I would imagine most every family’s Christmas traditions are different. We’ve had slight modifications throughout the years but many of our customs remain intact.
My brother and I were the kids of small business owners. We always opened our presents on Christmas Eve after the family grocery store closed for the day. Our gathering consisted of our family of four plus Nanny and Pap-pa… and chili.
We had to wait until everyone finished eating before we could open anything. For those of you that know my Mom… waiting for her to finish was the same as forever. (It still is.) We still have chili on the Eve of Christmas.
The best holiday tradition is one we started around 5 years ago — PRACTICE CHRISTMAS. It’s where everyone opens a gift as practice so we’re sure we can handle the real thing. This year, Ben and Colette are wearing new shoes and playing with a new video game — and Perry got a Blackstone Griddle and has been bingeing on YouTube cooking videos.
Neither Merida nor Dharma get to practice. In protest, Merida stood in an empty tub and looked pitiful. I grabbed a photo, and then caved in and gave her a treat.
How severe the pandemic is in the places where people I care about are located…
Daily new COVID-19 cases (7 day moving average):
Indiana-96.7 (down a tad); Jackson Co – 116.6 (down) — 7.2% infected (up); Florida 43.7 (up); Nevada – 85.0 (up)
I know so many people sick right now, and Wayne Minton, that helped Steve Maxie build my Crothersville house, died of COVID complications today. So scary, you guys. Be safe.
TIL (today I learned): In 2018, World of Warcraft’s virtual gold was 7 times more valuable than Venezuela’s currency. As we played this game for years… I should’ve sold my gold back in 2018 and retired before the pandemic. Hindsight is 20/20. 🙂