It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I was reading Erin's blog and I guess you can say that I got sucked in. She is having a contest to see what stories best catch her. I am not writing to "win" I am writing because once again she got me to thinking. And the fact that it sounds fun.
She says that she is "particularly interested in the concept of "waiting" and "anticipation" and how it all ties in to Christ, and the season." This is what has gotten me into a mode where I try to remember past events at Christmas. I have heard a lot about traditions lately and what they mean to you. Unfortunately I never grew up in a Christian home so the meaning of what Christmas was didn't exist for me. Sure I heard the stories but it rolled off me with no significant meaning. These past few years it seems almost as if it gets more and more understandable to me.
Some of my memories consist of getting a tree. Getting one for just us kids to decorate. It may have been a Charlie Brown tree sometimes but I always opted for the big full ones. Mom doing her own tree upstairs. Perfectly trimmed out upstairs and then when you go downstairs you knew us kids did that one. Waking mom up Christmas morning. She had to have her coffee before we could open anything but while she got her coffee ready we got to attack the stockings. We had stockings that were added to every year. Each year another inch or so was put on to represent the past year. Sometimes those stockings were bigger then us. Then we opened the presents. Played and went back to bed.
I used to get so excited when I was little that I couldn't sleep and would feel sick to my stomach. Every Christmas morning I would excitedly jump out of my bed to see if over night snow had fallen. Most of the time my heart had sunk. To this day I still get the excitement over Christmas. One year I even prayed to God asking if we could have snow for Christmas and sure enough it started on Christmas Eve. I still have trouble sleeping. Each year has meant a little more to me. Sitting staring at the Christmas lights. I can still sit there for hours and just be taken away by the twinkling that they do in between the branches. Or the lights on the houses. Absolutely beautiful.
This year is no exception, I am sure. This year I have continued to be in awe. Continued to think more and more about the Son that was given to us on that special day. The Son that eventually died for us. The more I think about God and Jesus the more I want to make sure that is a special tradition in my child's life. That this little man can be proud of what Christmas is and what it represents to it's truest sense of the meaning. That my kids would know the Christmas story and love it with all their little hearts. I am longing to make more traditions with my kids. Making cookies. Sitting together and reading the Christmas story. Not only for them to learn but for me to continue to grow. This Christmas is one where we sit closer to God then any before. This year the true meaning of Christmas is coming through for us. It's all about Jesus. All about our Savior. This year I am trying to embrace it as fully as I can and learn to hold Him as much as I can.
I love good memories. I can't wait to provide those for my child. For my child to know Jesus. To love Him and know the real meaning behind Christmas.