Share Your Holiday Traditions Part 2

Sharing is caring!

When I was a kid I was always sent out to “look” for santa on Christmas eve with my uncle. When we came back I had always just missed him and he had left my gifts. Now that I have my own family we wait to open our gift on Christmas morning so we have a spin off to my old tradition now we still go look for santa, but while were gone he comes and leaves one gift with a note telling the kids they must go to bed early or he won’t come back. Plus they must leave carrots and cookies, so we bake cookies and leave them out and go to bed early. So we took and made our own tradition out of an old one my kids love it.

 -Sam

I am a sucker for traditions so I have quite a few.  I’ll share my two favorites though.  1) I buy one new nutcracker every year.  Only one each year and I write the year on the bottom of it.  I started this collection about ten years ago and now that my daughter is old enough to help pick them out we do it together each year.  2) I have 25 (probably more) childrens Christmas books.  I wrap each of them up before December 1st and put them under my “mommy/pretty/kids don’t touch” Christmas tree.  The kids take turns picking one book a night that we read as a family.  Because we have joint custody of our daughter we even read it together while my hubby is on the phone with her so she doesn’t have to miss out on the fun when she is at her other home.  I pack the books away each year so they are like a whole new story. 

-Jeannie, www.craftybalancing.blogspot.com

Every year for as long as I can remember we have read The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston on Christmas Eve. My mom usually begins the reading but she without fail will begin to cry and one of my sisters or I will finish it. Last year it was a special treat because my dad finished it. I’m 23 now and we still do this every year. This year I won’t be at my parents’ house for Christmas but I’ll be spending it with my husbands family. Perhaps this year they will hear that book too!

-Karissa Ferguson, http://lovelikeflowers.blogspot.com

One our family holiday traditions we actually work on through out the year. Whenever we take a trip, either as a couple or as a family, instead of buying a ton of stuff to remember the trip by we find a christmas ornament for our tree. That way when we are decorating out tree we can remember all of the fun times that we have had together.

-Emily, www.oloughlinfam.blogspot.com

The Monday night before Christmas, we have a pizza picnic by the Christmas tree. We have a special tablecloth that we only use for this, and we spread it out on the living room floor, turn off the lights except for the tree, and eat pizza. After the picnic, we drive around town looking at lights.

-Jamie, davidandjamiepearson.blogspot.com

We started making dinner for a family that can’t afford a Christmas dinner. Sitting down at the table with those you love and spending time together is one of the things we remember most! I have my son (he is 4) help me and we never know who we are giving it to! We don’t think that is the part that matters. We usually ask for someone on staff to keep their eyes open for a family that would really benefit, and then have them deliver! Hopefully it will open my kids’ eyes to the world around them and teach them that Christmas is about way more than the presents sitting under your tree. We also spend a few nights cuddled up with popcorn, hot apple cider, and a fire to watch the Grinch who stole Christmas!

-Monique

Every Christmas, last year being the first, I read A Christmas Carol to my son. I can’t wait until he is older and gets excited for me to read this story to him.