Memories: The Night Before Christmas

Happy December!! While I am Summer Lover- hello beach!!- I can get on board with the Happiest Time of Year- the holidays!! I've been in the Christmas spirit for a few weeks now- listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas movies, writing Christmas cards...I've got all of my Christmas shopping done- except for my S.O.

There is so much I love about the holiday season, but hands down my absolute favourite is spending time with the people I love the most and creating memories. 

Speaking of memories...I thought I would share one of my favourite childhood Christmas memories, a memory that my brother, cousins and I reminiscent about every year on Christmas Eve.

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My aunt, my mom's sister, would host my uncle's (her husband) family on Christmas Eve. My family did our own thing and had our own Christmas Eve traditions- which I loved and have happy memories of- but we would always head to my aunt's house later on in the night for dessert. 

Every year, shortly after my parents, brother and I arrived, my aunt would be ready to serve dessert and it would be discovered that my uncle forgot to pick up ice cream- the one thing she asked him to do- on his way home from work. They would have an argument and my uncle, in his anger, would go out to buy ice cream.

My uncle's sister, Aunt Penny, would take all the kids upstairs and we'd sit on my cousin's bed while Aunt Penny read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to us while we waited for my uncle to get back with ice cream. I remember being all cozy and squished in bed with everyone, and Aunt Penny really getting into the reading.

Every year, while my uncle was out getting ice cream and in the middle of Aunt Penny reading to us, Santa would show up! We would hear Santa, jump out of bed and run downstairs to greet him. It was so exciting to see Santa and have a quick visit with him before he had to get back work.

After Santa left, Aunt Penny would finish reading to us, and my uncke would return with ice cream. Us kids would excitedly tell him how Santa came to see us and that he just missed Santa. He would be disappointed that he missed Santa. Can you blame him?! He missed seeing Santa by a few minutes!! 

What was amazing, is that every year- EVERY YEAR- my uncle would just miss Santa. If only he had remembered to pick up ice cream on his way home from work...he could have seen Santa too.