Must be x-mas

Christmas 2006

 I have always loved the holiday season.  When I was a kid, my mom and dad let us start putting up the decorations the day after Thanksgiving.  From that day forward, each night, I would walk around our neighborhood with my Walkman playing the Billboard top 20 Christmas hits of the 50s and count each night how many houses had decorations up.  A little weird, I know, but it's what I did. I loved watching the number of decorated houses grow each night.

 We would spend Christmas eve doing a little gift exchange at home and then go over to my mom's parents and then to my Aunt and Uncle's house.  At home in bed I'd lay awake for hours until I could finally calm my excited self and go to sleep. Then I'd wake before everyone else and go sit next to my sister's bed, staring at her, willing her to wake up, and occasionally, peeling her eyelids open. When she finally woke, we could go get my parents up and go downstairs.   After presents, we'd go to my Dad's parents for the day.

The best part always was in between what we did on the 24th and the 25th.  When we were young, we'd stop at a local tavern on the way home of the eve and hang out with friends of my parents.  As we got older, and my parents quit drinking, we'd come home on the 24th and all write down our problems from the year.  We'd burn them then in a metal dish and save them for spring when we'd sprinkle them somewhere.  Then we'd do an art project of some kind, making ornaments, collages, painting... 
Whatever my mom came up with.  Always a way to express something personal about ourselves or each other.  A lovely way to celebrate.