My family celebrated the holiday on Christmas Eve. We gathered, usually at our our house, to have a meal and exchange gifts. We weren't very religious people and so didn't always go to church services later in the night. We had dinner at my grandparents' house on Christmas Day.

I don't recall that Santa Claus was a great part of all this. For one thing, in order to let him come to the house, we tried having me take a nap in the afternoon. That didn't work so well. Other ideas on how the presents got there soon took hold.

This evening we'll go to Mike and Lynn's for Chinese food. The adults in our families don't exchange presents, so we'll gather for food, fellowship, fun, and the last part of the Vikings-Packers game.

My stepfather was a neurosurgeon. We have one of his scalpels, which we use for carving.