but i NEVER liked sleeping alone and i always ended up in her bed at night. The boys would just make a bed on the floor of my room or holly's room on christmas eve. It was so fun and took awhile for us to get to sleep, but we eventually got tired. We would talk about all kinds of stuff and tease each other. It was so fun. AND every christmas morning, before we were allowed to run down the stairs, my dad would turn on the tree lights, turn on BING CROSBY christmas music, and get the camera out. THEN we were allowed to RUN down the stairs! My dad really got into making it feel GOOD for us. I could tell he LOVED it b/c i can still picture his face and the excitement that comes with being a parent and watching the excitement on your kids faces. He loved bringing the FEELING for us. AND he was the ONE every christmas who would pass out presents to each person and tell us when we could open our gifts. We took turns and did it one at a time. THEN my parents made a HUGE breakfast. We didn't get a home cooked breakfast that often, so a HUGE homecooked breakfast on christmas morning was like ANOTHER HUGE present for us! It was awesome. Bacon, sausage, pancakes, eggs, hashbrowns, and cinnamon rolls. We had it all. AND while my parents cooked and filled the HOUSE with the smell of food, the christmas music was playing and we were enjoying our gifts together. BING CROSBY was only played on special occasions...christmas eve, and christmas day. He was our tradition. AND we didn't want to overplay him, so we saved him for special times and that made it REALLY special.

While i LOVE that i can now create those feelings for my kids and make it so special for them too, i also miss those times. I want my kids to look back on christmas the way i look back on it...CHERISHED memories that bring so much joy. I try my best to bring the feeling in the air and i know i am doing good when the kids run around the house playing happily. I love that. I love cooking, playing christmas music in my clean house, candles lit and smelling up the house and listening to the boys laugh. The best! Anyway, as much as i love it, i also miss my family and wish i could have my parents and siblings here with us. I love having the WHOLE family. It's not the same when even ONE person is missing. I love having LOTS of family together, even if it does get crazy. It's nice just being together. I think i am like my grandma seifert. I like hosting. I love when family visit and i like to help them feel welcome while they are here. I am not as good as her, but i try to make it welcoming. My aunt donna is the same way. She is amazing. HER home is soooo darn welcoming. She puts so much preparation into getting ready. She has containers for chip dip prepared, containers with fruit all ready to be eaten, all the food ready for lunch so you just pull it out. She prepares man. And when we wake in the morning she had put out Jaydon's bowl and spoon ready and waiting for him on his highchair. And she left a note telling us where to find stuff. They are just so thoughtful. I love it. I miss my grandma and my aunt donna. They create a space where I , along with anyone else who enters, wants to be.

Anyway, i am sure most people didn't make it through reading all this. BUT i know maybe my parents and Shane's parents probably did. I love you all. Merry Christmas! Bob and Janet...you should do something crazy and just come here for Christmas. I know you don't have kids at home this year and so it would be perfect to just come and spend it with us. :) There is nothing better than being with family. :)