I grew up in a household where my parents used to hide our presents in closets when company came over because it was so excessive it was embarrassing. Standard response when we were kids and asked for ANYTHING (even a pack of gum!) was 'Christmas is coming!'...even if it was January. We were ridiculously spoiled by our parents, our grandparents and our aunt.

Now? We have no children in our immediate family. My brother and his wife haven't had kids yet and my husband and I opted out. My husband is an only child and he has virtually zero contact with his first wife and his parents have passed away. Because of this, the holidays are what ever we want them to be and lately, they've been a little scrooge-like.

This year though, we are all travelling to Florida to spend a week with my parents. My oldest cousin and his wife and their two young kids will also be there, so it should be very festive. We've agreed to no gifts (only stocking stuffers) but I assume that won't apply to the kids. I'll wait until we get there before buying anything though, just in case. And the best part? I haven't been this excited about Christmas since I was a kid! I can't wait for the parties at my parents house, big family dinners, watching football with my dad and husband, a trip to the beach for grouper sandwiches and reliving all the silly little family traditions (including our traditional Christmas breakfast) with my family. Plus, I haven't seen my brother or his wife in 4 years, so it'll be so much fun to have plenty of time to catch up! To me, Christmas is about family and it always has been...even though we were horribly spoiled as children. Somehow, even with all those gifts, my parents clearly did something right because both my brother and I feel the same way. It's not about the presents, it's about family and the 'traditions'.