Santa, the parents, sometimes something from one of Santa's elves or one of the reindeer.

I think our stockings were filled by Santa.

In our house, the presents from my parents were put under the tree before Christmas Eve, so they'd sit there and taunt us with all the pretty wrappings.

Then we'd leave cookies and milk out for Santa and go to bed.

On Christmas morning our stockings would be full, there would be more presents under the tree and there'd always be 1 unwrapped present for each of us.

Which Mom later pointed out they did to deal with the hard to wrap stuff, I never noticed.

The only consistent thing we do year to year is eat breakfast and open the stockings first. Everything after that is subject to change.

One year it was just me and Mom for some reason and we had gone last minute shopping so we didn't even wrap the presents, we just had a bag with them behind our backs and pulled out the presents with a flourish.

I can't remember when I lost faith in Santa either. I don't remember it as being traumatic. The last time the family was together properly for Christmas everything was wrapped, funny gift tags like Teppy's mom does, including a bunch from elves and santa and whatever worked as a hint for the present. Also, presents should be as disguised as possible so people can't guess what they are. You should have seen some of the clever things my parents did when compact discs first came out.

The magic in my heart is all about the candles and the smell of the tree and the lights and the ornaments and the egg nog. Christmas music and movies and the Santa watch are just extra icing on a damn good cake.

We always got one or two (plus the stocking) from Santa and the rest from family. Our mom would "help" us get something for each other and our dad from us, until each of us was somewhere around 10-12, at which point we started actually buying presents ourselves.

I don't remember the exact year, but I still remember the first Christmas present I ever gave my mom that I'd shopped for and purchased with my own money: a little plastic case of red and green bath beads that looked like Christmas ornaments (which I think she probably never used because of perfume allergy issues). I was so insanely proud of having gotten her something all on my own.

I think the fact that my current most treasured Christmas tradition is a trip to a dive bar in La Mesa on Xmas Eve by myself speaks volumes.

I jokingly call myself a once a year regular.

I think the fact that my current most treasured Christmas tradition is a trip to a dive bar in La Mesa on Xmas Eve by myself speaks volumes.

Don't forget that the holiday season is also now your Kilt-iversary!

For those of you who read Slacktivist, this week's Left Behind Friday is especially good.

My, that was painful.

I mean the book, not the blog....

So did no one else (that grew up with two parents in the house) get separate presents from each parent?

And did Santa leave presents for Mom and/or Dad?

Don't forget that the holiday season is also now your Kilt-iversary!

Oh don't worry. I don't forget that.

This year I'm in Toronto for a bunch of December. It's mainly the handful of days that I go home to San Diego that I have my one great tradition.