Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Although it's been said many times, many ways, Merry Christmas to you!

Wade & I have been dating since October 2002. Our first Christmas together, only 2 1/2 months into dating, Wade came to my grandparents' dinner. And I went to his family dinner, too.

(His family's Christmas dinner consists of aunts, uncles and cousins. everyone does their own thing on Christmas day. The entire family dinner is a day or two or three before Christmas, to accommodate shift working and other schedules.)

We continued this pattern every year, until 2005. When I came home from grad school that year, I stayed at Wade's house the entire break, for the first time. It was weird not waking up in my bed at my parent's house on Christmas morning. But Wade & I got up and went to my parent's house around 9:30 (before my brothers woke up anyway), so I was able to do my Christmas morning ritual at my parent's house (with Wade there).

After my morning ritual, we'd go to Wade's parents to open gifts. We'd get there around 11:00.

My mom would always do brunch after the gift opening, but so would his mom. So how did we decided where to go for brunch? His mom's house. My mom's brunch was a fun tradition, but his mom's brunch was steeped in memories and tradition because it used to be Wade's beloved Nanny (grandmother) who would host a brunch. Wade's mom took this tradition on a couple years after Wade's Nanny passed away. Given the memories and sentiments in this brunch, I felt it more important to have brunch there. Especially since we went to my parents first-thing.

After brunch at Wade's parents, we go to my grandparents for Christmas dinner. Grandma does an early dinner (4:00), so it's quite the filling day.

And that's been our Christmas tradition since 2005. This will be our fourth repetition of it.

It was very hard to change things a little, especially since I absolutely adore traditions. But it is nice now that I've developed a tradition with my (then) boy-friend (now fiancé, next year husband).

Do you have any Christmas (or other holiday) family traditions you love? Have you changed any traditions to form a new tradition with your your boy-friend / fiancé / husband / spouse? What traditions do you now share?

5 comments:

The Less Than Domestic Goddess said...

Merry Christmas, Krista!!

Fun post! Our Christmas tradition consists of Christmas Eve dinner/gift exchange with Lawrence's family (including aunts, uncles, cousins). Christmas morning is usually just the two of us for gift opening and breakfast. This year my brothers will join us. Christmas afternoon/evening is spent with my family at my grandparents' home for dinner.

It makes me a bit sad to give up my family tradition of waking up at my parents' home and opening gifts with just my parents and brothers. But now that we are all getting older, and Lawrence is part of the family, we welcome new traditions. It still makes me very sentimental though...

Krista said...

Christmas Eve sounds busy!

AmyJean {Relentless Bride®} said...

Merry Christmas!!!

RelentlessBride

Chris said...

Merry Christmas! There is a neighborhood nearby that goes all out with decorations. We visit it on Christmas Eve every year.

Krista said...

Oh how fun, Chris. I love "light-looking", the term I use for describing looking at decorated houses in the neighbourhood.