E2. Holiday Traditions

Thanksgiving and Christmas are the holiday that our family really has traditions every year. This is why it’s my favorite time of the year because I’m always around my family. For Thanksgiving we usually have a dinner about 3pm at the parents’ house, my house. We don't invite the whole family over, only the siblings and there significant others. We try to get one person per couple to bring a dish for dinner so my dad doesn't have to do all the cooking. We have the usually foods: turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, squash and sweet potatoes, then we usually have a casserole, dinner rolls, and desert. And of course the best part about Thanksgiving is football. Our family is huge football fans which makes Thanksgiving 10 times better. I mean what is Thanksgiving without football? But the most important part is celebrating pilgrimage. Thanksgiving this year is going to be just a tad bit different. Instead of going to the parents’ house for dinner the family is going to my sister’s house since she just bought a nice new house. Her house has a much bigger table and dining room for everyone to feast. Next another big family tradition is on Christmas. This year’s Christmas is going to be slightly different ever since my grandma passed away. All of the family that lives in Buffalo usually went to the nursing home where my grandmother was living at, since she wasn't able to transport places well. There we had a dinner, something easy and fast, and we all exchanged gifts with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. So this year I’m not quite positive how we are doing Christmas with my them. Then my parents and siblings all went back to my sister’s house in Alden to celebrate Christmas with the siblings, since we are all busy with their own families on Christmas morning. The siblings do secret Santa so we don't have to buy for the other 6 siblings, and we usually pull names at thanksgiving dinner. Also at my sister’s house we have a dinner, which tends to be just pizza and wings or subs, and we just hang out play games and reminisce the old times. Finally, Christmas morning! I just LOVE walking out of my room to see the sight of stockings hanging on the mantel over the fireplace, and all the presents wrapped sitting beneath the green Christmas tree.