brown paper packages and a little baby

I'm big on traditions. They mean a lot to me and I'm not even sure why. I think part of it is with all the changing that goes on in life, traditions and rituals give us something to hold on to. Some sense of sameness among all the chaos. 

Now that we have our own little family, I have carried over traditions from my own family and started a few of our own. One that I grew up with was opening a present on Thanksgiving night. Santa would bang on our door and leave a gift for everyone, usually illuminated by a few candles. Santa was there to remind us that he was watching. Be good! Get excited! I looked forward to that every year. 

Here is Spencer on his first Thanksgiving night (please forgive the fact he has no pants on) with a few of his gifts to open. He wasn't quite sure what to make of it all, but I think he'll love it as the years go on.