Have a Holly Jolly Thanksgiving

I heard the first Christmas song of the year on the radio today! I LOVE Christmas, but I feel strongly that it should wait its turn. Poor Thanksgiving gets shorted every year. Granted, my neighborhood Big Lots is a month past Christmas and is already stocking Valentine's cards, but for the rest of the world, I think we should take things one holiday at a time!

For my family, this Christmas is going to be the Year of The Change.

In every previous year since the existence of my family, we have followed a very strict and elaborate tradition, involving writing to Santa and baking cookies on Christmas Eve, piling into my parents' bedroom to make sure no one scares Santa away by trying to peek, waking up nauseatingly early and giggling for about an hour, waking up my father, who would declare "I don't think he came this year", to which we would sing in reply, "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch" and proceed to Hop on Pop. Then comes the Annual Stair Race, for which we line up on the top of the stairs, try to intimidate each other with comments like, "I'll pull your hair out if you try to get in front of me", and then, upon hearing my father say, "I don't think he came, but I guess you can come look for yourself", tear down the stairs, shoving and kicking each other over until we get to the bottom, turn the corner into the family room, and descend upon our gifts like we'd never had a kindness in our life. This tradition is, in a word, awesome.

However, it has not evolved as the family has. The kids have all grown up. My parents are divorced and my father has his new sweetheart. The Best Nephew Ever is now to be considered. Since my parents separated, my father would join us at my mother's house to continue in the tradition. This is not possible now that there is a sweetheart. Also, four months is much too young to expose a child to the bloody violence that is the Annual Stair Race. There is always at least one bruise per sister, but usually many, many more.

SO: This year must be the Year of The Change. And we are open to suggestions. What are your favorite holiday traditions? How have they evolved as your family has grown up and changed? Anything, people. I have to have some ideas to present at the family gathering for Thanksgiving.

Poor Thanksgiving. It's been demoted to "Meal Over Which We Plan Christmas".

Post your ideas and traditions in the comment section!