Monday, December 10, 2018

That's Christmas to Me



Every year during Christmas time, there's usually a song that really resonates with me. The last few years have been "Where Are You Christmas?" because I never fully got into the Christmas spirit. I tried to, but I always felt like I was missing something. I kind of became a Grinch about things. This year has been a lot better. I have listened to Christmas music every day since Thanksgiving, and I'm not even close to being sick of it yet. It's kind of funny that this is the year I'm more into it because a few things are/will be different from past Christmases, and I'm not a huge fan of change. We have our traditions, and I get pretty upset if we don't stick to them. This brings me to the song that has resonated a lot with me this year: "That's Christmas to Me" by Pentatonix.


I love that each singer has a solo, each saying what Christmas is to them. If you watch the music video, they also have little memories of past Christmases playing too.

 Christmas to me is going Christmas tree hunting with my family. We have done this for as long as I can remember. We used to go to tree farms and cut them down ourselves. The last few years, we found a place we love to get real trees in Elk Ridge, Utah. The people there give you free hot chocolate (it's seriously some of the best hot chocolate I've ever had) while you roam around their tree selection. The trees have already been cut, so all you have to do is pick one. They even have a spot to take photos. Here is this year's photo (please excuse my crazy hair. The wind blew right when the kid took the picture). This was different this year because my new brother-in-law joined us, which isn't a bad thing. I'm actually really glad Ryan and Syd could come. It was just weird because they picked out their own tree instead of helping us pick out one for our parent's house, like we always do.


Christmas is decorating said tree with my sisters. This year, my parents told me it was time to decorate the tree and then left me to do it on my own. Sydnie and Ryan didn't come help because they have their own tree to decorate. Hannah was in Provo, probably studying or procrastinating studying by watching Netflix. My dad was watching a show downstairs. My mom went to a meeting. It was kind of hard decorating the tree by myself. I tried to liven it up by playing Christmas music, but it just wasn't the same. After I set aside my sisters' special ornaments, I hung all of mine, as well as some miscellaneous ones on the tree. It was kind of melancholy, especially when "Blue Christmas" started playing. On the bright side, nobody fought me when I put the ornaments of me at the top of the tree (It is my rightful place as the angel of the family👼).

Christmas is helping my dad put the Christmas lights up on the house. For the last fiveish years, I've helped my dad put the lights up because he has bad knees. Also because I felt bad he didn't have a son to coerce into helping him. I love doing this. I don't know why, but it is always fun to get on top of the roof. I also love that it's a thing just me and my dad do. We have it almost down to a system. I love Christmas lights. They make the world a bright and fun place. They are especially beautiful in the snow.


Christmas is baking delicious treats and taking them around to the neighbors. We used to bake twisty tails, which is a roll tied into a knot dipped in butter and sugar. Now, instead of tying them into knots we make them into little pieces and put them in a circle to make a giant cinnamon roll looking treat and drizzle it with icing. While we do this, we watch classic Christmas movies like "While You Were Sleeping", "Home Alone", and "Little Women" to name a few. I asked my mom when we were going to make them this year, and she said we might not do them at all. It's a lot to make since we always feel bad if we don't give to to every single person we know.

Christmas is getting together on Christmas Eve with my brother's closest friends and their families to celebrate his birthday. We usually to go Jim's Family Restaurant and eat breakfast, drink hot chocolate, and catch up. Last year was supposedly the last year we were going to do it, but hopefully we still keep that tradition alive.

Christmas is getting together with my mom's family for Christmas Eve dinner. We eat, play games, carol to some neighbors and call our family who couldn't be there. Then that night, my sisters and I open PJ's and have a sleepover in my bed (yes it's squishy, but it's tradition!). This year is going to be different since Syd now has a husband, and her own apartment to sleep in. It will be weird to wake up in the morning without her at the house.


Christmas is waking up early, covering our eyes when we walk past the Christmas tree, and waking up my parents. We only open a couple of presents so that we have time to get ready for our big family breakfast. We always go to my mom's uncle's house to have finnan haddie (fish), hashbrowns, and orange rolls for breakfast. Most of my extended family is there, and I love it. It's so weird to eat fish for breakfast, but it's a fun tradition that most people I know don't have. On our way home from breakfast, we stop and visit my dad's father and sister. Then we go home, open a few more presents (my mom makes us do it slowly so we can "enjoy what we get"). Then we usually just chill, eat food, and watch one of the new movies we got.

Christmas is different for everyone. We all have our own special traditions we do, yet we still feel the same Christmas spirit. I love Christmas traditions, but they really aren't what matter. It doesn't matter that some of my traditions are getting switched up this year. What matters is the love we give to and feel from our friends, family, strangers across the world, our Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ. God sent his son to this Earth to live and die for us so that we would have someone who knew EXACTLY what we are going through, no matter what it is. He loves us more than anyone. The greatest gift we can give back to him is loving others around us.