It’s comforting, even without all of the Christmas finery, but once the tree goes up its positively magical. A week from today, this room will be filled with every member of my family and three dogs. Those stockings will be stuffed to the seams with presents. There will be a gigantic box in one corner for all of the spent wrapping paper. The smell of sausage, eggs and cinnamon rolls will be in the air. The dogs will add comic chaos to the scene. I will begin the proceedings with the official distribution of the presents from underneath the tree. I will read with great flair the To: From: tags on each one since in our family they can be quite entertaining. Pam and I always use names of significance only to us from things that happened during the year. Since we watched Better Call Saul this year I can be sure one gift will be To: Saul Goodman, From: Kim Wexler. After watching The Crown, Pam will get at least one gift To: The Queen From: Prince Phillip. I know its silly, but it’s also tradition, and on this day, tradition is everything.
In the middle of all the unwrapping we will take a break for breakfast, another tradition with a set menu. There will be much laughing, and compliments to the chef. All six of us will be dressed alike in the matching pajamas that we received on Christmas Eve from Pam. Even this is a tradition started years and tears ago. My armoire has an entire drawer dedicated to nothing else except Christmas pajamas. I’m not kidding. I was thinking (hoping) that this particular tradition would have run its course by now, but then Patrick married Sarah, who so adores the idea that it has been given a new lease on life. When it is finally time for me to enter a nursing home one day, I will be the only resident who has a different set of pajamas for every week of the year.
When the presents have all been opened, the rest of the day will be spent in casual repose, each of us playing with our toys, drinking coffee and hot chocolate. At some point we will have to perambulate the beasts, which if the weather cooperates, will be a group effort with lots of pictures. Late afternoon will be for more lounging around with hopefully exhausted and napping dogs. Then once its dark outside, the kids will insist on a round of game playing. This isn’t my favorite part of the day, but everyone else loves it. I’m not talking charades or Monopoly here. No no...this is modern board gamery which features all manner of cooperative team building stuff. A couple years ago we actually played a game whose object was to cure the world from a raging pandemic before all of mankind was wiped from the face of the Earth. The only way this could be accomplished was with teamwork...working together, or in other words...the exact opposite of what the board games of my youth were about—-world domination and the complete annihilation of your enemies. Since I’m essentially a does not work well with other kids sort of guy, I am at a natural disadvantage when it comes to these cooperative adventures. I find myself internally scheming a way to find the cure for the pandemic, then figure out a way to corner the market and charge the other players ridiculous prices for the vaccine! Ha! Just kidding. I’m hoping that Patrick and Sarah leave that game at home.
Each of you reading this could tell me stories about your family traditions. Each are unique and special, a defining characteristic of your history as a family. This is something to celebrate. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ, Emmanuel-God With Us. But its also a celebration of what it means to be a part of a family.
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