Christmas Eve

I grew up in a place where Christmas meant more than presents and good food. Christmas time was incomplete without hot chocolate, poofy coats and weather so cold, you couldn't step outside. This sounds like the stereotypical winter scene, right?

Well, this year I am learning about a new way to enjoy the holidays. No coat. No shoes. No snow.

I never thought a Christmas Eve tradition would involve making fresh orange juice.

It was a new experience to pick fresh oranges straight off the tree on Christmas Eve and juice them, but new traditions are fun. Two big buckets made three gallons of pure orange juice - and with a little bit of sugar, they were delicious.

I've learned that this year, instead of sending cookies out to neighbors while singing Christmas carols, orange juice is a happy way to say, merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas!