What are you favorite holiday traditions?

[glitzy07]

I'm ready to get in the holiday spirit and can't wait for Thanksgiving next week and the kick-off of the Christmas season.

What were your favorite holiday traditions growing up? What are they now? Do you do anything special with/for your kids if you have them?

Mine:
- At Thanksgiving, everyone goes around the table and states at least one thing that they're thankful for. My uncle started this tradition years ago, and was always the person to begin. He has since passed, and my grandma has continued the tradition by telling her's first each year.

- Growing up we always did Christmas morning with hot cocoa and music, and the rest of the day was spent in comfy pajamas watching movies and playing with new toys.

- This year I am going to steal a Pinterest idea and wrap up a bunch of Christmas themed books for my SS to let him open one on each night that he spends at our house between December 1st and Christmas. I hope he likes it!

[cjeanette]

I have a million. H makes fun of me and all my traditions.

[melmo1122]

always got new pajamas on christmas eve growing up and we still do. can't wake up christmas morning in old pjs

[Deleted]

Bubble bread Christmas morning.

[ddi741]

Growing up my Aunt always hosted Thanksgiving and it was an "Event". It went on for hours, Apps, Soup, Pasta, Turkey, fruit & nut hour and then dessert. Always rediculous amounts of food and great times with family. She's passed away now and I really miss that kind of holiday. No matter how much we try, it just can't be recreated.

For Christmas we would celebrate at my grandparent's house, they had a 4 foot tree that had a base that played music and made the tree spin. My grandfather always put envelopes with money in them on the tree for each of the grandkids, He would turn on the tree and you had to wait until it spun around and the envelope with your name on it was in front of you before you could have it. We would all just stand there waiting and sometimes singing along with the tree stand
When he passed away I told my grandmother the only thing I wanted was the tree stand (she was no longer using it) I love that stand.

[ddi741]

We have new ones now, we host Christmas Eve (a tradition my husband had before we met). We invite everyone we know and their families. The more the merrier. I bake up a storm and wear as much Christmas jewelry as possible.

Also, the night we decorate the tree, we drink lots of wine and I ususally end up decorating myself with ornaments.

[chessie]

Baking pies and cooking for everyone. I used to do 7 fish dinner but had to stop for a while, that is one of those traditions I wish we continued.

[HoneySpider]

The night before Thanksgiving DH & I do some meal prep and drink Blue Moon. This year I can't have any BM though

On Christmas Eve we have international Christmas Eve buffet. It's a long story.

[mbcdefg]

MH and I get each other an ornament every year. One year I found a clam wearing a Santa hat, which we had an inside joke about in college.

My family goes to church together on Christmas Eve.

[audette]

I really like Christmas music. Choral, instrumental, nearly anything written before about 1950.

[dragonfly08]

My girls love to put up the Christmas tree after Thanksgiving dinner.

The day after Thanksgiving, I take them to a local holiday parade. The volunteers there hand out bells, I buy some hot chocolate, and we have fun welcoming Santa. There's also a tree lighting that night but we don't always make it back for that.

We drive around at least once, looking at lights in the area. Especially when we get up to the ILs for Christmas, there's a house near there that goes all out and we make sure to take the girls to see it.

I do a handprint craft with the girls each year, something holiday themed. We've done reindeer, turkeys, wreaths, angels, ornaments, and trees in the past. Don't have a plan for this year yet but I'd better get on it! We also make sure to send letters to Santa. I always try to find a place that will mail a response back.

Each of my kids gets an ornament as one of her Hanukkah gifts. I pick something that's meaningful to her, either related to something she really liked that year or something she/we did. This year it will be Merida (from the Pixar movie Brave) for DD #2 because she loves her and that was her Halloween costume, and a martial arts figure for DD #1 because she earned her black belt in Tae Kwon Do this past summer.