Traditions...

[Author's Note: So I wrote this on Christmas Eve last year, saved it to a draft, and totally forgot about it. Im posting it now to get it out of the 'drafts' section of my blog...enjoy!]

So its Christmas Eve today. I went to church here in California to the Spanish Ward. It was interesting, there were alot of kids. The program was nice, alot of good christmas songs. I like that.

So, Im here at Kim's family's place and they are preparing for a big dinner with family and friends over. It's going to be one of those dinners where you sit next to someone you either don't like or don't know and the effect is the same. Oh well, good old Christmas Traditions.

Speaking of traditions, in my family (growing up) we always opened our christmas presents in the morning after we woke up. Thats one of the traditions we adhered to. It made for many sleepless nights on Christmas eve as we lay there thinking of the morning and what was behind all that bright colorful wrapping that my Mom...I mean Santa so carefully prepared.

Here, and in the latin culture in general, things are a little different. They all open their presents at the stroke of midnight, when Christmas arrives. Im of mixed feelings about this. It is nice to sleep on on Christmas day and all, especially since I always end up staying up late on Christmas Eve anyway. However, I wonder about the children and how they can possible think that Santa came when they were sitting there in the house all day anyway and nothing magical happened. Their parents just snuck presents past them somehow. I dont know how it works, but maybe latin kids are just more gullible than american kids. Anyway, its a tradition they enjoy and that I participate in when I am here. The funny thing is I dont even care anymore, since I already opened all my presents from my family and girlfriend. So, anything thats left is just presents from people who usually have no idea what I like/want in things I would use. Oh well, three cheers for more socks this christmas.

I hope you all have traditions that you hold dear, just remember that not everyone in your own country does things the way you do and be tolerant to that fact. People are different the world over, but particularly in your own country where you may encounter them someday. Life goes on, and traditions are just things we have done in the past with our respective families, they don't necessarily make us who we are in the end.

Merry Christmas! Make it the best one!