I would always wake up Christmas morning at 3 or 4 AM. I COULD NOT SLEEP. My older brother was always still sleeping, and so I would run into his room and wake him up. It would usually take him 15-20 minutes to get up, and when he got older, it would take him an hour. Anyway, once he got up, we would go downstairs to the tree and look at all the presents. We were not allowed to touch them, but we could look. Then we would sit on the couch and talk about whose present we think the big one in the back is, and what it is. The rule was, if mom and dad aren't up yet, we have to wait for them to get up. Once it hits 7 AM, if they aren't up yet, we can wake them up. So we would usually fall back asleep on the couches downstairs while we waited for our parents to wake up. Once they would wake up, we would get to open our stockings while we baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We started out just making them from a can, and then as I got older, I learned how to make them from scratch. After we ate breakfast we could start opening our presents. But, my dad works at the water treatment plant, and switches between working during the day, and at night, and sometimes would work on Christmas because people still need clean water to drink on Christmas. And it was always the worst if he had to work Christmas Eve because that meant he wouldn't be home until 9:30 AM on Christmas morning. And we were only allowed to open our stockings without him, but gifts had to wait. We couldn't open any without him there. As a kid, that is a long time to wait.The minute he would walk through that door from work I would race to the tree for a gift. Then after ripping through all the presents I would start really examining them and playing with them. As I got older, I started getting more clothes and books, and less toys. We would then have a few hours to relax before starting to cook for dinner. When I was little, this is when I would play with my toys, as I got older, I would go out for a walk or relax in my room. Then at around 1 PM we had to start preparing for dinner. I always make a squash casserole (recipe from Black Eyed Pea Restaurant) and my dad cooks either a ham or prime rib (depending on what he gets from work) and my mom always makes homemade pies. We start cooking, and my aunt and uncle come over around 4. In the past we used to have an older man named Orville who my mom met when she worked at the Dental office who would come over because all of his family lived out of town, and we enjoyed having his company, but sadly he passed away about 5 years ago. Otherwise, it has just been my parents, my brother, and our aunt and uncle. My mom says that she always wanted a big Christmas with a huge table full of people, and she has five siblings, so she had that growing up, but as much as that would be nice, I like what we have. I like it being small and intimate. It makes it special. And I am so glad that this year my brother was able to come back from Ohio and surprise me. Best Christmas present ever!
I have always loved Christmas. It is such a magical time of year. Here is what Christmas looked like at my house:
I would always wake up Christmas morning at 3 or 4 AM. I COULD NOT SLEEP. My older brother was always still sleeping, and so I would run into his room and wake him up. It would usually take him 15-20 minutes to get up, and when he got older, it would take him an hour. Anyway, once he got up, we would go downstairs to the tree and look at all the presents. We were not allowed to touch them, but we could look. Then we would sit on the couch and talk about whose present we think the big one in the back is, and what it is. The rule was, if mom and dad aren't up yet, we have to wait for them to get up. Once it hits 7 AM, if they aren't up yet, we can wake them up. So we would usually fall back asleep on the couches downstairs while we waited for our parents to wake up. Once they would wake up, we would get to open our stockings while we baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We started out just making them from a can, and then as I got older, I learned how to make them from scratch. After we ate breakfast we could start opening our presents. But, my dad works at the water treatment plant, and switches between working during the day, and at night, and sometimes would work on Christmas because people still need clean water to drink on Christmas. And it was always the worst if he had to work Christmas Eve because that meant he wouldn't be home until 9:30 AM on Christmas morning. And we were only allowed to open our stockings without him, but gifts had to wait. We couldn't open any without him there. As a kid, that is a long time to wait.The minute he would walk through that door from work I would race to the tree for a gift. Then after ripping through all the presents I would start really examining them and playing with them. As I got older, I started getting more clothes and books, and less toys. We would then have a few hours to relax before starting to cook for dinner. When I was little, this is when I would play with my toys, as I got older, I would go out for a walk or relax in my room. Then at around 1 PM we had to start preparing for dinner. I always make a squash casserole (recipe from Black Eyed Pea Restaurant) and my dad cooks either a ham or prime rib (depending on what he gets from work) and my mom always makes homemade pies. We start cooking, and my aunt and uncle come over around 4. In the past we used to have an older man named Orville who my mom met when she worked at the Dental office who would come over because all of his family lived out of town, and we enjoyed having his company, but sadly he passed away about 5 years ago. Otherwise, it has just been my parents, my brother, and our aunt and uncle. My mom says that she always wanted a big Christmas with a huge table full of people, and she has five siblings, so she had that growing up, but as much as that would be nice, I like what we have. I like it being small and intimate. It makes it special. And I am so glad that this year my brother was able to come back from Ohio and surprise me. Best Christmas present ever!
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Last year I started a tradition on Christmas Eve. My family has been going to church every Christmas Eve since I was a baby. And we often find ourselves coming home after church around 6 or 7 o'clock hungry, wanting to eat something, but not wanting to cook anything. My family loves the combo of grilled cheese and tomato soup, and I decided last year we would make that. But I didn't want to have to stand over the stove cooking, and so I found this crock pot recipe from Lynn's Adventures that is perfect for Christmas Eve because you can start it before you leave for church and it can be done when you get back. I have altered the recipe slightly from hers.
Crock Pot Tomato Soup 2 Tablespoons Oil 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 cups of broth (you can use vegetable, chicken or beef) 1 28 oz can whole peeled tomtatoes 4 fresh tomatoes (You can substitute these for another can, but I like the mixture of fresh and canned together) 2 8 oz cans tomato sauce 2 tsp Basil 2 tsp Oregano 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper to taste 1. Heat the oil and garlic in a pan over the stove until sizzling 2. Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent 3. Add it to the crock pot 4. Add the broth, tomatoes and sauce to the crock pot. Stir well. 5. Add the seasonings 6. Cook on low for 2-3 hours 7. After cooking 2-3 hours, remove whole tomatoes from crock pot and place in a blender to puree. Be careful because the tomatoes will be hot. I let the tomatoes sit for a few minutes to cool before blending them so I don't ruin my blender. If you have an immersion blender and can blend them right in the crock pot that works even better. 8. Place the pureed tomatoes back into the crockpot 9. You can serve now, or keep it on low for another few hours. I usually puree the tomatoes just before I am about the leave for church, and then put them back into the crockpot and let it cook on low until I get back from church. 10. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of soup and enjoy Like I said, we pair these with grilled cheese. I pick out a nice loaf of sliced artisan bread from the bakery at our store, and just some basic sliced cheddar cheese. We use our Panini grill press to make them and they are delicious! In my family, apple pie is an art form. It began with my grandma in the kitchen rolling out the dough, and then my mother soon following in suit. For as long as I can remember pie making has been happening in my family every holiday. When Thanksgiving rolls around, my mother brings the big tub of Crisco up from downstairs and flours the entire counter to get ready to make pies. And the same thing happens just weeks later at Christmas.
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AuthorMy name is Alex. I am senior in college majoring in elementary education and minoring in teaching English as a second language. I enjoy doing many crafts such as scrap-booking, card making and jewelry making in my free time. I also love to write, cook, bake and spend time in the outdoors camping and fishing. I am a few months away from becoming a certified elementary school teacher. I am open to teaching any grade. I also hope to one day become a published author. Archives
July 2017
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