Christmas Eve Traditions

12/24/12 Every Christmas Eve when Hubby & I first married, we would drive to Mom and Pop’s home (his grandparents) out past the floating tree on Lake Windermere in Raleigh. It was like Groundhog Christmas---with same menu and gifts every year. We loved it.

Always country ham and biscuits---with younger ones each year learning to take on what had once been Pop’s “cooking” role. On our last Christmas Eve on Lakewood Dr. cooking that black iron skillet country ham with red-eye gravy became Hubby’s role, with his boys helping him in doing the honors. Always lots of toys for great grandkids, (eventually 21) sweaters for men, Dinstuhls’ candy for women and $$$ for mom. Always a roaring fire----even if it happened to be 70° outside.

After Mom died we invited Pop to our house for Christmas Eve’s country ham and biscuits and Pop’s favorite, deviled eggs. Plus, we started our own traditions---Christmas Eve breakfast with the Cockrell, Gurner & Higginbotham families. The first time (1986, as our gift), we piled all the families (18 of us) in our Ford Econoline tan van and took them to breakfast. Destination—Bryant's on Summer Avenue. It has continued for 27 years, though now meeting in other restaurants, since 2005, when Bryant’s began closing on Christmas Eve.

Moms, Amy and Molly, were only 8 and 7 years old at our first Christmas Eve breakfast.  Now they have  children  of their own.

Another tradition that we seem to have passed on is the last minute assembling of gifts---having been known to work into the wee hours. Just this afternoon neighbors and family felt the “crunch” as elves scurried in our carport to put together a trampoline (took 3 “redo”) and pick up a basketball goal.

Daddy elf is obscured in photo for "security" purposes.

Traditions---what fun!! I think it’s biblical to “be merry.” (Eccles. 8 :15)

We’re saving the country ham ‘til the Texans get here----so they can help Pop-Pop do the cooking---enabling them to someday carry on that tradition!