Butterflies overwhelmed my stomach on my three hour drive home from school after a long week of studying, paper writing, and test taking. The semester was finally over, and now all I had to focus on was baking snowflake shaped cookies, sitting in front of the fire, absorbing the Christmas music, admiring the sparkling tree, and becoming completely immersed in Christmas. The few weeks at school between Thanksgiving and Christmas felt as though they'd never end and I'd never get to participate in all the holiday traditions my family upholds each year.

I thought about how as soon as I open the front door when I get home, my dog will come running to me wearing his red Christmas sweater. I'll look to my left and see the tree we decorated before I went back to school after Thanksgiving. We usually wait until at least December to hang the ornaments and hang the lights, but decorating the tree has always been something me, my parents, brother, and sister all do together while dancing to Elvis' Christmas album and drinking eggnog. Since being in college, we moved this beloved tradition up so that it could be upheld.

I thought about how everywhere I look as I take off my coat and shoes and schlep my luggage into the house will be completely decked out in red, white, green, and gold bows, ornaments, candles, lights, stuffed Santas and snowmen, and garland. My mother will have gotten the house prepared for my brother's Christmastime birthday on December 21 as well as for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Most of my relatives live far away so most of my Christmases are spent simply with my immediate family, grandparents, aunt, and cousin. Growing up, my brother's birthday was usually the day of a big party with dozens of our family friends who had become like aunts, uncles, and cousins. I have known them my entire life, and they have been at every communion, christening, birthday, and holiday. The house was usually completely lit up, decorated, and filled with kids playing hide-and-seek and shaking gifts under the tree, parents laughing, and people enjoying the plethora of holiday foods.

I thought about how a mere few days after this big party, the big holiday for my family—Christmas Eve—quickly arrives. We always try to follow the Italian tradition of preparing the "Feast of the Seven Fishes." This includes platters of fried calamari, baked clams, lobster tails, shrimp, and other fish-related dishes that vary from year to year. As soon as my grandparents arrive, we pick on appetizers, which could usually substitute the entire dinner, and begin to make struffoli (the little fried honey balls). In my family, these are a necessity on Christmas.

My stomach flipped as I thought about how after stuffing ourselves with pasta, fish, and cannoli, we will sit around the dining room table and get a little rowdy when playing a game called "Pokeno" (it is kind of like Bingo, but with betting and goals other than getting five across) while we wait for midnight.

When midnight finally strikes, we all gather in the living room under the tree and exchange gifts. When my cousins, siblings, and I were young, noisy kids, we would spend the entire night shaking all the gifts trying to determine what they were. For this reason, my grandparents began labeling the gifts with the names of Santa's reindeer (Prancer, Rudolph, Dasher, Prancer, etc.) to throw us off and keep the element of surprise alive. As 16, 19, and 24 year olds, our presents are still made out to Santa's reindeer. The thought of this made me smile to myself in the car as I crossed the Whitestone Bridge. I was almost home.

The thought of Christmas morning entered my mind. I couldn't wait to drink coffee and hot chocolate as we take turns opening gifts. For breakfast, we always have cinnamon rolls, omelets, and hot chocolate with a candy cane in them as we admire all of our new items.

Christmas Day for my family is usually a low-key and relaxing day after having already thrown the big parties. We bring lasagna to my grandma's house and watch a Christmas movie together then usually fall asleep on the couch.

As I pulled in my driveway a week before Christmas to see colorful lights draped across the bushes and trees and a glowing Santa and snowmen sprawled across the front yard, I have never felt more excited to be home. All of these traditions are the reason Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday. They never get old, and I can't wait to continue them in the future.