Family Tradition

There is a firm rule in our house—you must believe in the spirit of Christmas to receive a gift. The magic of Santa may have faded as the years piled on, but what he stood for never has. In my mind, Santa represents the spirit of giving within all of us. And most giving starts with one thing—shopping.

Since before I can remember, my family has always gone shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving. We don’t do the whole Black Friday thing with all of its door-busting and getting in line at 3 a.m. to save $10. For us, it’s more of a take-your-time, enjoy yourself, fun family tradition.

When I was younger, I always wanted to join my mother and Aunt Donna on their shopping excursion. It seemed like so much fun! They shopped locally owned, small businesses before it was trendy and cool. My mother’s good friend owned a toy store in Baton Rouge called Victoria’s Toy Station. That was their main reason for going shopping every year. They would spend all day hitting the small boutique shops and enjoying one another’s company. I wanted to go because I thought it would be fun. I also thought if I went, maybe I could even score a few extra presents!

As I reached my early teen years, my mom and Aunt Donna decided I was old enough to join them on their annual shopping trip. I asked my friend Kate to join me. We were so excited! Well, that excitement was pretty short-lived. We realized that shopping was also a very serious matter among my family members. They hit the stores with their lists ready. (My mom even has a book of what she gave who last year so she doesn’t give the same gift twice.) They have been known to spend over two hours in Victoria’s Toy Station picking out the perfect toy for even the youngest family member. They literally shopped until someone dropped.

I have a very clear memory of crawling beneath a Christmas tree with Kate and collapsing, unable to go any further, hoping they wouldn’t find us so we could get just a moment’s rest.

Several years passed before I attempted to join the ladies on their quest again.

Now, as an adult, our little group continues to make our pilgrimage every year. Aunt Donna, my cousins Kristen and Kim, my mom and I pile into our cars that Friday morning and head to Baton Rouge. Our first stop is still Victoria’s. All these years later, she still looks for our bright faces at opening time on that Friday. Her daughter now helps to run the shop, and we look forward to seeing pictures of her own sweet baby girl that might one day help us to shop in her grandmother’s store. We still take our time with our careful selections as we buy for a whole new generation.

This special day is one I look forward to every year. It’s a Christmas tradition that reminds us of the importance of family and the spirit of giving.