Holiday Traditions

During the Holly-day season, the house is hectic. Everyone hustles and bustles around on the Eve of the most magical night of the year. Coincidentally, Eve’s birthday is on Christmas Eve (the derivative of her name). We begin the morning by singing to Eve in bed, and then giving her presents, hugs, and kisses. After a few hours of sitting around and watching The Grinch and The Polar Express, a certain grandma and uncle come over (and quite early, as usual).  After hellos and Merry Christmas’s, we relax for a little while.  Then, we usually go out for a late lunch/early dinner to celebrate Eve’s birthday.  After we are bursting out of our itchy winter sweaters, we dress up fancily and go out to church. The homily is always about the birth of Jesus and so on. Afterwards, we shiver over to the duck pond to carol with real candles. We go home and snuggle up in our feety pajamas (or at least I do), and go to bed. 

On Christmas morning, Rudolph and I wake up bright and early to open gifts. All six of us (me, Rudolph, Eve, Frosty, Grandma, and uncle), exchange gifts and tear shimmery, opaque wrapping paper off of gifts. Finally, we have a huge feast of sauerbraten and Kartuffel Gloesse, a german potato dumpling. Thanks, Santa! 

-- Holly