Easton had a homework assignment from school this weekend and it talked about Christmas day and we started talking about our family traditions and I thought I'd share our family's traditions with you guys and maybe you guys could leave a comment with your family's traditions{I might end up stealing a few}. I think as the kids get older family traditions become more important and I was a little surprised at the family traditions Easton likes best.
*EVERY Sunday in the month of December we make cookies, and each Sunday the kids pick a different kind of cookie to make{peanut butter, chocolate chip, sugar, gingerbread, etc}.
*The day after Thanksgiving "Presents" our Elf on the Shelf arrives in a box straight from Santa{pretend snow and all}.
*On Christmas Eve, the kids get new, matching Christmas pjs after bath time and we always do a picture of them in front of the tree.
*We go to the local mall and get their picture taken with Santa and I have every year framed and displayed during Christmas.
*On Christmas Eve everyone gets to open one present from an extended family member.
* A few days be fore Christmas or even on Christmas Eve we load up in the car go to Starbucks, get cocoa and coffee and drive around listening to Christmas music looking at all the Christmas lights.
5 comments:
I love Christmas traditions, too! We did a mini workshop in Bible Study last week about Christmas and one of things they said that children want are strong traditions!
Something I started this year was wrapping up all of our Christmas books and opening one (or two) each night before bed to read! Paul David's loving it! I got it from Family Fun Magazine a couple of years ago.
Another one is that my sister and I give each other a Christmas plate each year. We started with Christmas pajamas, but soon had too many. So one day, we'll have a hodge podge of Christmas plates to serve Christmas dinner on...I love it!
We also started this one this year...we took Paul David to Hallmark and let him pick an ornament. I've picked them the last couple of years.
When we get a Christmas card, I like to say a little prayer for the family. I heard that from someone and thought that it was neat!
We do a lot of the ones you do, too! I love Christmas...it's the best time of the year! Sorry that this got so long...maybe I should have done a blog post and linked it:)
Let me see if I do anything different! Love hearing about others family traditions!
We do the book idea that Candice does...because she started us on it!
We always make a gingerbread house. I need to do it this weekend so we don't run out of time or get to busy!
I am starting this one this year...I plan on starting Alli's christmas china. Each year I would love to add plates, platters, dishes! I think one day she will really appreciate it! I do it for Walker and Griffin if I knew they would appreciate it or that their future wives would!
We ALWAYS read the Christmas STory from the Bible every Christmas EVe. I love it!
And this year the night of their last day of school we are having a "Happy Birthday Jesus" party.
Love Candice's idea of praying for the family of each Christmas card! What a great idea!
Love that you bake cookies together!
We also hide the pickle in our tree. The first one to find it gets a small gift to unwrap. Up until this year I've let each child open a gift after the find the pickle but this year I am only let one get a surprise!
I"m sure there are more but I can't thing of them right now!
Merry Christmas Jamie!
holiday mixed tapes!
We are just starting some of our own Christmas traditions. I bought this wooden advent puzzle that completes the nativity and every day we put in a piece. The last piece is Jesus. I also typed up the prophesy of Jesus and the fulfillment of them and we read them as we go along, all the way up to Jesus and His fulfillment on the cross. I'm wanting to do a special present for Jesus under the tree too. Of course we have cookies and decorations. I love the idea of praying for those you recieve cards from. (Although I'm so far behind this year on that part of it all.) We have a neighbor that brings over tamalies (Hispanic tradition) and I try to take over Lefsa (Norwegian tradition). Leo starts chugging egg nog as soon as it comes out on the market (someday he'll have a heart attack on Christmas day because of it I'm sure!) Actually last year we didn't set up decorations, get presents, or anything because we planned on doing our East Coast trip, and then with the cancelled flights and no family we were pretty bummed. We came home to an empty house and nothing but a cup of hot chocolate for Christmas. It sounds really depressing, but it was such a neat thing for both of us to experience Christmas for it's raw self. Appreciating God's gift. Truly amazing. (Although, it won't keep me from setting up tree's or doing the other things from year to year.) We need to start more Christmas traditions. Every day that goes by I'm more thoughtful about the idea of kiddo's, and I'm sure the holiday's take on a whole new... adventure with them. Someday I'm sure I'll have more traditions. I'll be writing down your idea's until the day finally comes. ~Jen
We have a large extended family so its always been a lot to buy presents for every aunt and uncle and all the cousins. Instead, we had two lists, one of cousins and one of parents. Each year a family member volunteers to put the exchange list together. Names are drawn out of a hat and each cousin gives to one other cousin, each set of parents to another. (And of course we all give to our grandparents!). We're spread out around the country so its been nice to keep us all in touch during the holidays.
Merry Christmas Jamie! Hi to Ian and the kids for me!
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