In the least couple of years, things have changed for my family... the biggest being that my parents moved out of the house I grew up in (and out of the neighborhood too) and moved to literally the middle of no where. When I say the blacktop ends at their driveway, I'm not being factious. But with that move, some of out holiday and family traditions changed as well... not least of all Christmas.
Pre-Christmas 2006 (so Christmas 2005 and prior):
I would work Christmas Eve at the Gap (for four years... it wasn't too bad... that is when all the hot boys would shop). My family would do whatever they would do until I got off work. We would then usually head to a friend's house for a Christmas Eve party of some sort, go to 8pm Christmas Eve service at Advent, go home and watch a movie, and at least my mom and I would go back to 11pm service (if we could talk my dad and brother into it, it was a miracle). Oh yeah... and we would always open our Christmas Eve "presents" between services. The dialogue would go something like the following:
Momma McClure: OK Caroline and Wells! Come downstairs so we can open our Christmas Eve gifts!
Caroline and Wells: Uh... I WONDER what it could be? [sarcasm sarcasm sarcasm]
Momma McClure: Ya know... one day I am going to get you something different, and you'll feel so bad for giving me a hard time!
Well, needless to say, we always get pajamas on Christmas eve... and we love it. The above dialogue is part of the tradition around our house.
So, we'd wake up on Christmas morning, do our present thing, and the start making dinner, so be served around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. After a small nap, Wells would go on his way to see his friends, and my friends would usually make their way over to my house to hang with me and my parents.
Christmas 2006- present:
Mom and Dad currently live in Dyersburg, TN. If you don't know where that is, that should tell you everything you need to know (it is North of Memphis, about 20 minutes from the MO line... aka: Bumble). We show up, and usually spend at least three days outside of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day sleeping, eating, and watching lots of TV (with hunting for Wells and baking for me thrown in there for good measure). We don't know anyone up there, and it is hard to get to Memphis, although we usually spend a few days there prior or post coming to Dyersburg. Anyway...
Our Christmas Eve traditions have changed a bit since 2005. The pajama drama is still the same. Other than that though, this is basically what happens: Wells and Dad hunt, I bake, Mama Hope (grandma) cooks, Mom makes Walmart runs and wraps presents up until we open our Christmas Eve pajamas, and we eat finger foods all Christmas Eve. The biggest change is that instead of going to church, we change into our pajamas, drink wine/other adult beverages, and play cards. This usually ends up with me and mom vs. dad and wells, and it usually ends up with dad and wells getting cocky and winning, and me and mom cussing at them and getting a little tipsy. And then we go to bed and and do the same Christmas day routine, except without the friends.
Overall, I don't know if the tradition is improved or evolved, but I'm a pretty big fan of it. I don't know how other people spend their holidays (please enlighten me), but I'm a fan of mine. It's not family unless you can drink with them on a holiday, right? :P
