These past few years, my family and I have enjoyed different holiday traditions than we have in the past. Since I can remember, my entire family has gotten together for every holiday and special occasion. Barbecues after the 4th of July parade, Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve/Day spent at our church, and every birthday party was spent together.
Anymore, we can't even get all six sisters (my five aunts and mom) to attend their nieces and nephews birthday parties because of feuds between themselves. Or one sister gets mad and just doesn't invite specific people. They can't get over themselves long enough to celebrate another year of someone they are supposed to love.
My family hasn't celebrated an actual birthday party in nearly three years because someone's birthday is always close to another's so they all want their party on the same weekend. Then they worry that either no one will show up for their child's party or no one will have the money to buy them something.
One person or another tends to think they are better than someone else and then all hell breaks loose. My aunts have the tendency to block their own family from their phones and social media when they get upset with one another (EXTREMELY childish, I know).
I think that everybody is just so full of themselves sometimes that they don't really notice or care if they hurt someone that they love. And then they expect that person to just brush it off when they need someone because everyone else has turned their backs on them.
For the last three years, my family and I have spent New Year's Eve, Easter, 4th of July, and Christmas at home with each other rather than with the rest of our family, to create less stress and anxiety over the holidays for us. My mom does all of the cooking while my sister and I bake, trying not to screw anything up so I don't have to run to the store to buy more.
Sure, we still go to church for the big holidays like Easter and Christmas with the rest of our large family (we easily take up 3-4 pews depending on how many show up). However as soon as church has ended, we go right back home and just have quality time together.
During Easter, my mom and stepdad will fill the plastic eggs with candy for our little stepbrother and once he's found all of the eggs the "Easter Bunny" had left hidden for him, it is time for the big kids to search.
Since we are older, our eggs were filled with money! Thanks Easter Bunny! XD Each egg had a different amount in it. Some had quarters, others had $1 or $5, but the whopper we all searched for was the ten dollar bill. Guess who found the big daddy... Me! My brother and sister were completely jealous of me.
As for Christmas, every year I wake up around 6:30 am to make my mom and stepdad's morning coffee. Without it, no one would be opening gifts until they've had their first cup! Waking everyone up is my favorite part because seeing my little stepbrothers face once he's seen all of the gifts under the tree left by Santa, he looks like he almost can't breathe.
First we open our stockings to find candy and headphones or toy cars. After that, we play a game where you toss a marshmallow into the snowman's mouth to see who gets to pick their gift first. Whoever wins can choose who gets their gift next and so on. This past year my sister and I got a matching yoga mat set that we use every so often. It's something that bonds us because we both like to try different yoga poses together.
Also, my brother, sister and I all received new softball/baseball gloves. Every summer or warm day we go outside together and practice.
Holiday traditions may not be the same as they used to be, even from just a few years ago, but I still look forward to them every year.
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