“Every Who down in Whoville, the tall and the small, was singing without any presents at all. He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME! Somehow or other, it came just the same! And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet, ice-cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so? It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags!"
MERRY CHRISTMAS! It’s that time of year when we get a break from work and school, get to spend a little more time with our loved ones, and get to act upon some of our strongest traditions. For as long as I can remember my family has had the exact same Christmas traditions that started the second Saturday in December and ended the weekend after Christmas; I love it this way. We go caroling, have a party, eat the same meals at the same times, go to the same mass, and we even have specific weekends to spend with our extended family.
I love my family traditions, which is why when my family started talking about changing them up, I was far from happy. Not only were we getting rid of many, but we were also changing the days and not even celebrating in my hometown. I was upset to say the very least. I felt like my plans were being ruined, and those that know me know that I don’t do change well. I began to think that Christmas wasn’t going to feel like Christmas. I gave up on the idea of a ‘merry’ Christmas and just decided to go with the flow and take it for a loss.
This shaped my entire holiday season. I didn’t experience the joy I normally feel, I was cynical, and I just tried to act like Christmas wasn’t coming (I didn’t even listen to Christmas music while I showered!). As the time got closer, I started thinking more and more about how much I was going to miss the traditions. I was going to miss waking up to my brothers making eggs Benedict. I was going to miss staying out driving all over Springfield to sing Christmas carols to our friends. I was going to miss sitting around in my pajamas watching everyone open their presents. It took me half a month to figure it out what the Grinch realized in a few pages. My family traditions were only important to me because I was there with my family. Nothing would be the same if they were not there.
So we celebrated Christmas a little early? It didn’t matter. I got to spend time with the most important people in my life. We had fun and made new memories. It was Christmas and I got exactly what I needed out of it. We may be going back to our old ways next year, but one thing I know for sure is that no matter where we are or what we do, as long as I have my family surrounding me it will always be okay.
