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Stick around to the end of this post and enter this week's giveaway.
One of the things that I think makes the holidays special is traditions. There is something about being able to count on some things happening in this fast paced, ever changing world. Before every Thanksgiving and Christmas we have a family meeting to plan the menu for the day. Do you know what we do at that meeting? We choose the exact same foods we have every Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not only is it a tradition to have the same foods.....apparently we have made it a tradition to have a meeting about it. I know we are a strange tribe. But we also have some other fun traditions.
I have written before about the 12 days of Christmas. You can read that blog post here.
Another thing we do is hang our stockings on our bedroom doors.
Apparently Santa fills stockings to the brim when he passes through and I could never find a stocking holder strong enough to hold up all the goodies. So I tie each person's stocking to their bedroom door. Plus do you know what else this does? It gives the kids something to wake up and open immediately. That was always the rule at our house. If you wake up early, enjoy your stocking in the comfort of your own room. We will meet under the tree at a respectable hour.....like 7:00 and no earlier. No 5:00 a.m. tree openings at our house. My kids grew up with this and so they think it is normal. That is the key, train up from the beginning and they don't know any better.
Everyone also gets a new pair of Christmas pj's to wear Christmas eve and morning.
This stack is currently in my laundry room, waiting to be washed so they can be handed out Christmas Eve....
I am always interested too in how Santa wraps at some houses and not at others. Santa does not wrap at our house. I think the tree looks extra special Christmas morning with a few goodies just sitting out in the open. Thank you, Santa, for respecting my personal preferences sheet I sent to the North Pole and not wrapping our gifts.
Christmas Eve the kids always bake cookies and leave them out for Santa. We also take time out to attend a Christmas Eve Church service. There are so many in our city and I always call around and get the times for the various churches. Then, as you might recognize a trend here, we go to the same one we always go to. But one of these years I am going to mix it up and choose a different service. Ok, not really but I like to tell myself this is a possibility.
Then we finish the night with a reading of the birth of Jesus from the book of Luke.
What are your favorite traditions? Please share.....I always like to incorporate more into our holiday celebration.
This week's giveaway is in honor of our Christmas PJ tradition. The winner will receive a pair of holiday leggings, long sleeve tee and comfy socks.
There are two ways to enter:
1) leave a comment on this blog post about one of your favorite Christmas traditions
2) subscribe to get the blog delivered to you by email
You'll get one entry for doing each of these things. So if you leave a comment and subscribe your name will go in the hat twice. This giveaway will close on Tuesday, December 19th at midnight CST.
Talk to you on Friday!!!!
Love your blog, Rhega! I get so many great ideas. I started your tradition of Twelve Days of Christmas this year for my new grandgirl. :) One of our traditions that we did with our girls and continue even though they're all grown! We get in our pjs and crawl into a warm car to go look at Christmas lights. Of course Christmas music is blasting while we drive. And we would never forget to take our hot chocolate with us!
ReplyDeleteMy family here in Harvest have a few traditions as well.
ReplyDeleteWe do the 12 days of Christmas for the boys (now 16 & 20) and we get a new pair of matching/coordinating pjs for Christmas Eve. (makes Christmas morning pics cute).
Sometimes we bake cookies but usually we just await the delivery of delicious fresh baked goods from the Gordon Family's baking. :)
Last year we started a new tradition of Christmas gifts scavenger hunt. We leave printed clues in various locations throughout the house which leads them to the next clue. At the end of the hunt, there is a bag of Christmas gifts waiting to be opened. Lots of fun.
After we open gifts and eat breakfast. We pack up the car and head to TN to share Christmas Day with my siblings and their families.
After dinner, we load up in a van and/or multiple vehicles and head out for our annual Avery Family Christmas Caroling Adventure. Lots of laughter, fun and great memories are made each year and we look forward to adding another "little" Avery to the carolers. This was one of my mom's family traditions that we continue in her absence.
I love all of these great ideas! My family does not have many traditions, but I plan to establish some new ones after reading all of this. Each year, we buy ugly Christmas sweaters to wear to our family's holiday gatherings. It makes for silly and fun pictures!
ReplyDeleteThis is Taylor Moore:) I am not sure why it showed up as unknown.
DeleteWe get up waaaaay toooo early and open gifts----not so much now since Tre is older.
ReplyDeleteI love traditions! It's what memories are made of. My mom had traditions with our family and now I am carrying over some but also making new traditions with my family.
ReplyDeleteThe second we are finished eating on Thanksgiving, we get down the Christmas decorations. On Black Friday, we do no shopping, but spend the entire day decorating! The children are limited to 3 gifts each per the three wise men. And on Christmas Eve, we bake a birthday cake for Jesus.
Rhega, it has been a moment since I have commented or thank you for your blog but not because I am not enjoying it but life has gotten busy. Thanks and keep blogging. I have three family traditions I really enjoy. Christmas Eve we spend with my friend and her family. We exchange gifts and eat. The meal varies. Sometimes it is planned and others it is whatever shows up. The second tradition is we spend Christmas Day with my god children, Mariah’s god parents. After dinner the ladies go through my goddaughter’s treasure box of nail polish, lipsticks, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe last tradition is on Dec 27 my daughter, my friend and I drive to CHICAGO and spend time with my siblings. Simple yet enjoyable.