Christmas Day was never the most exciting part of the holiday season.
Sure, it’s the day the kids awake at the crack of dawn and open their presents, which is nice if you still have children at home. But even if you do, most of the excitement of the day is finished by the middle of the morning.
In my family growing up, Christmas Day also meant Christmas dinner, the second and last time of the year to devour a 20-plus pound turkey. We usually went to a movie in the afternoon and returned home to the feast.
In my second family, with my wife and children, the feast was on Christmas Eve. Nicole prepared a lamb ragout, with quiche lorraine and some wonderful appetizers. Later in the evening, we would get dressed up and go to midnight mass.
So from beginning to end, December 24th was always a special day.
The following day was a special morning.