Today is Christmas morning. But there are no presents under the tree and no stockings hanging on the chimney. I am at my in-laws who do not celebrate Xmas. I can't be too self-pitying though because there are many gifts and I can smell latkes being fried upstairs (we are 'doing' Chanukkah a bit late).I must admit that I was always a bit Bah Humbug! about Xmas. As an adult it just always seemed to be about rushing around, spending money I didn't have and family obligations that I didn't want to fulfill. But now that I don't have it I must admit that I miss it terribly. I miss the roaring fire and the tree lights and the stockings so full of stuff that they had to be laid down on the fireplace because they are too heavy to hang. I miss my mom's 'Eggs Goldenrod' which are so white trash but oh so yummy. I miss the mimosas that I chug down in order to withstand the whole event. When I was young I LOVED Christmas. The magic of it was so seductive. We always cut down our own tree and it was HUGE. The house was always so cozy and people always came to us to visit so I could stay in my pjs all day long. The night before we would have gone to my grandparents' house and my grandmother would have hidden our gifts around the house and handed us a written clue to help us find it only to find . . . another clue . . . and another and . . . finally the much anticipated present. It was so very rich with tradition. Now that I have a little one of my own I am trying to begin our own traditions and so far I am failing miserably. As a child I never took into account how much WORK my mom put into it all so that we could have a nice holiday. Maybe next year I just need to take speed so that I can get it all done. Merry Christmas everybody!