I love the Christmas season.

The lights.

The time spent with family.

The food.

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we typically go to church in the mid-afternoon and then spend the evening with family and friends around a table packed full of fun dishes of food, including spinach and artichoke dip, shrimp and cocktail sauce, oven baked chicken wings, bowls of olives, and more cookies than you can count. The food for the Christmas season is so cozy and calming.

It’s the best kind of night.

Christmas Morning

On Christmas morning we wake up and finish cooking the sticky buns that have been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember. They are gooey and covered in pecans and only made for Christmas morning. When they are finished, we enjoy them with ham and eggs on the side. No one is in a hurry, unless you count the kids that can’t wait to open their gifts, and at least two pots of coffee are consumed before we head to the living room to open gifts.

The first gift: the best one of all, is reading the story of the birth of Jesus. Typically, my dad will read it while everyone listens intently. After all, that’s what Christmas is really about: the birth of our Savior.

Once finished, the gift opening begins.

Gifts

In our family, opening gifts involves taking turns. Everyone watches while each person, from youngest to oldest, gets their chance to open a gift. One at a time, around and around until the final gift has been unwrapped. Thank yous are said, the gift wrap is picked up, and the stockings are emptied (my favorite part!).

And then the kids disappear, to play with their toys, read their books, and try on their new clothes, while the adults sit around and enjoy another pot of coffee. The afternoon brings with it a mess of grilled steaks (thanks to my husband) and will finish off with a bottle or two of wine.

It’s peaceful, relaxing, and, I believe, the day we look forward to year-round. Is it stress-free entirely? Not normally. In fact, someone normally gets their meat overcooked, undercooked, or forgets to take the rolls out of the oven, but that’s just part of life, isn’t it? I know it is in our home.

Wishing You Peace

So, with that said, if Christmas in your home comes with chaos or times of frustration, take a moment to step back and find that peaceful, merry and bright feeling that the songs refer to. Look around and notice the love being shown, the smiles on faces, and the stress of the days before and ahead having disappeared, if only for a day.

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas!