Christmas Tradition

We all have fond memories of Christmas traditions from childhood.  For me, it was evening walks as a family to walk around the neighbourhood and look at all the Christmas lights.  It didn't matter that every night we saw the same lights (sometimes for years at a time), I looked forward to each and every walk, although that may have had more to do with pushing my brother, and jumping, into snowbanks than it did the lights.

Now that I have grown up, I have a few Christmas traditions of my own.  On Christmas Eve, I watch "A Christmas Carol" (1951, black & white, Alastair Sim), which I start at midnight.  It has also become a family tradition for me to include a Christmas ornament in my wife's stocking, although these days I enjoy pushing my wife, and jumping, into snowbanks.

However, there is one tradition that I wish I could break.  Putting off my shopping until the last possible minute, because now I must brave the mall on the last Saturday before Christmas.  I suppose it could be worse, instead of going to our local mall (which I would call medium-sized), I could be trying to navigate my way through the West Edmonton Mall (which I call ridiculous-sized).