My favorite holiday in the whole world….

So it is getting close to Christmas and this is always a time when I get more sappy than usual, more hyper than usual, and more over the top with my acts of kindness.  Something big happened in my life on Christmas Eve 23 years ago, and since then it has always had a more than special meaning to me.  It is a time for renewal, for being thankful, for being open to the idea that something good can always come from a bad situation.  I became somewhat obsessed with the love I have for my family ever since that year…it was also the year I got to give up the mushroom cut! 

Not going into big details, but I will say that my father made a big decision that made a huge change in our lives and the lives of others that day 23 years ago.  We left our blended family and began again as a family of three.  A new apartment, school, babysitter, etc. were all waiting for us that Christmas Eve day.  We have always been close to my grandparents (I have talked about Nanny quite often) and so when Dad pulled into the Ultramar parking lot to call them, we knew it was going to be a great Christmas.  My Dad drove us there (after breakfast at McDonalds) and then we set out my slippers (long stocking type ones) to be filled.  There were not many presents, but we didn’t care.  We were with our Nanny, Papa, cousins, Aunts and Uncles…it was truly just about family!  Since then we have formed fun traditions with both my father and mother!

Christmas at my Moms….this snow globe is the reason “Oh Holy Night” is my favorite Christmas Carol!

Back when getting a cordless phone was super amazing!

Me and my niece, Lena, way back in 2000

The last Christmas I spent with my family before moving away!

Some of my best Christmas memories are going to the Sheraton or Delta Barrington with my mom and sister.  We would stay for the weekend, walk through the ped-ways to go shopping, go see plays at Neptune Theater (or Nutcracker, something I can only share with my Mama <3), getting cookies, going to the spa, and getting etiquette lessons from Mom at the hotel dining room!  I have since started my own family traditions and fun with my husband and two boys.  I am proud to say they love watching Christmas movies starting in September, just like me!  They love hot chocolate, Christmas songs, Christmas crafts, and all the baking I get into.  They get super excited and also share in the joy of giving!  It is really fun to see their faces, when they look at ornaments, or huge trees in the shopping centers.  It is even more special we get to spend Christmas in Germany….there could not be people who love Christmas more than Germans…..I am with my kind of people!  Here are some pics of my own little family through the years

I cannot wait to do a ‘Christmas in Germany’ post!!!  We start the decorating this week, so prepared to be overwhelmed with my love for everything Christmas!!!!  In the meantime, I am getting ready for my first run since the injury….pictures will be taken, turtles will be passing me, and I will be as happy as a pig in sh!t myself on Christmas morning!

What is your favorite holiday?  What makes it special for you?  What new traditions do you come up with as you grow older?