Christmas Memories

Christmas is entirely different these days than it was when I was a kid. It's sad that I don't go to bed at night with so much excitement that I can't sleep through the night. I'm excited for the days when I have my own little family and my kids are so excited about Christmas they can't sleep. Wondering what Santa is going to bring them.
I was thinking today about what Christmas used to be like.
I remember going to my Grandma and Grandpa Sanders' house on Christmas Eve and getting together with all my cousins. I remember that was the only day I'd be excited to leave Grandma's house because it meant I got to go to bed and wake up and have it be Christmas morning.
I remember, I'm pretty sure every year until my sister got married, sleeping in her room, in her bed on Christmas eve. I remember Nolan talking about how he was going to take a "double shot of nyquil" so he could fall asleep. I remember laying awake in bed wondering when it is no longer "too early". I remember walking into my siblings rooms and saying, "wake up... It's CHRISTMAS". I remember my dad lining all the kids up on the stairs youngest to oldest before he'd let us into the room with all the presents. I remember walking into the living room (or family room depending) and seeing all of "Santa's presents" and the stockings bulging, and only being able to see with whatever light the Christmas tree was giving off.
I remember watching the news Christmas Eve and having my dad talk about how there had been Santa sightings all over the world, and hearing him tell the story of when he saw Santa fly away one year.
I remember Christmas 1997, my dad insisted we open one present first. We opened it and it was a video camera, he wanted it opened first so he could video tape the rest of the morning. I remember him starting the video saying, "It's Christmas morning 1977" and we all laughed at him for some time.
I remember the year Nolan got Girbaud jeans and how excited he was that they weren't "just any jeans".
I remember having the smorgasbord every year. We'd open our presents and have breakfast, then we'd clean the house and around 2 or three both sides of the extended family would come over and we'd spend the day playing games, eating and just being together.
I miss being a kid on Christmas, but it's so fun to hear my siblings talk about how excited their kids get. I'm excited to be at my sister's house Christmas morning when the kids come down to see what Santa brought them. To relive that excitement that I felt as a kid, but watch them live it and make memories of their own. I look forward to the day when it will be my kids that can't sleep.
I'm grateful to have such an amazing family that has made my Christmas memories so wonderful.