It's Christmas Eve. It's quiet. It's just me in the house snuggled in my bed with my coffee. It's cold and grey outside and the only sound I can hear is my clock chiming downstairs. Love moments like this. Time to reflect. Memories of Christmas Eve's past fill me. They were magical to me as a child and when I close my eyes right now, I am taken right back, right back to that Christmas Eve tradition, over 40 years ago, with my family. My three sist
ers and I would get all dressed up (sometimes in matching outfits) and load into the family station wagon, and head to the Lost Alaskan chinese restaurant. As we seldom ate out, this was a HUGE treat for us and very special. I can vividly remember that wonderful aroma as we walked thru the door of the restaurant and found our booth. Ahhhh, the fried rice and egg drop soup..divine...all of us sitting like little ladies at the table. After our bellies were full and the fortunes were read, we piled back in the car and off into the Arizona night to find the prettiest Christmas lights around. Dad would take us to the "fancy" neighborhoods so that we could "ooh and aw" at those twinkling, colorful lights. Oh the squeals of delight......as each neighborhood got better and better. We also kept one eye in the sky for Santa and his sleigh, too and Rudolf's red nose. We would then return home and were allowed to open just one present. This would usually be our Christmas jammies which we donned immediately. It was then off to bed to try to sleep. Trying to sleep was impossible. Filled with so much excitement and longing for morning to come. And the final tradition of the night was the stocking. Santa would enter our room, when "she" thought we were 
asleep and lay it on the food of our bed. On a few occassions, I was still awake, pretending to be asleep and watch my mom's sillouette quietly creep out of my room. That is a keepsake moment for me :) It was then that I would take one leg, with my toe extended and find that stocking and quietely, ever so quietly drag it up to me and hide it under my covers. In the darkness I would put my hand into that stocking, listening to the crinkling of its contents and try to figure out what delights were in it. Ah
hh, the chocolate Santa which I would unwrap and devour as quietly as possible under the covers. No wonder I could not sleep! And there I would lay surrounded by the stockings contents, unable to see what they were, but laying among them as I drifted happily off to sleep..........
ers and I would get all dressed up (sometimes in matching outfits) and load into the family station wagon, and head to the Lost Alaskan chinese restaurant. As we seldom ate out, this was a HUGE treat for us and very special. I can vividly remember that wonderful aroma as we walked thru the door of the restaurant and found our booth. Ahhhh, the fried rice and egg drop soup..divine...all of us sitting like little ladies at the table. After our bellies were full and the fortunes were read, we piled back in the car and off into the Arizona night to find the prettiest Christmas lights around. Dad would take us to the "fancy" neighborhoods so that we could "ooh and aw" at those twinkling, colorful lights. Oh the squeals of delight......as each neighborhood got better and better. We also kept one eye in the sky for Santa and his sleigh, too and Rudolf's red nose. We would then return home and were allowed to open just one present. This would usually be our Christmas jammies which we donned immediately. It was then off to bed to try to sleep. Trying to sleep was impossible. Filled with so much excitement and longing for morning to come. And the final tradition of the night was the stocking. Santa would enter our room, when "she" thought we were 
asleep and lay it on the food of our bed. On a few occassions, I was still awake, pretending to be asleep and watch my mom's sillouette quietly creep out of my room. That is a keepsake moment for me :) It was then that I would take one leg, with my toe extended and find that stocking and quietely, ever so quietly drag it up to me and hide it under my covers. In the darkness I would put my hand into that stocking, listening to the crinkling of its contents and try to figure out what delights were in it. Ah
hh, the chocolate Santa which I would unwrap and devour as quietly as possible under the covers. No wonder I could not sleep! And there I would lay surrounded by the stockings contents, unable to see what they were, but laying among them as I drifted happily off to sleep..........To this day, I continue this tradition with my children.
May you and yours have a magical Christmas.
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