30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 28

Today, I am thankful for holiday traditions.

Being Type A, I always love having a plan. When Stefan's mom was here this last weekend, I had a list of things to do for each day she was here. Even though she just came to "relax, eat, drink and shop" as she said on her first day, I can't just "let things happen" when someone comes to visit"... there HAS to be a plan. I think this type of mentality is why I absolutely LOVE family holiday traditions. Everything is planned! 


When we were living in Washington, there was no need to figure out what we we're doing on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day... I knew that on Christmas Eve we we're going to have a fabulous dinner at Stefan's parents house, which always includes escargot and a Christmas log (buche noel I think is the right term in French). On Christmas morning, my mom always makes a breakfast casserole. We would always come downstairs, open gifts first thing while the casserole was cooking and eat afterwards. Then we'd head over to Stefan's parents and do Christmas with his family. 


Holidays just aren't the same if you're not with family. Last year, we went outside of our normal traditions and spent Christmas in New York. Even though we didn't have escargot or breakfast casserole, we were able to spend the day with family in New Jersey (and I still had every day planned out). 


This year, we're not going back to Washington, but my parents are coming to spend Christmas in Arizona. I'm so thankful for my family, the traditions we've built over the years and the traditions we'll continue to create.