Our family does some non-traditional stuff for Christmas that other people find odd while we think it’s totally the norm…for us. I probably would have found it odd when I was younger…or even if it was another family because I acknowledge that we’re the exception. See, on Christmas Eve, even though Hubs’ parents are divorced and remarried…we ALL get together. Same with Christmas morning. Ex’s and their new spouses and all of us kids…we all spend the time together. Most families don’t do this. Most families have messy divorces and would rather eat nails than spend another holiday with that person. Our family isn’t like this. To add to that mix, this year Hubs’ brother’s ex wife is coming to both events as she will be alone since they’re newly divorced. Our kids are such close cousins though that she’s still very much involved in the family even if they ARE divorced. Then I think about if me and Hubs, GOD FORBID, ever got divorced. I’d like to be invited to things still since I’m so close to his family. I’m sure I would move on eventually and have my own traditions started without them. But the gesture would be nice.

I realize how non-traditional our whole family is. Hubs’ mom and I are super close. That is not the norm. I’m closer to Hubs’ sister than my own sisters. Also not the norm. Everyone in his family is like this though…divorced or not…we all spend Christmas together. It’s for all of us kids’ sake so we don’t have to split the holiday. It’s for the grandkids’ sake too. And really, I like it this way. I like our non-traditional Christmas.