Tradition.

Nothing is more fun than my annual family Christmas party.

Stories buried for years always seem to resurface for our collective entertainment--everything from my teenage uncle sneaking into the local prison while his best friend filmed so they could get an "escape" scene on tape, which led to a mass town alert and a prison head count to see which prisoner had supposedly escaped, to the fact that my great grandma actually eloped on prom night at age 15--she drove out to Wendover with the boyfriend her parents hated and got married on the spot.

This is why I love history: people don't change.

Being home for Christmas is a double-edged sword. I love being with my family, but I have realized that we eat SO much--it is no wonder that I am consistently ten pounds heavier when I live at home. In college, I live on veggie Subway sandwiches and Lean Cuisine frozen dinners, with the occasional Yoplait Light or bowl of blackberries to mix things up. At home, I eat homemade chicken salad sandwiches, chips with fresh bean-and-cheese dip, my grandma's cheesecake, and my aunt's marshmallow brownies, with sugary frappe to drink and maybe a thick chocolate malt for dessert. And that's just lunch.
Oh, man--I'm really going to have to start exercising again.
I have to tell you, though--it's worth it.