4 Stockings, 3 Frasier Furs, 2 Rings of Kielbasa, and a Partridge in a Pear Tree
Alright, so I mentioned in my welcome post that I would be reposting my old posts from the original blog as I deemed appropriate. Well, we immediately have a fitting moment! I originally posted this on Dec. 16, 2014, at 3:58 am (I was clearly home on break and up late). You are about to read an edited version of my original post. Not that the first one was inappropriate or a mess, but I definitely needed a second pair of eyes on it, and me six years later is just that. I also added some additional commentary, so be on the lookout for what is in bold and italic script.
Anyway, if you aren’t into the Christmas spirit this December 23rd, I hope this helps you to feel festive.
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Hello, my lovelies! I hope you all have been well since I posted on Thursday! I am currently listening to Christmas music while writing this, so I think you can see where this is going; today's post will be about what Christmas is like in my family!
So, here we go.
DECORATING
Like many others, my family goes and cuts down our own Christmas trees. Since their first Christmas, my parents have done this after they got married, and we have been doing it ever since. Now, in more recent years, we have expanded from doing one tree (like most people) to getting three trees - my mom's desire and my mom's desire alone. So, when we go off to the Christmas tree farm to chop down our tree, we are in search of three perfect Frasier Fur trees. And they have to be Frasier Furs because my mom is picky and likes the "Cadillac of trees," as she calls them. When we get home and put the trees up in their respective stands in the correct rooms - one in the family room, one in the dining room, and one in the living room - we set off to decorating.
Since I have been away at college, this is pretty much the only thing my mom waits to do with me; before I get home, she puts up the garland outside, the swags & candles in the windows, the wreath on the door. She then puts up the stockings on the mantle and all the other indoor decorations. Pretty much, by the time I get home after finals, the only thing that is left to do is to get and decorate the trees. And honestly, I am okay with that because it is my favorite part.
Anyway, once the trees are all set up, trimmed, and whatnot, the decorating process begins. We start with the family room tree, then my mom goes off to decorate the dining room tree, and I head off to decorate the living room tree. The family room tree is our main tree. It is the one with all the decorations that my brother and I have made throughout the years, the ornaments that all of us have been given, ones my parents had as children, whatnot. It is also the tree that we find the gifts under on Christmas morning - it is in the same room as the stockings, so it is the primary tree. The dining room tree is the Disney tree: my family is a Disney family; there is no question. So, my mom has this tree and her WDW Magic Kingdom, Main Street USA Christmas Village. When my mom first decided to do this, I thought it was a bit excessive. Although that may still be true, the way she decorates it with all Disney ornaments finishes the room off perfectly. The final tree, the living room tree, is my tree to decorate, and it is my special project. This tree is meant to be more traditional, so only white lights, classic and vintage ornaments, ribbon as a garland, etc. I love decorating this tree because, although I love the nostalgia in the colored lights and handmade ornaments, I also adore the beauty of a traditional tree. The heart of my inner interior designer goes pitter-patter every year when I decorate this tree (can you tell I love to decorate this tree?).
That was long-winded, but I regret nothing.
CHRISTMAS MORNING
We tend to wake up pretty early, even though I am now 21 (LOL, I was a baby!) and my younger brother is 18; we are children at heart. Once we wake up, we have to get my parents up, this used to be done by my brother, and I am running into my parents' room yelling, "IT IS CHRISTMAS! WAKE UP!" (which I know they loved us for) and then the two of us waiting at the top of the stairs while my dad went downstairs to start a fire in the fireplace and make coffee while my mom started cooking the kielbasa.
Important Note: My family is Polish on my dad's side. It is a longstanding tradition that we have kielbasa (Polish sausage) on Christmas morning. But, that is not the extent of the tradition: my grandmother, who now spends Christmas Eve and Day with us since my grandfather passed a little over ten years ago, makes the kielbasa from scratch. It is the best thing in this world (although, my grandmother - my dad’s mom - who makes it every year, tried pulling a fast one on us and bought it one Christmas. My entire immediate and extended family practically revolted; we could taste the difference immediately, and it was not okay).
I look forward to it every year. I am salivating just thinking about it while typing this. That is saying something because I am not a big fan of breakfast sausage.
Anywho, back to Christmas morning:
Once my parents had everything set (and our dogs had been taken out to do their business), RIP Sammy and Solly😭, my brother. I was allowed to sprint down the stairs and saw what was left for us under the tree. Nowadays, we go down with my parents and my grandmother. We grab our coffee and help get things ready before we begin the gift opening. Like most families, the kids go first, so my brother and I will get a gift, then we will open our gifts one by one until we are done. After we finish, my parents go one by one, followed by my grandmother. Then, once all of that is done, we eat breakfast and then open our stockings. After that, we get showered and relax until the Disney Christmas Parade airs.
AND that is what Christmas is like in my family! I would love to know what you guys do with your families, so please leave a comment.
Well, that is all from me!
Until next time,
xo,
Sarah
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Okay, it’s 2020-Sarah again. There are a few differences since I wrote this 6 years ago, and the first of those is that my grandmother now has a stocking. This year, my brother’s girlfriend will be celebrating Christmas Day with us, so she also has a stocking. We now have a total of six stockings instead of four.
Also, over the years, my grandmother (who turned 90 this year) has found it too hard to make the sausage on her own. My brother has helped her, my dad has helped her, I’ve helped her, all three of us have helped, my cousin Niki and I did it together last year. But all of that is to spend time with her (she is genuinely one of my favorite people on this earth) and learn this recipe to continue the tradition when the time comes that she is no longer with us. So, it’s not just my grandmother making it on her own anymore, but I think us making it with her is a far better tradition. Hopefully, I will get the recipe written down this year, but don’t expect me to share it. ;)
Okay, for real, that is the end of this post. Like I asked my original audience all those years ago, if you feel so inclined, leave your family’s Christmas traditions in a comment. I would love to read them!
I will be back after Christmas with another post, so until then, have a very blessed Christmas!
Blessings,
Sarah
