Christmas Day

Christmas breakfast at our house has always been a tradition since the kids were young. The only change over the years has been that we now eat much later in the morning and since the teen years, we have nearly had to drag the guys out of bed to join us at the table! We don't open presents until a leisurely meal and then it's one person/one present at a time. It can take hours to open all the packages ... not due to over-gifting, but it seems like each gift has a story behind the bows, ribbon and gift wrap. Also, a great time for new family "-isms."

I wish I would have recorded the year mom and I first bought each other the same calendar. Now it's a gifting tradition. Each year we open them at the same time ... the shape of the packaging giving obvious clues to its contents. We always have a good laugh and a "kodak" moment.

Each year since the kids were small we have purchased an ornament that represented something about their year. When Brian and Michelle decorated their first tree, they opened the box to find mostly sports-related ornaments. Sorry Michelle! I wish I had been a bit more creative in our ornament choices over the years. This year we photographed these "treasures" -- for scrapbooking reasons.
We always finish the day with a "build-your-own-sub-sandwich" meal and games/movies ... but more than that it's a time for building special family memories. Much JOY on the journey!