Family tradition

Thank goodness NaBloPoMo wasn't in December. Good thinking on their part. Family drama is already heating up. I sure do love the holidays. Every year I feel like I'm having to drag my family through the motions. I buy the gifts for my mom to give my dad, for my dad to give my mom, for my parents to give my husband, for my parents to give my children. I've even started buying things for myself for my husband to give to my parents to give to me. I'm determined my children will grow up thinking Christmas is as special as I think it is. I want them to remember it as a magical time of the year filled with family memories and anticipation. When they are older I want them to understand what the holiday is *really* about both in the religious sense but also the spirit of the holiday too. Thinking of others, appreciating their many blessings and remembering those that aren't as fortunate. I'm determined they won't see it as the time of year that their mom lost her cool at the crazy uncle that persisted in standing over her shoulder saying "another potato? you don't need any more potatos, who is going to eat all this food?" while ridding the entire house of doritos and mixed nuts and eating directly out of the serving pots. Or the time of year that mom and grandma got in a fight about whether or not the TURKEY needed to be refrigerated overnight. Holy hell my mother and her steadfast belief that food never spoils. Sigh, I'm looking forward to it already.