QOTW #4

I really don't have a favorite holiday memory, but one Christmas Eve that really stands out in my mind was the one when I directed a Nativity scene for my Grandmother.

Every year, we spend the entire Christmas Eve up until midnight at my grandparent's house in Reston where all of my extended family from all over the country comes to celebrate and be with each other. Although I am not a religious person, my grandmother certainly is. She grew up during the post World War 2 period in Southern Germany so faith, specifically Roman Catholicism, became a huge part of her life. Naturally, many of our Christmas Eve traditions are Catholic/Germanic in nature like the German Christmas Eve feast or the songs that we'd sing together ("O Tannenbaum", Stiele Nacht", etc.) but by far my grandmother's favorite tradition is the Nativity scene where all of her grandchildren dress up as various characters from the scene and sing songs.

One year, I got all of the grandchildren together and decided that we would take things a step further and turn the one scene into the entire Nativity Story. We spent the entire week memorizing lines and verses, learning songs, and creating a backdrop until it was finally time to perform on Christmas Eve. My grandmother, who knew nothing of our plan, was so incredibly happy as she saw all of her grandchildren acted out such an important story to her and even began to cry when we performed for her "Silent Night/Stiele Nacht." When it was all done, she hugged each and every one of us and said that was one of the greatest Christmas presents she had ever received.

Although I don't believe in the Christmas Story the same way or to the same extent that my other family members do, I understand how much it means to them and how it and the holiday season brings us all closer together as a family and for that I'm truly thankful.