I think Christmas Eve is my favorite day of the year. As a child, I loved the anticipation that Dec. 24 brought to my house. At my house, I remember doing fun things during the day—playing outside in the snow, making a batch of sugar cookies, and turning on the outside Christmas lights. In those days we had the big colorful bulbs, not the small twinkly lights. The bulbs got hot to the touch and you had to be careful not to get burned once they had been plugged in for a while.

My best friend would often stop by the house to drop off a small gift for me. And, one year we actually had a visit from Santa at our back door! That was super exciting!

As the sun went down the magic began. I loved the glow of the tree lights. My mom would light candles on the mantel. Also, she had a really cute German candle holder that had a “decorative wheel” at the top that would twirl as the little candles below it burned. That always intrigued me. Another thing we did was we always read Twas the Night Before Christmas right before we went to bed. My sister and I would share a bed on Christmas Eve. She always fell asleep before me. I would just lay there listening to the silence around the house, the glow of an electric candle in my bedroom window.

Christmas Eve was always family time. We played games, ate sweets, and enjoyed each other’s company. As an adult, I have enjoyed providing the same kind of memories for my family. I have passed the torch to my daughters as they each navigate Christmas with their children. Some of the same traditions I shared with them, they now share with their children.

So, this evening I enjoyed listening to Christmas music while sipping a glass of wine in front of the fireplace. I am off to bed awaiting the arrival of Santa…wait a minute…are those jingle bells I hear?