Those memories sound awesome. It makes me do some reflecting, we had an average size family when I'm talking about aunts and uncles and cousins, in my household specifically there was five siblings.
Christmas was always the greatest when you see family like you're mentioning, gosh my uncle was young then and we would drag him by his arm outside to play tag football with all of us. Then he was in his early 30s.
Then we would all open up gifts and all of the kids, nephews cousins and so on would get 20 bucks in a card from the one uncle.
We have a sister and our family that we can't be around either, it's complete chaos.
But she was part of these memories growing up and she was different then.
Indeed times have definitely changed.
But did times change? Maybe it's just our perspective because we are more aware, because back in those moments we were just children and we had very few things to worry about.
But it sounds like you make the best of it now because you remember the best of it then.
Your comment playing with the new toys? That was the best, whether it was a mild christmas, a cold Christmas, a snowy Christmas or a wet Christmas, we couldn't wait to get outside and try our new toys (outdoor toys).
My first archery set, I still remember the thrill of that morning.
What I miss most of all it's something I didn't know how to appreciate, that was watching my mother play with her new kitchen gadget in gizmos. I remember watching her make homemade noodles once as I was heading outside to test out my new toy. She was just as excited as we were... I'd do anything to be back in that moment.