'The Best Christmas Tree Ever'

I just got home with an 8-foot Douglas fir that is The Best Christmas Tree Ever. This has been a McCain family tradition for two decades. The weekend after Thanksgiving, Dad goes out and brings home a big, bushy Christmas tree, and everyone pronounces it The Best Christmas Tree Ever. Other family holiday traditions include:

• My wife and I resolving that this year, we're not going to go overboard and buy the kids too many gifts.
• Going overboard anyway.
• Each year, each of the kids adds a special personalized Christmas ornament to the tree. With six kids, the tree is getting pretty crowded, which is why getting a big tree is important.
• Accusing each other of peeking at gifts.
• Denying peeking at gifts.
• Peeking at gifts.
• Teapots. My wife collects teapots, so every year, she gets a new teapot for Christmas.
• Pantie balls. I always buy my wife lingerie for Christmas. The panties are rolled into balls for wrapping and then used as stocking stuffers.
• Christmas jeans. My wife always buys me two pairs of jeans for Christmas.
• GI Joes. Each of the four boys gets a GI Joe, which is stuck in the top of their Christmas stocking, weapon at the ready, for Christmas morning. (Our 16-year-old twins may be getting a bit old for this, but they'll probably get GI Joes anyway.)
• Christmas Eve snacks. After putting the kids to bed, my wife and I begin assembling toys, stuffing stockings and doing last-minute wrapping. And I always make a plate of beef sausage, cheese and crackers to eat while we do this.
• Wake-up toys. Each kid gets a stuffed animal in their bed to wake up with.
• Christmas morning. The first kid to wake up about 6 a.m. wakes up the siblings, and then they wake us up so we can take photos while they open gifts.
• The nap. Since we're usually awake until 3 or 4 a.m. getting Christmas ready, my wife and I get maybe three hours' sleep before the kids wake us up. So Christmas afternoon, we take a nap.

Family traditions are important.