Tradition!

"You may be aksing, 'How did this tradition get started?'" "I will tell you....I don't know!" You may recognize that line from Fiddler on the Roof when Tevye tries to explain some of his family's traditions. It sums up exactly what I know of some of my family's Christmas traditions. I thought I would share a few with you really quick-

1. "Christmas Gift!"- I don't know why (this might be a pattern today) but this is how we answered the phone in my house on Christmas Day growing up. No, not "Hello!" or "Merry Christmas!" or even "Freeway Aamco!" (that right there is another blog post all in itself...) But truly, the phone would ring, and whoever answered it would say "Christmas Gift!" This is only understood by my Dad's side of the family- anyone else who called would say something like, "Um, is this the Bingham's???" And so that tradition continues to this day. Go ahead, call my parents house on Thursday! You won't be disappointed.

2. One Gift on Christmas Eve- This one is not that undheard of, I think many families do this. We would always open the little gifts from my Aunt Liz (actually my Dad's Aunt) that she sent us every year. Wouldn't know her if I passed her on the street, but she would always send us 5 or 10 bucks every Christmas and that was always the gift we opened on Christmas Eve. Now, in my own little family, I have changed it to opening one gift, but you know darn well it is going to be pajamas.

3. Wrapping Paper Basketball- Every year after we each opened a present we had to wad the wrapping paper into a ball and try to make a very creative basket in a giant cardboard box that was strategically placed in the living room. Over the years we each perfected the ricochet off the a/c vent, or bouncing off of the top of the wreath or the double bounce off the entertainment center and speaker. Off the ceiling was always popular and if you could involve the cat in some way, double points. This tradition still endures. That is why gift bags are such a bummer- they have terribly trajectory.

4. Christmas Day Silly String Fight- Okay, this tradition has died out over the past few years, but we were on a roll there for about 6 years in a row with this one. Our neighbors thought we were insane, but nothing says Merry Christmas quite like running around your yard, screaming your head off and spraying silly string in the face of a loved one. I am secretly hoping this one makes a comeback this year. I will keep you "posted"- aha! Blog humor. Never gets old. Well, to me, it doesn't :)