Merry Christmas . . .

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy holiday season.   We have a couple Christmas traditions I would like to share.   We go to our Christmas eve Lovefeast service at Church and now that Sprat is a Diener (someone who helps serve Lovefeast) it makes this service even more special.  I am very proud that Sprat has taken this leadership role in our Church.  The hubbs and I were Dieners when we were first married.
When I was growing up we did not have a Christmas Eve service at out Church.   We spent the evening together as a family and then opened our gifts from each other after dinner.  I have lots of fun memories rushing everyone through the evening meal so that we could open gifts.   I was always the first one up on Christmas day, usually about 4 or 5 am.  I could not sleep on Christmas Eve because I was so excited about Santa.   Christmas day, we drove up to my grandmothers and spent the day with aunts, uncles, and cousins.  I remember the dessert table especially, it was full of the most fantastic cakes, brownies, fudge, and pies.  I come from a distinguished group of phenomenal cooks and bakers.
The hubbs and I have some traditions that are unique to our family.   We have a Christmas pickle.  This is a German tradition, the ceramic pickle is the last ornament hung on Christmas Eve, there is a special gift under the tree marked "the pickle".   When the boys come down on Christmas morning the first one to find the pickle gets the extra "pickle" gift.  This is supposed to make the kids appreciate the beauty of the tree and each ornament before they dive in and start opening gifts.  
The boys have been getting Christmas ornaments each year from their grandparents and some they have made at school.   When I am decorating the tree I set those ornaments aside and they put their own ornaments on the tree.  I hope they appreciate the ornaments they have been given, my tree might be naked when they leave to make their own homes.
The hubbs likes to decorate right after Thanksgiving but he also likes to take everything down by January 1st.  I personally like to enjoy my Christmas decorations a little longer.
These are just a couple traditions we enjoy during the Christmas season.  I would love to hear about your family traditions.
Stay tuned lots will be going on in 2017, I will have a high school senior and a freshman.