One of the things I love about Christmas is that each family has their own traditions for how they celebrate the holiday. I am big on traditions. It gives you something to look forward to and get excited about each year. And, there's something comforting about knowing what to expect.

My family is different then most in the fact that we open gifts on Christmas eve and stockings on Christmas day. I can't imagine it any other way and we're continuing that tradition with our own kids. Our other Christmas eve tradition is a huge smorgasbord of food to be enjoyed before and after the gifts are opened. We have seafood for the guys, sweets for the girls and all types of dips, spreads and hors d'oeuvres to be enjoyed by everyone.

The Christmas meal is the only tradition that has changed over the years. Although the food has stayed the same (thank goodness!) we started having the meal on Christmas eve, early in the day, since everyone was getting married and needed to go the in-laws for Christmas day. To make up for it, almost every year, we have all spent the night so we could open stockings together in the morning.

For those of us that stick around, Christmas day is spent eating leftover turkey dinner and all the yummy appetizers from the night before. My favorite has always been the layered Taco Dip. I look forward to it every year and eat it for days afterwards whenever I get the chance. I always heat up my portion in the microwave before scooping it up with chips, but some prefer it cold so you'll just have to try it and see how you prefer. ;)

I love hearing about others Christmas traditions. How does your family celebrate this time of year?