Christmas Eve traditions

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Our family is weird.

But tradition is tradition and when you live with autism, you cling to a tradition that works like Velcro.

Here’s what we’re doing today (although, I admit I’m limited today due to my surgery recovery):

  • Frantically cleaning every corner and wrapping every forgotten gift we can find.
  • I usually cook all day but that won’t happen this year. So I’m going to be directing traffic in the kitchen.
  • The grandchildren will be here so it will be great fun watching them lick the bowls and decorate the cookies. I put out nativity scenes that are made for little hands and I love watching them play with them.
  • Around 4:00 PM, everyone cleans up, dresses up fancy, and gets ready to go to the church Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at 5 PM.

Origin-Christmas-candleAnd here’s where it gets weird.

  • After the service we go to Pizza Hut.

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Yeah. I know. Not very dignified are we?

But this has been the tradition in this wee little town since we moved here 14 years ago. We discovered that Pizza Hut is rather empty on Christmas Eve and with two boys with autism, the peace there was perfect. We could feed the kids and grandkids to the gills and enjoy one another’s company. Sometimes if someone shows up to the Christmas Eve service with nowhere to go afterward, we invite them along.

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Three of my seven granddaughters: Trinity Grace, Maggie Ellen Faith, Avery Hope

After we get home it’s time to open gifts from out-of-town relatives and friends, and the grandchildren open gifts from us before they go home. There are tons of cookies, egg nog, and other goodies to enjoy before sending them home to their own beds so they can wake up for their own family Christmases.

Do you have a strange family Christmas tradition you enjoy? I’d love to know about it!

Merry Christmas!

 

 

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