tradition

Ours is a steak dinner with baked potatoes on Christmas Eve.

My German grandmother arrives to house slippers and a glass of wine (this time she brought her jug) and my aunt brings her kids, a 2 liter of ginger ale, and shi-shi (whipped cream).

It's actually amazing to watch how things change each year. Like my 11 year old cousin who is developing a sense of humor or 17 year cousin who runs a social commentary on every word pronounced in the room. Then there are the things that don't change. Like my aunt's adorable limited taste or my grandmother's youthful face. All of them are beautifully articulated by a holiday that for us means the one time in the year when we all get together to confront and love our family.

This year's highlight was when we passed a candle and "The Night Before Christmas" around the room for a festive reading (a tradition that comes from my dad's Michigan family). My grandmother got the longest page in the book and when her thick German accent arrived at the words "the moon on the breast of the new fallen snow..." she absolutely lost it and couldn't get over the snow having breasts. We exchanged gifts and soon everyone was on their way and my sister and I watched our parents fall asleep in front of the fire and a hilarious videotape of our very own production of "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

Now my parents have to wake US up on Christmas morning so that we can dig through our stockings and unwrap gifts, throwing the wrapping paper at the frisky cat across the room.

A delicious breakfast around the dining room table and a trip to the movies is just about all there is to do in Huntsville, but that's alright because

family is the reason for the season.