Christmas Joy!

I just love the Christmas spirit! Mainly because it's a time where my family comes together, as with any other. We don't dwell on who gets the most presents or who gets the best present. We all just gather around each other, watch old movies, cook tons of family sweets, we talk, tell stories, and play games.
This year I am especially excited about the cooking of sweets because as part of our tradition, the oldest relative passes down one of their favorite recipes from our secret family recipes to someone of the younger generation; and this year it was me! I got my Great Grandma Cook's Carmel Nut Log recipe from my Grandma Kuntz. Everyone thought that it was a duplicate of the recipe but no, it's the original recipe that my great grandma came up with herself. Because of this tradition and the passing of the oldest recipe, I get to come up with a family recipe to add to the rest of them that will be unveiled for the first time on Christmas Day!! Not only do I have to create a new recipe but I have to successfully make the recipe that was handed to me. I can hardly wait. I have always been told of the tradition and waited every year to be part of it, although cooking with the family is part of the tradition, the recipe passing down tradition I was always expecting since I am really the only one of my generation out of my siblings and cousins that is excited about cooking and baking. Since I was little, and first heard this tradition, I would think up and perfect many different recipes that I would like to add but it's finally time to choose and it's kind of nerve racking because I don't know which recipe of mine to choose or if I should make up a new one all together. I know though that it either has to be a main dish or a dessert. SO EXCITED!!
I just love our family tradition and I just had to share it. People always say that Christmas is a time to spend with family and friends, but how many people actually follow through with that?? I know I do and I will continue to look forward to it. Yeah our family is as dysfunctional as the rest and we have our fights, but we have a really close bond that other people would just wish they had. I hope others can be like my family one day, just with their own little touches; because a family just isn't a family if they don't have their traditions and believes and most of all, each other. This year, I wish everyone the best and that they are thankful(because of the "economic depression") for just being with their family and friends and to whom ever they are close with. That's all that really matters because when the gifts are gone, family will still be there.
HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!