wibojo...: Of all the Charlie Browns in the world...

No, I'm not the Charlie Browniest, but I do love that line. And it has got me thinking about this whole holiday season thing.

A few years back, when I spent my first Christmas with Jud and his big extended family, his sister Trina asked me what Christmas traditions I had grown up with. I didn't quite know what to say because when I stopped to think about it, besides eating more than I ought to, I didn't really come from a family with established traditions.

We weren't religious, so attending church wasn't a staple. The meaning of Christmas seemed, well, a veneer for commercialism. And now that we have kids, it feels even more commercialized.

Kids like toys, I get it, but honestly, I feel like we throw money at things, plastic things, that hold their interests for <insert variable amount of time>. Maybe we should tell our kids that Santa comes from a plastic factory somewhere in China. Just kidding.

But going back to the traditions thing....I was talking with Jud the other night about how I would like to start some traditions with our boys so that this time of year does hold special meaning for them.

Now I'm still not a religious person, and if religion serves as a metaphor for doing good, then my religion would have to be Humanitarianism. I think next year, we're going to get the boys to do various acts of kindness, something age appropriate, but something where they learn how good it feels to do kind things, to help other people somehow.

Jud also mentioned how much he loved singing at the piano with Grandma Raz and his cousins. Guess we'd have to get a piano, but that's something to think about too. And when the boys can handle it, I'd love to get outside and go snow shoeing or sledding on Christmas Day.

And of course, Charlie Brown will be a staple in our household. How can you not love that music?