We pretty much had Christmas a day early. My sisters and their families came over about 4:30ish and we had dinner. A tradition in our family is Swedish sausage, and I had missed this the last four years, having lived in Michigan during that time. It is good food, but honestly makes me a little sick after five or six pieces. We opened presents, kids first to get the giddiness out. One of my nieces was not feeling well, so she was tired and kind of grumpy, but overall it was a fun evening. At the end of the evening, my mom passed out cards to all us kids of the family. Each one had a heart-felt loving message inside, and one last gift - some spending money. The message in my card was very touching; my mother wrote how she hoped everything I am going through will be smooth and that they are supporting me.
On the actual day of Christmas, my aunts and uncles came over at 3:00 for an early dinner (more sausage!) and a few more gifts. Then it was talking and reminiscing about the "good old days". Being the younger generation, I really couldn't connect with this, and I was often getting up to get more food. I finally found a quiet spot and listened to some music for a while.
And in two days I'm flying back to Michigan for a week to visit some friends that I left behind up there when I moved back home. That is my real Christmas gift this year, spending New Year's with them. (They're a lot more fun than my family. 😉 )
