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Traditional is rarely a word used to describe me.
Holiday season is really no exception.
Over the years, my children and I have attempted to form rituals, traditions, and family customs. All of our attempts have been to no avail.
There have been Christmases spent at home, Christmases in Chicago; we even spent one Christmas in Florida.
The Christmas tree goes up when it goes up. I think last year it finally went up a few days before Christmas. One year, it didn't make it up at all. (Relax! We went out of town, the kids still had a Christmas tree!)
This year, as our family grows from 3 to 4, I decided some new traditions should begin.
Originally I thought it would be great to set the tree up and decorate it the day after Thanksgiving. But my fiance' had to work, and we recently ordered a new couch, and I still had to paint the living toom...
As I talked myself out of creating this new tradition, I realized, I am really good at talking myself out of things. I am also great at making excuses.
So I ask you, my wise and insightful bloggy friends, what are your holiday traditions? What do you do each year that if you skipped it, your holidays would feel incomplete?
8 comments:
For us, Christmas is not complete without a trip to Macy's 8th Floor downtown- I've gone every year since I can remember only missing a few on the years I was out of state for school. We used to do the Guthrie every year but it hasn't been in our budget for awhile. Christmas Eve is always "Mexican Christmas" with tamales and enchiladas and various other Mexican favorites- including margaritas and tequila shots.
We do little things. The last ornament to go on the tree is a shell with a pearl inside, in remembrance of those we love and have lost. Christmas Eve, we go to bed in new cozy pajamas. That night, the presents go under the tree. Never before. We bake a birthday cake for Baby Jesus. I hope they're things the kids do with their families one day, too!
I started Elf On A Shelf with Lil Duck this year and she is completely enthralled with the magic of it.
We decorate the tree together shortly after Thanksgiving and hope to get the outside lights up soon after. We aldo visited the Winter Fairy Princess this year and I hope to continue that tradition. Like you, we too are starting new traditions as well as continuing old ones that have been passed down from my family. Like recieving a new ornament each year that signifies something special about the past year. It goes on the tree the next year and we talk about the memories and the reasons for each ornament as we decorate the tree.
Oh we're all about the traditions here....
- We buy a new ornament every year for the tree.
- On the first of December we start all of our Christmas countdown activities (a treat calendar, a Christmas chain and this year we started a Christmas book calendar... my daughter unwraps a Christmas book every day).
- To celebrate the first of December, we have a big pancake and hot cocoa breakfast.
- We ALWAYS watch It's a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve.
- We go to our local "Christmas street" a few days before Christmas and look at all of the lights on the houses.
We LOVE Christmas.
We put our decorations up as a family the weekend after Thanksgiving. We also open one present Christmas Eve night (which happens to be pajamas). Then we all wear our new pajamas to bed and open our presents Christmas morning in our new pajamas.
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We are more "go with the flow" around here. We do always, always watch A Christmas Story on Christmas eve though. And I always make monkey bread for Christmas morning too!! We keep it simple and enjoy the kids and their toys!
And eat too much good food!!!!
New pajamas on Christmas Eve. And although my oldest has pretty much stopped caring about pajamas, he's still gettin' a new pair!
My kids would have an absolute fit if I didn't make certain cookies. I think they'd forgive a lot, but not that!
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