Breaking Tradition

This has not been a year of traditions in my house.

Didn't get to see 4th of July fireworks because we were driving into Richmond, our new town.

Didn't get to smell a turkey roasting in the oven on Thanksgiving because I ordered food from Cracker Barrel.

Didn't wait until Christmas morning to open presents because we will be out of town, so we had Christmas today.

This year has been different.  So many changes.  Houses.  Schools.  Jobs.  Communities.  Friends.

This week has been challenging.  The plague seems to be going through our house, as almost everyone has been sick at some point.  The thought of a long weekend stuck inside with 4 kids, and few distractions seemed like cruel and unusual punishment on myself.  So we sent an email to Santa and suggested that it might be a good idea that he come early.

He set his alarm for 4am to leave gifts under the tree, to fill stockings, and to leave a note upstairs by our bedrooms.  Since this was unexpected, we didn't actually all get out of bed until 7:30, which was nice.  The kids are happy, enjoying their gifts, and hanging out.  Since most of them are still sick, we didn't even attempt church.

I have never once EVER let my kids open their presents early.  I always had to wait for Christmas morning.  So would they.  It's TRADITION!!

But on Christmas Eve, we will be heading to my parents house.  The 6 of us and a St. Bernard in a mini-van.  It doesn't leave a lot of extra room for a sleigh full of gifts.  Plus, the older boys wouldn't be able to use their presents until we got back home, so it just seemed like a better idea to do everything early.

I haven't decided if this year's break with our normal holiday traditions is just a healthy adaptation to the changes in our lives, or if it's just laziness and apathy.

Probably a combination.

Did you drop (or add) any traditions this year?