#whysanta

#whysanta

Why does everything Christmas make me tear up?!  Is it the fact that I miss being a little kid just awaiting tearing into a mound of beautiful wrapping paper? Do I miss sitting around my family wondering if I will grow up to be just like them then helping with dishes for an hour?  Is it all of the shiny lights ( and if you were a Fellman you would understand when I say ALLLL of the lights)?

I am not going to lie, I think it is a little bit of everything.  The decor, food, movies, smells, gift giving, and just the overall joy.  Christmas is my favorite time of year.

 It is a time of year that lives for traditions.  There are several traditions that are a "Must do" on my list that come from my childhood.  There are also several NEW traditions that I have started in my adult life.

OLD TRADITIONS
My grandpa on my mother's side used to be THAT house that everyone would drive 2mph by and stare at all of the moving and flashing figurines.  It always amazed me as a kid, who could set up that many lights by themselves?! I think there was only one incident of a fall off the roof.  Then, as if that wasn't enough.... the inside had 8 Christmas trees lined up against one wall.  They were all a different color with a different theme.  At the bottom of the trees there was a little village with a train running through.  It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen and wish I could see it one more time.  On my dad's side I loved going to Grandma Shoe's and being with my family all day.  There was the usual Christmas feast, followed by presents, then dessert. Same thing every year.  These traditions faded as the grandchildren and grandparents all became older and some moved away and others went to heaven.  But the memories live on.

New Traditions
Living here in Chicago now, I have had to keep some of my old traditions alive as well as create new ones.  Every year my boyfriend and I buy each other a special ornament, this is a tradition that my Grandma Shoe started and I wanted to carry on into my adult life.  However, it has become a new tradition to get our real tree every year the week before Thanksgiving.  This has been partially due to the fact that we are too busy after Thanksgiving to get a tree and partially because I just can't wait, I mean I start listening to Christmas music in September. The tree is followed by a lot of Christmas movie watching. (Home Alone, Elf, ,Rudolph, Frozen, The Santa Claus, The Grinch, the list goes on and on) We also make sure we get to the Christkindle market for some mulled wine, crepes, and to see the BIG tree.  Ice skating under The Bean is a must every year as well! This year I am also hoping to take a field trip to see the Home Alone house !!!

Over the holiday I hope to share my traditions with you all and would like to hear some of yours !!! And please excuse me if I get a little terry eyes. I can't help it, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year !