Favorite Christmas traditions

[peach]

-We always have our parents over on Christmas morning to watch our kid/kids open gifts. I make a big breakfast, it's fun.

-This year, I will be wrapping up 24 Christmas books (I already have) and putting them in a basket. Every night Brook gets to choose 1 to open and that is the bedtime story of the night.

-We talked about starting the new pyjamas tradition where we get the kids new pyjamas on Christmas Eve to open, but Brook already has tons of PJs so it seemed like a waste of money just for the sake of tradition. Next year maybe?

-I really want to start a tradition of giving and surprising people; I want my kids to grow up having generosity become a natural part of their life. We did a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child, and we sent a gift to the little girl I sponsor in Haiti. And DH has a cousin who just became a single mom so I was thinking about dropping off some groceries on her doorstep. Our church is going to deliver cookies to families having a hard holiday (There are several families in our town who lost a child, etc) We have a neighbor whose husband recently left her. We snowblow her driveway and she is always so grateful, I'd love to give her an anonymous present or something.

[thewop]

Dinner and gift exchange game at my aunt's with all of my family. We have a blast.

No real traditions with just our little family yet.

[peach]

oh, and I always make a special tree ornament with my daycare kids. My daughter does one too of course, and I love addding them to the tree...

[mrs.jacinthe]

I'm really pained to admit these, but our traditions growing up were minimal. We don't really have many traditions as a couple, either.

I think this year we're going to help our church do a dinner for the homeless on Christmas.

[pickle123]

We add a new ornament to the tree every year depending on what went on that year.

We do the CHristmas PJs on Christmas Eve.

Advent calendar.

[my4girls]

we do the new Pjs for the kids on Christmas eve. I love picking them all out

we also get a new ornament each year- dh and I pick out the kids and then we each pick one out for each other- those are the only ornaments on our tree- no generic things. My mom did this for us and then when we got married gave me all mine in a box and that's what started our tree. it's supposed to represent something during the year if possible.

we get up and do presents at our house then around 10 we go, all in Pjs still, to my parents and do it all over again there with all my brothers and sister. We then have dinner there with my moms whole, huge, family

Last year I started with adopting kids who are the same age as mine to also buy gifts for- I forget what it is called but it we'll do that again this year so we'll adopt three kids to buy for. my oldest dd (5) gets it and helps me shop for it. DD2 (2) doesn't really but hopefully next year she'll be able to help too

[peach]

Growing up we had an advent candle. It was a taper candle with days marked on it, and we burned it at supper in December. When it burned to the next day's number you blew it out.
LOVED THAT as a kid.
Wish I could find them for my daughter now.

[mrs.jacinthe]

Nov 20, 2012 15:22:59 GMT -5 peach said:

Growing up we had an advent candle. It was a taper candle with days marked on it, and we burned it at supper in December. When it burned to the next day's number you blew it out.
LOVED THAT as a kid.
Wish I could find them for my daughter now.

www.bronners.com/product/nativity-advent-candle.do?utm_campaign=lv12&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=gshp&gdftrk=gdfV2399_a_7c470_a_7c7209_a_7c1085572

[ericanandy]

We're doing the book thing this year too. Also doing pjs, but this year I'm making them. Just following the pants from danamadeit.
Christmas morning we have BILs and my MIL and FIL over for overnight cinnamon buns. They watch the boys open a few gifts. Excited that Tommy will actually open some this year.
I want to also do the advent calendar where we do a fun activity a day, but add some service projects into that (write a card to the troops, operation shoebox)
Last year we did snowman and hand reindeer ornaments on glass bulbs. They were super cute. I might do the hand/Santa imprint this year.

[Deleted]

H and I have a tradition where take one day and casually Christmas shop for the fun stuff he's interested in (the rest I do on my own or internet), get lunch and just hang out. We've been taking Rubes along the last two years and her excitement is so much fun to see.

I buy Ruby and my godchildren a Christmas ornament every year.

Midnight (or a late like 10pm) church mass is my favorite. I even wake up Rubes for it, it matters that much to me. It's just so peaceful and pretty.

I wanted to do the 25 days of advent thing too, but Rubes has enough stuff and I'm not that organized. We're doing St. Nicholas day instead (candy and a small gift in the shoe in the morning). It was Hs tradition growing up and he wants to do it now.

We give money to a local school cause every year so they get what they need. Pretty fun to pick off the list.

H and I have a cookie baking day. He loves to make treats.

We had a really fun with my Grandma and all my cousins with traditonal Scandinavian dinner, Christmas shopping with grandma beforehand, pretty tree, games the whole nine yards on Christmas Eve. Grandma died in June though, so I'm not real sure what's going on there yet. I hope someone at least does something.

[Deleted]

Oh and we also go to a local tree farm to pick out a tree. We used to do cut your own and that awesome, but since Rubes came along it's too cold and takes too long. So now we just go in the guy's landscape shop and pick one he precut out. This year apparently, Rubes is picking out. Can't wait for that.

We also buy wreaths for the school fundraiser every year. Good cause and look good.

We have a lot apparently.
I'd like to do some more community service stuff. I used to all the time (rather than just throw money at a cause) but it's hard with work schedules, family and the toddler. Hopefully, when she's a little older. For now money will have to do. It's still fun to pick worthwhile causes.

[ckinla]

The only one we actually do every year without fail is putting up our tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. Oh, and watching Home Alone (1 &2), Christmas Vacation and A Christmas Story are musts!

We have done other things that never seem to make it into the yearly rotation, mainly because of time: advent calendar, gingerbread house, stockings (we usually spend xmas with his mom who doesn't do stockings anymore).

We've talked about getting one ornament a year (that reflects the past year somehow), but we've never actually followed through.

[candreco]

We have my parents over for dinner before Christmas Eve church and open presents then, and fly to FL to see family on Christmas Day. It's a nice balance between having Christmas at home and spending the holidays with family.

I do an Advent calendar for DD that's a combination of activities, crafts, books, fun little gifts, etc.

DD makes an ornament for each grandmother.

We sponsor a local family for Christmas with my parents every year, and DD helps pick out the clothes and toys for the kids.