But I couldn't let this Christmas season (which technically began yesterday and runs until Epiphany, for those of you who are keeping track) pass by without sharing our family's unique Christmas Eve tradition.
We take part in many common Christmas traditions. We decorate, bake cookies, light the Advent wreath, keep up with an Advent calendar, leave cookies for Santa, and set out reindeer food. But my favorite Christmas tradition is our annual Christmas Eve meal at Outback Steakhouse.
Stick with me.
When my husband and I were first married, we owned a little townhouse in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. We bought a cute little tree that I referred to as our "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree", and we decorated it with a few ornaments and a tiny strand of tinsel. Two tiny gifts sat underneath the tree, which was perched on a cheap TV table. We didn't have a lot of money, but I purchased a couple of steaks from the butcher and baked potatoes, ready for the grand debut of married life Christmas Eve dinner.
The potatoes were in the oven and I had just put the steaks on the stove top to sear when the power went out. For no reason. It wasn't raining. There were no wind gusts. It was a beautiful Christmas Eve. With no power.
We waited for a few minutes as my heart broke apart even further--our first Christmas, and it was ruined. And more so--I had wasted all of this money on the partially-seared steaks.
Eventually we had to admit that the power wasn't coming back on in time to salvage our meal, so we got in the car and agreed to stop at the first restaurant that was open and had power. Lo and behold, the Outback Steakhouse sign illuminated the darkened sky!
And so, every year since, we've made it a tradition to have our Christmas Eve meal at Outback Steakhouse. The kids have even gotten into the tradition, and they make us tell the story each year as we nosh on cheese fries and that wonderful, warm bread that soothed our bellies fifteen years ago.
Some holiday traditions come out of culture or even family backgrounds. But often the most meaningful traditions are the ones we make for ourselves. They remind us where we've been and help us keep perspective at a time of year when it is easy to lose. Perhaps our meal at Outback Steakhouse doesn't seem as significant as lighting candles, singing traditional songs, or visiting family, but it certainly brings us together (except when we're fighting over the last cheese fry).
We take part in many common Christmas traditions. We decorate, bake cookies, light the Advent wreath, keep up with an Advent calendar, leave cookies for Santa, and set out reindeer food. But my favorite Christmas tradition is our annual Christmas Eve meal at Outback Steakhouse.
Stick with me.
When my husband and I were first married, we owned a little townhouse in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. We bought a cute little tree that I referred to as our "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree", and we decorated it with a few ornaments and a tiny strand of tinsel. Two tiny gifts sat underneath the tree, which was perched on a cheap TV table. We didn't have a lot of money, but I purchased a couple of steaks from the butcher and baked potatoes, ready for the grand debut of married life Christmas Eve dinner.
The potatoes were in the oven and I had just put the steaks on the stove top to sear when the power went out. For no reason. It wasn't raining. There were no wind gusts. It was a beautiful Christmas Eve. With no power.
We waited for a few minutes as my heart broke apart even further--our first Christmas, and it was ruined. And more so--I had wasted all of this money on the partially-seared steaks.
Eventually we had to admit that the power wasn't coming back on in time to salvage our meal, so we got in the car and agreed to stop at the first restaurant that was open and had power. Lo and behold, the Outback Steakhouse sign illuminated the darkened sky!
And so, every year since, we've made it a tradition to have our Christmas Eve meal at Outback Steakhouse. The kids have even gotten into the tradition, and they make us tell the story each year as we nosh on cheese fries and that wonderful, warm bread that soothed our bellies fifteen years ago.
Some holiday traditions come out of culture or even family backgrounds. But often the most meaningful traditions are the ones we make for ourselves. They remind us where we've been and help us keep perspective at a time of year when it is easy to lose. Perhaps our meal at Outback Steakhouse doesn't seem as significant as lighting candles, singing traditional songs, or visiting family, but it certainly brings us together (except when we're fighting over the last cheese fry).
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