I’ll be home for Christmas had never applied to me before. Every year the day school let out for Christmas break, we packed into our car and headed to either Oklahoma or Denton, depending on the rotation that year.

If Thanksgiving was spent in Denton we would go to Oklahoma for Christmas and vise versa.  Waking up in someone else’s bed on Christmas morning is not strange to me. It is what I grew up knowing.

My grandparents in Denton had the biggest living room I’ve seen. Every Christmas morning I woke up and walked out to see all the presents Santa brought me strewn across a living room floor that wasn’t mine.

When I was nine or 10, I wanted a new bike, but I knew my parents couldn’t hide it in the car with all the other presents we traditionally took to grandparents’ house. When I got back to my house at New Years, Santa had left a new bicycle for me and presents for my brother and parents along with a sparkly trail. I always thought he had to have a chimney and that was why we went to my grandparents. Apparently, I was wrong.

I remember one Christmas my dad had bought my brother and me a special gift. We had to guess what is was, so the entire ride to my grandparents house in Oklahoma we were naming random things.When we got to the house, we gave up guessing.

Every Christmas Eve we get to open one present of our choice, so of course we chose the special gift. My dad sat my brother and me down on the couch and made us close our eyes. We heard him leave the room and open the back door. This sent questions through my head. What on earth could it be? Why did  he have it outside?

When we were told to open our eyes our mouths dropped. What was my dad thinking when he got us this? In front of us was a unicycle! After opening the rest of our presents the next morning, we took the unicycle out and attempted riding it up and down the winding roads of Oklahoma.

It wasn’t until my freshman year that I realized that everyone else had opened presents under their Christmas tree in their own house. The thought of opening presents at my house struck me as strange. I pondered this thought and then began to yearn to have Christmas morning at my own house.

When my grandparents from Denton moved here, I was so excited because it meant we could have Christmas at home! Last year was the first year I opened presents at home. This time, however, waking up in my own bed on Christmas morning was weird. Sitting in my own living room opening presents felt different. But I liked it.

Last year was the first year we have ever had our presents under a Christmas tree. My grandparents have either a small tree or a blow-up tree. It finally felt like I was part of the Christmas tradition.

One of my grandmothers has always cooked Christmas dinner, but this year, my mom and I face a new challenge. My grandmothers always had smoked turkey or ham. We want to be creative this year. We definitely want lots of cranberry sauce because I am in love with that. We’re thinking about a Christmas brisket. I can almost hear Howard on Big Bang Theory bragging on his mother’s brisket.

I guess the tradition doesn’t matter as much as spending time with the people I love.

Again this year my family is having Christmas at home, so it actually becomes a tradition since it is the second time ever. I am looking forward to it, and I know I will have fun. I have learned that no matter where you are or who you are with, just like for the Grinch, Christmas came, it came just the same.