Merry Christmas!!

I am really getting into the Christmas spirit now that today is the last day the kids have school. I still have to work tomorrow and over the whole break, but it's a break from the normal routine. I keep getting this feeling inside listening to Christmas music, looking at the tree, making christmas cookies...I really am getting excited.

However, I do have to be honest. This is my first year making new traditions. I am more than thrilled to be sharing the holidays with my soon to be husband (204 days to go!!). However, part of me wishes I realized last year that it was going to be my last year doing traditions with my family that I've been doing my whole life. I am getting a little choked up thinking about it, however, maybe that would have been worse. This year I will be waking up somewhere new, with a new family, and doing things a little different.

Our holidays were jam packed with tradition. Christmas eve my mom, sister and I would go and get our nails done, and then my Grammy would come over around 3pm. We'd exchange presents with her and then sit down to a great meal cooked by my mom. We would leave for church around 6:30pm which was a great service by candlelight (absolutely beautiful). Then we would drive home (looking for Santa) and my siblings and I would exchange our presents. My parents always made us go to bed (even to this day) by a certain time so that Santa wouldn't have to come too late :)

Christmas morning we always awoke VERY early, even as grown children. We'd all sit in "our spots", go through our stockings, and then one by one, my dad would hand out presents. We couldn't open the present we held until all 4 of us had a present to open, as well as my parents. It was very systematic, but my dad's whole goal was to make sure that it wasn't rushed. My dad would then make a BIG breakfast and afterwards we'd start to get ready for my Grandma's house. Grandma's house would be packed with all of our family on my mom's side.

I do not want to take away from the fact that I am so excited to be spending Christmas with my fiance and his family. But I do have to admit that it's very hard for me this year to realize how different things are going to be and that I am going to miss out on a lot this year that I've known my whole life.

...I guess it's all a part of growing up...