Christmas Traditions Old and New

I was talking with a co-worker the other day at our company pot luck dinner/lunch.  I asked him what his plans were. He mentioned spending time in several different locations for Christmas. Part of a day here, then traveling for an evening there. Over the river to grandmas house can get tough.

For new families, Christmas can be pretty challenging. I remember hustling out Christmas morning to make it part way across the state after enjoying Christmas Eve in another location. It's tough. Tough on the kids and kind of makes what should be an awesome day a lot of work.

As our kids got older, maybe we got smarter, maybe a little more selfish. We would stay home on Christmas Eve Just my wife and I with the kids. My wife introduced us to a tradition she had at home while growing up. First it was peaches and dumplings. That morphed into waffles. Yep. Waffles. It was kind of a natural because my mom had given me an awesome recipe for waffles from the Lutheran Church recipe book she had held on for years. I still have it and still use the recipe.

So for years, it was waffles and thin cut ham and if we had enough cash, (hey 3 kids are expensive) we would splurge a bit and buy a shrimp ring or two.

This past week, we traveled to Presho, South Dakota for an early Christmas with family. It was great catching up and the food was awesome! We exchanged gifts and had a great time. So I do miss gatherings like that. Or the get together we'll miss this year in Tyndall.

Recently, we started a new tradition with our family. Actually my Mom did. She had the entire family down to Daytona, Florida. Since then we've hit Myrtle Beach, Ft. Lauderdale have been Christmas destinations for the past few years. Last year, all the boys were 21 so they decided they wanted to go to Vegas. We had a great time. Christmas Day we actually visited with Grand Canyon. We thought the crowds would be smaller on Christmas Day. We were wrong!

This year, our grand daughter Harper will be hanging back home with her mamma and daddy while the rest of us go to Oceanside, California. We'll miss her at Christmas time but realize that maybe they are starting their own little holiday tradition. And I'm way OK with that.

No matter how you spend Christmas, here's hoping you find a portion of the day with your belly feeling warm and content. Even if it's just for a few minutes, take a moment and remember the day, and why it's so special!

Finally, a shout out to those who have to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Police, Doctors and the likes.

Merry Christmas! And Happy New Year!

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