Christmas Traditions (and other regimens)

Every family has a few traditions that never change.  Most families change these traditions as the kids grow older, from little tykes to teens to young men and women.  But my kids know my traditions that don't change.  But the traditions they stick to now are traditions that have been established later in their lives, whether or not they realize it.  Such as, steak and crab for Christmas eve dinner.  When the kids were young, there is no way we could have afforded that sort of food.  I don't remember exactly what we used to have, I'm sure it was wonderful and homemade, but I can't recall there being a certain "food" we had for dinner.  On Christmas day, it's always a crapshoot.  I sometimes made lasagna, but more often a turkey or a ham, because those meats were cheap and available.  I used to save lasagna for my daughter's birthday, on Dec. 30th, but now she says she no longer likes my lasagna (maybe I made it too much a part of her birthday).  Funny thing, though, when asked what she remembers about Christmas growing up, she answers that it was a celebratory time, an exciting time, and whatever gifts she received made her happy in her memory.
That's really what it is all about.  Traditions are awesome, because they are what builds up to the anticipation of the family level celebration of Christ' birth.  There is the picking out of the tree, the waiting to decorate until the limbs have fallen, the placing of the star by one of the kids.  There is my daughter's tradition of letting the kids open a present that always happens to contain a brand new pair of pajamas that they put on immediately.  There is the decision as to whether or not to wrap the presents from Santa.  We used to not wrap them when the kids were really little, but when they got old enough to sneak down and peek after we went to bed, we had to start wrapping everything.
Traditions are a form of regimen.  Children learn what to expect by what preceeds it.  They know that buying a tree comes before the decorations, they know when they go to bed on Christmas Eve that the next morning they will be opening their presents.  Just like they know that if they misbehave, they get punished.  They know that when they wake up, there will be breakfast.  When they get home, someone will be there waiting.
If only every child could depend on these things.  That would be my wish this year.  That every child know what to expect when they awake, and that they all sleep in a safe, warm place.