Happy Merry

I have to apologize.  I have been in a blogging funk lately.  Finals kind of took over my life.  It was hard for me to even put words together that didn't have to do with digital hearing aids, ear canal resonance, or really just the EAR in general.  Then when they were over (which has only been about a week) my brain felt like it was on fire and I didn't feel like stringing any words together.  But here I am.  I promise to do better.  I still haven't finished the roomie blog and I haven't told you about getting trapped in the elevator.  Yeah, you'll want to check back.

So we had a great Christmas.  I'm sure you all did to.  This year was so special for me.  2010 has been a truly wonderful year for me.  I really learned how to trust in the Lord this year and His blessings have been abundant.

I feel like we have the best Christmas traditions.  I'm sure everyone feels that way but ours really are the best.  We always head to my grandmother's on the 23rd to start the festivities.  We always get a good visit in that day and night.  I kind of feel like it's my family's special day with her.  But Christmas Eve?

That's the day the real fun begins.  When I was little my grandparents owned a clothing store, so the day always started out there.  I know I've talked about the store before but Christmas Eve really probably was the most fun day to be there.  People rushed in to BUY...because it was the deadline.  It was always the place to visit old friends and see people from town.  I remember playing in the windows and "selling" to customers who would come in.  While we don't do this anymore...I'll always have fond memories of "working" at the store on Christmas Eve.

The rest of the traditions we've done for as long as I can remember.  Christmas Eve night everyone comes to Mimi's for dinner.  We start hors d'oeuvres around five.  This year we had sixteen...we were missing twenty-two people, I believe.  Happy hour kicks off the holiday while we wait for the carolers.  Yes.  The carolers.  They come every year.  We go running to the front door when they ring the bell and stand on the porch for their performance.

 That's some merriment, y'all 

Filing out on the porch

The carolers really have to be my favorite part.  A mini-reunion on the front lawn.  Where friends have become family.  The last Christmas my grandfather was with us, the carolers came up into the house and went into his room to sing to him.  Let me tell you, the tears were flowing that year and even as I type a tear has crept up on me.  It really was one of the most special moments of my life and one I will never forget.

After the carolers leave we head back into the house and eat our Christmas Eve gumbo.  My daddy is always the chef for this meal.  It is so good and it has become a joke with our family friends every year, "Don't forget the gumbo".  It's a staple.  Gumbo and meat-pies.  Every year.  Thankfully I've learned the secrets that go into the pot...I've hovered over him every year...watching his every move.

We literally feast and have wonderful conversations until bedtime.  In the town where my grandmother lives a siren goes off at nine o'clock every night.  We affectionately call it "the nine o'clock whistle" and it really has gone off every single night since really...forever.  Really, forever.  When we were little, when "the nine o'clock whistle" sounded it was time for bed.  We've since loosened the reigns on our "bedtime", but I still go to bed early so Santa can come.  Yes, Santa still comes and he always will.

Christmas morning is my favorite day of the year.  Everyone gets up early and we head down to the kitchen.  The baby cousins (we aren't babies anymore coming in at 24, 22, 21, and 19...but there is a gap between us and the old cousins) and our families stay at Mimi's house...because we all live out of town.  So as I was saying, WE all gather in the kitchen.  All the doors to the den are closed...no peeking...because that's where our gifts are tucked away in our designated spots.  God forbid Santa forgets where we are located.  We have our SPOTS.  When we are ALL in there we can open the door. We head in and start opening.  Mimi turns the kitchen into a diner...cooking up a breakfast storm.  After we've reeked havoc on the den we wait for the other family members to arrive.  We show off our Santa gifts and visit for a moment more before we feast on some Christmas breakfast.  We eat everything a traditional Southerner would eat for breakfast, plus ambrosia...my absolute favorite. 

After that, we head into the living room.  We all have our designated spots to sit in.  Like, don't try to sit somewhere new because it.ain't.happening.  We open the gifts under the Christmas tree.  The gifts are from Mimi and Papa and our Secret Santa.  This is the most special time.  The baby cousins pass out the gifts to all of the family members.  We sit and watch each other and all you can hear is "Wooooo!!!", "Ahhhhh!!!", "Oh me lard!!!", "Thank- you, Mimi!!!!".  It's exciting let me tell you.  My favorite part is watching my sweet grandmother take it all in.  Pure JOY is on her face the entire time.  She loves watching the babies, seeing the excitement on our faces, and having her family all up in the same room.  I love watching her gingerly open her gifts and really just cherishing EVERY gift.  It really it my favorite part.  I used to watch my Papa do the same thing.  He drank it in...really in gulps.  His eyes twinkled during this part...that's why it's my favorite.  Norman Rockwell would be having a hey-day.  I kid you not. 

(Please spy the hookah on the shelf.  I really am Lebanese) 

After gift time, it's shower time.  We get dressed in our Christmas outfits and prepare to feast again.  And believe me, we do.  Once our feasting is over we clean up and head to the living room...well the ladies do.  We go up there and chat while the men sit in the den and sleep watch football.  We just enjoy being with each other and really spend the rest of the day catching up with one another.  Family bonding and it's always the perfect medicine.

I wouldn't trade it.




On a side note, we had a bit of sad news the day after Christmas.  I'll let her tell you about it because she says it so perfectly.


Happy Merry, y'all.