Christmas Memories 🎄❄️

(Beautiful winter)

Now that the end-of-the-year holidays have wrapped up, are you excited to see what this year holds, Or are you saddened that the fun celebrations are over?

I always feel so many emotions this time of year.

Christmas is something I look forward to all year long!

I always end up feeling like Christmas passed by so quickly.

What do I love so much about Christmas?

I love the memories we make each year!

My family and I would always go to a Christmas Eve service(weather permitting).

And after that, we drive around and watch Christmas lights.

My siblings and I created a point system for judging the Christmas

lights, the lights are on a scale that ranges from 1-10 points!

1st point is for the minimal decor, 2nd goes to a manager scene. And it just went up from there. The house with the highest points won! Yes, the winner didn't get a prize or even know they won our little contest, but it was still exciting to us!

Growing up sister and I shared a cozy upstairs attic room. In our room, we have a floor vent. When we were little, we would stay up as late as we could by the floor vent to see if we could hear Santa Claus. I remember falling asleep close to the vent and climbing back in bed before (we thought) he could tell we were awake. It seemed like we had just closed our eyes to wake up abruptly on Christmas morning! We would race down the stairs excited for the beginning of a fun day.

I remember my Father would make us a delightful breakfast of biscuits and sausage gravy or pancakes!

Our Christmas season was always a refreshing break from the stress that occurs when you have a family member who struggles with a severe congenital health condition.

One of my brothers has severe congenital heart disease, Even though he is miraculously doing better at 18 than anyone expected.

Many of his younger years were spent back and forth to different states to have heart surgeries and other heart-related procedures. One funny story I have about my brother is that he forgot that pouring grease down the kitchen sink can clog the drain on one Christmas morning. I remember we all worked to get that sink unclogged so we could proceed with our celebrations. Ah, the funny things we did growing up!

One of our favorite Christmas traditions was making Lefsa with my dad's side of the family! My grandma's house became full of flour, Lefse griddles, and rolling pins. When we had finished, our clothes had transformed from clean to dusted in flour. Soon we acquired Lefse making stuff ourselves and would have friends out to make it with us! We even taught my now husband( but a friend at the time) how to make it in April one year because he never had Lefse.

(Making Lefse that April)

As I look back to all the wonderful Christmas memories I've had, it warms my heart! And now I look forward to the Christmas traditions we will have as a new family! And the fun memories we've already had together. I can not wait to see what our future holidays have for us!

I know some people didn't have good Christmas memories growing up! And I pray that they will be able to experience a Wonderful Christmas season full of joy!

Amanda. R

Second photo credit

T. A