Holidays are the main times to see both sides of my family.
At Thanksgiving, my mom, dad, brother and I go to my dad's side of the family, my grandpa's. When I was in 2nd grade, my grandma got in a car accident only miles from their house. At the time, I was in school. I was checked out and brought to church. Since then, holidays have never been the same. However, Thanksgiving is still good, although it would be better with grandma. At my grandpa's house, my uncle, aunt, dad and mom all get the dishes prepared for the feast. When the final family members arrive, and the food is downstairs, we dig in, the little ones first.
Christmas is a little different. We have Christmas with my mom's side at my uncle's house, usually on Christmas Eve. We have dinner with homemade cupcakes for dessert, and relax until it is time to open presents. The kids get the most and we usually take a family photo. After everybody's gifts have been opened, my family say goodbye and go home.
Easter has been a little different in the past few years. It started 3 years ago, when my family hosted my mom's side of the family. We put our dishes we made for the day on the counter. We kids go downstairs and play ping-pong or football. We are called up when everything is ready and begin eating. The kids go to a table in the living room, and the adults use the kitchen table. That is usually the Easter day for us.
Each tradition gets better and better each year for some reason. I wonder what new traditions my family might come up with in the coming years.
