A Month of Christmas Memories

Last month several people I know wrote blogs or posted on facebook every day listing things they were thankful for. It is a great way to actually stop and think about all the blessings in our lives and how much we DO have to be thankful for.  This month, I am going to do the Christmas memories challenge.  Every day I share one of my favorite Christmas memories.  This should be fun!  I missed a couple of days so I'm going to do the last three days (memories) all on today's post.  

Here we go . . . 

1. One of my favorite Christmas memories from my childhood took place every year on Christmas Eve.  When I was little Santa would come to my grandparents' house.  I think my Grandpa Jack loved it just as much as we did.  We would open presents with the whole family and then my Aunt Vickie and Uncle Dave would take all of us kids out to look at Christmas lights.  We would drive around and look at them for an hour or so. While we were out my aunt, mom, and grandmother would set out all the Christmas snacks and goodies and Santa would come and leave all of our gifts from him.  Christmas lights just have a magical feel to them.  Sitting in the back seat with my brother and cousins all bundled up with my aunt and uncle acting just as excited about it as we were is one of my favorite memories. Then, we would drive back to my grandparents and hurry out of the car so excited to get inside and see what Santa had left for us.  Uncle Dave is no longer with us.  We lost him in 2001 to cancer but he was such a fun man and he really made an impression on us kids as we all drove around "oohing" and "ahhing" over the Christmas lights.

2. There was one year that it snowed on Christmas Eve.  I can't remember what year it was--sometime in the 80s.  lol.  It was the year my brother and I got our desks with our names on them for Christmas.  I remember sitting at the desks in my grandparents' house and watching the snow fall through the huge sliding glass doors in my grandparents' living room as the fire in the fireplace snapped and crackled.  

3. Alex's first Christmas was a lot of fun for us. He was born 2 days after Christmas so he was nearly a year old when we celebrated his very first Christmas.  He wore a cute red and navy striped half zip sweater, corduroy pants and Tommy Hilfiger boots.  My grandpa Jack also had on a red shirt because it was Christmas Eve.  My grandpa had this rocking chair that he ALWAYS sat in--this chair is currently in our house and we use it to rock Kaitlyn.  He sat in this chair in front of the Christmas tree with the lights blinking and glowing and he held Alex.  I think my Aunt Karla is the one who took this picture of him holding Alex and they are looking at each other.  It is one of my favorite pictures!  It was obvious that my boys loved my Grandpa Jack just as much as I did!