Of a certain age...

I remember Christmases when I was a kid - when my sister and I got so many presents we'd fall asleep before we could open them all. We always had huge Christmas trees in our two-story living room, fully decorated with ornaments and tinsel galore, and a big twinkling star on top.

I remember some Christmases with my own kids when we had a Charlie Brown Christmas tree and not even a lump of coal to pass between us. Yes, really, about as bad as that in the late '70s, early '80s. It was those times that taught me the meaning of the word family. Just being able to all be together on the same day and maybe share a meal was what mattered most of all.

And I've had a variety of Christmases in between - some good, some sad; some just plain awful. I had my heart ripped out one Christmas and it sadly lost all meaning for me. Not having a religious connection to it and seeing it become a freakin' shopping frenzy with people trampling each other to get a TV, I don't find it necessary to acknowledge it in traditional ways.

So I started a new holiday tradition with my grandchildren a couple of years ago which gives us some special one-on-one time together at least once a year because the rest of the year they are too involved with school and sports and friends and, well, you know, stuff kids do these days.

One of my regrets is that I didn't spend time getting to know my grandparents as anything other than my parents' parents who just came around on Thanksgiving and Christmas to gorge themselves with food: Especially the ones who were still alive when I was a teenager and I should have been naturally curious. I never knew who they were, what they did for a living, where they came from, what their lives were like, whether they were happy with their lives.

So my gift to each grandchild separately over the winter break is a dinner at Nana's house. I teach them about preparing food and how to cook a meal they would like to learn how to cook; dessert, too. Then we sit down to dinner and actually have an interesting conversation.

Also each year at this time, I ask them for a new list of five things they are interested in or want to learn more about, then pick one of them and find a movie to watch or Internet sites to visit after we do the dishes together. I also refer to this list throughout the year, for birthday gift ideas, and often text them with links to websites or YouTube videos they might be interested in.

I do love a white Christmas though. It takes me back to my childhood on Long Island, New York, where we almost always had a white Christmas. Then we moved to Florida. Oh, please! Palm trees with Christmas lights, pink plastic flamingos in the yard, 80 degrees out, Santa wears Bermuda shorts.

I'm so happy, happy, happy to be back in a winter wonderland. Let it snow, let snow, let it snow!! Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Feliz Navidad! Mele Kalikimaka! Happy Holidays!