Christmas Eve at my house is one of the greatest events of the whole year. I think that I love it so much because of the quality time that I get to spend with my family. Christmas Day is wonderful of course due to the delicious meal we all get to take part in, and not to mention, the presents! But, Christmas Eve is a bit quieter and more personal; which is why it means so much to me.

Every Christmas Eve my whole family comes together, traveling from different areas around Colorado to one location (either my house, Grandma's house, or my Aunt and Uncle's house). The switching of locations is always fun, because the setting is different! Everyone decorates in their own way and it's exciting to see how things will be set up each year. Usually, once everyone is together, the family catches up and listens to Christmas music while munching on snacks and warming up by the fire. All of us kids know how to play the piano so if we have learned a Christmas song that year, we get to share it with one another. The fire crackling in the living room and the sound of laughter as stories are shared, makes the environment so friendly and cheerful. After dinner, we all gather into the living room around the fire, sitting close to each other, and grab our stockings that have been waiting patiently all evening to be opened.

The tradition of stockings is one of the most special to me. Even the adults get something in their socks and it's so much fun to see the silly little fillers that were chosen for all of us to enjoy. Even though the stocking stuffers are never anything very expensive, they have always meant a lot to me because of the memories that are tied to each one inside.

After we open the stockings, the pies and cookies are made for the fantastic meal that we get to dive into the next day. I love getting to spend time with my family in the kitchen as we take turns making our favorite treats!

I will always cherish the Christmas holiday with my loved ones. Even if there were no stockings on the wall or Christmas presents under the tree to look forward too, just getting to give hugs to my family and spend time with them is the greatest gift I could ever receive.