My family has had many Christmases full of traditions. The most fun to me has normally been meeting at Mom's for "breakfast at lunchtime" on Christmas day. So much excitement! It has been a lot of years of fun as our family has grown and grown. We'd all get there and add whatever our part was of food and homemade treats and enjoy our Christmas Day Feast. Afterwards we'd all go down into the large den, with the fireplace and Christmas tree surrounded by a pile of gifts. Each family would then take turns handing out the gifts and watching the kids play, enjoying their new surprises.

Now Mom and we siblings are older and things have changed. Everything seems to have slowed down. Covid exaggerated some of that, but now, it is too much for Mom to have everyone in. At 90, she is doing well for her age, but she is no longer up to having the house full of people in the numbers our family has now grown too, with grown grandchildren married and with young family's of their own. We sure did make it last while we could though and I am thankful for the many years we were able to enjoy that, but now.... it is gone.

I know the answer is to make new traditions and that may happen I suppose, but at least for now, it is not the same.