I did not grow up with the same Christmas traditions I celebrate today with my children. While we did believe in Santa Claus and he visited our house, he never eat any cookies or drank any milk. We didn't leave food for his reindeers and we did not read "It was the night before Christmas." My Dad would bring home a tree a few days before Christmas and I would spend Christmas Eve day with my two brothers decorating the tree. I am not sure artificial trees existed back then and the smell of the fresh tree was pure pleasure. We did not have lights to put on and no water went into the tree stand. The ornaments have been passed on by generations and we took care in finding the right spot for each and everyone. We also decorated ...