Savoring the Simple Joys Of Christmas

We didn’t have very elaborate Christmas traditions in my house growing up, but December 25 holds some of my favorite childhood memories.

My dad is a physician and was often on call during the holidays. His beeper might interrupt any celebration, so we kept things low-key.

On Christmas morning our presents from Santa were laid out, unwrapped and already assembled. We could dive right into playing without waiting.

My mom would make cinnamon rolls straight from the tube and we would stay in pajamas most of the day.

If my dad wasn’t on call, we might go to a movie.

It was lazy bliss. No frantic hustle of traveling, no dressing up for fancy meals.

When my first daughter was born, my husband and I decided we would embody that same Christmas laziness. The day would be spent at home, in our pajamas, no obligations. We would play with new toys, read new books and watch Christmas movies on cable.

Technology has somewhat interrupted this tradition in a way that simply didn’t exist when I was a child.

Now grandparents can be included by Skype or Facetime, our kids receive electronic toys that don’t require us to play with them, and Netflix means we can watch pretty much anything, not just whatever Christmas classic is on TV.

Not all of these tech advances are negative.

It’s great to be able to see relatives without the expense and headache of travel. And Netflix has a decent selection of Christmas movies.

But I am tempted to cut the cord on Christmas and let our minds take a break from being plugged in all the time.
Because my favorite Christmas memories will always be the ones spent at home with just my family and store-bought cinnamon rolls.