Traditioooooon! TRADITION. (Christmas edition.)

I told you about my immediate family's Thanksgiving tradition. Now for Christmas!

This tradition started about five years ago, and I freaking love it: Every Christmas Eve, we go to a church service.

Oh, you want more than that? Okay. Then we eat at Denny's. Yes, Denny's. We like to keep things classy and well-greased.

Next we go to Balboa Island to look at all the crazily decorated houses. My favorite is, of course, the one that looks like a Christmas hoarder decorated - a motorized Santa on a unicycle travels from the roof to their dock, another Santa and a few reindeer travel in circles on the TV antenna, there are blow up things and stuffed things and lights, lights, lights. One year they even had real snowman out front. Out of control.

Finally, we go home to open presents. Unlike the other Christmas gatherings that we attend (there are usually three others), this is a one-person-opens-one-gift-at-a-time event. Last year, Jeff and I gave my parents photo albums with Eiley's sonogram in them, telling them they would be grandparents for the first time.

I think part of the reason I love this tradition is that it ends up being very late at night, and there's something magical about being up late with a few of the people you love most in the world. Add the magic of Christmas, and it ends up being straight up awesome. This year will be my first year away from my family on Christmas Eve. I'm certain that I'll have an amazing time in Idaho with Jeff's side of the family, but a part of me will simultaneously be missing my parents, my sister and BIL, Denny, and Balboa Island. 



I will try not to do too much of that face this Christmas.