Christmas dinner isn't something that stands out in my memories. I have lots of food memories of other meals--the eggnog in front of the fire Christmas Eve, cinnamon rolls and oranges for breakfast Christmas morning, snacking on nuts and chocolates from my stocking all day long, but dinner apparently didn't leave much of an impression on me.
We didn't usually do a big formal feast, or even have a set-in-stone tradition of who would be around. Some years, my grandparents were in town and came over, many years, it was just the 5 of us. And I know some years we had a ham, or turkey, but I'm pretty sure most years we just enjoyed the afternoon, watching movies, playing with new toys, and reading new books, while no one spent the day in the kitchen, fixing food that honestly, none of us were all that hungry for. Chocolate and cinnamon rolls don't leave a lot of room for real food.
Our family seems to be following in the tradition that there really isn't any tradition to our dinner. We've done nice meals, we've done easy meals, and we've done in between. While I love the idea of everyone dressed in their holiday best around a beautifully set table with multiple courses of special foods, that just isn't practical for enjoying the day, and I can't imagine anyone in my family (myself included!) wanting to get dressed up for dinner at home.
And so, what we will eat is still to be determined, and I can almost guarantee that at least one of my children will still be in there pajamas at the dinner table, but we will have spent the day together, enjoying our family time, and that is the tradition I want to continue.
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