My Family Traditions

BY STORMIE PERRY

Family traditions are important, especially around the holidays. Every family has something traditional or has a specific meal or an order of opening presents that they do every year. Even if its "normal" its still different within every family.

My family "tradition" is traveling up to Kentucky every year for Christmas. Most of my family lives in Kentucky, and Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas unless I am surrounded by family. A tradition we have is eating squirrel and rabbit for either Thanksgiving and Christmas or both!

Christmas Eve is always fun because we get to open some presents. On Christmas Eve. my parents and I go visit all of my dad’s family and have lunch and open presents from them. We also visit all of my mom’s family and do the same thing. In the evening for Christmas Eve, after dinner, my grandparents, my uncle’s family, and my family will open presents that are only for and from my uncle’s family because they go back to their home for Christmas morning. We always open presents from youngest to oldest, starting with my younger cousin to my older cousin to me to my mom, all the way to my grandparents. After my uncle and his family leave and some movies are watched through the night, it’s time for bed. Always a restless sleep awaiting the thrills and joy of Christmas morning.

The morning finally comes, the sun is shining, and I wake up full of sleepiness but also the Christmas spirit fills me. It’s time for presents! I get to see my family’s faces as they open their gifts, and I get to see what I got which, of course, is always fun. My family and grandparents open our gifts and are joyful and thankful.

Those are my family traditions. They are not different from a lot of other family's holiday traditions, but my family makes our "traditions" unique and fun.