Holiday traditions?

[beansmom]

This is my first Christmas with my new honey and a chance to begin some new, unique for us, traditions.

When DD was living at home, we always bought one board game for the family for Xmas and after all the gifts were opened and the mess cleaned up, we would sit together and play. I may keep this tradition.

We opened gifts on Xmas eve...as we did when I was growing up..but NOW I think I definitely want to wait til Christmas morning...which THIS year will be a struggle as my sweetie will be on call and have to make hospital rounds. Ick...

It will be just the two of us (I think...dd MIGHT come home from school to be with us)...what special things can we do to celebrate our first Christmas morning together??

TIA...you guys are all so creative...I can't wait to hear your ideas!

 

[burberryplaid]

This is really more for BEFORE Christmas, but when you get a chance, go out together and buy a Christmas ornament for this year and you'll have a new special ornament every year from here on out to remind you of your relationship.

 

[StephMK]

This is really more for BEFORE Christmas, but when you get a chance, go out together and buy a Christmas ornament for this year and you'll have a new special ornament every year from here on out to remind you of your relationship.

I love that idea! We always bundle up one of the nights, put on the Christmas station & drive around & look at the neighborhood lights. We always have a big brunch that morning then eat leftovers the rest of the day.

Have fun thinking up new traditions, very fun to start your own!

 

[beansmom]

thanks...we have already begun the ornament tradition. we have some lovely ones that we bought at DW last month.

We'll go look at the lights, too.

I'm thinking cocoa and breakfast under the tree while we open gifts in our jammies. (He doesn't wear them but he will THAT morning. )

Keep 'em coming. All great ideas.

 

[Pooki]

Most of our traditions are still kid-oriented and may not necessarily be just for Christmas day, but these are a few things we do:

I just learned that Legos has an annual Advent Calendar, so I ordered one the other day and we will start doing one every year from now on.

Every year we buy one of those gingerbread houses you have to assemble and decorate, and we do it early in December and use it as our table centerpiece.

We used to go get Starbucks one night (kiddies would get the hot chocolate, such a big deal to them! And one of their expensive cookies we never buy) and then drive around looking at Christmas lights, but that tradition is somewhat on hold since we live on a base overseas and there are very few houses to drive to here, and not many Japanese people decorate for Christmas off base.

I order both kids an engraveable ornament every year since they were born (such as the ones they sell at Things Remembered) and though they are only 5 and 7 years old, they really love that we've been doing it all these years and look forward to the new ones.

I read on this board that one family has a giant Christmas coloring book, and every single year on Christmas Eve, the entire family colors one page together, then all autographs it and puts the year on the page. I love that idea and will start doing it this year.

And though this will NOT help you at all, my favorite tradition is we have the big traditional Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve, then on Christmas day we have steaks and cheesecake and a bunch of yummy stuff DH loves......because its his birthday! People think its hilarious when I tell them our Christmas meal is a big juicy steak each year, hehe.

 

[flying_babyb]

We do christmas in our pjs... Kinda started when my sisters were little and would be going home to bed. Now at 8 and 9 the girls wanna do it so we are.

 

[annsteere]

When we've finished setting up the tree, we sit down for hot cocoa served in special holiday mugs.

When the kids were little we used haul out sleeping bags and all sleep under the tree the first night.

Now that the kids are grown we've upgraded our Christmas Cocoa. We put a few tablespoons of butterscotch schnapps in the bottom of the mug and some whipped cream on the top. Yummm.

 

[WDWBarb]

A tradition here is that my DD and I spend one Saturday or Sunday just before Christmas dropping off our holiday donations (food back, animal shelters, Goodwill, Toys for Tots, etc). We run through Starbucks early and get a holiday treat (that peppermint mocha thing is AMAZING). The day is entirely about the spirit of giving.

We always end up crying at the animal shelters. It's a bittersweet experience.

We have a great day together and usually end it with another holiday treat (we used to get the EggNog milkshakes at McDonalds but we haven't seen those for years).

I look forward to this all year long.

We also do a night of looking at the holiday lights.

 

[Kathy2130]

Thank you WDWBarb for thinking of the animals. So many animals are sitting in shelters waiting for homes and would love a little treat for Christmas - as well as cleaning supplies, food etc, warm blankets... Sorry for highjacking this thread but I run a Humane Society (volunteer) and what you said made me cry.

Kathy

 

[michellejed]

At our house on Christmas morning you can open your stocking as soon as you get up but every one waits for the gifts until after we all eat breakfast together.

We always have the same breakfast too, egg casserole, half a grapefruit, and Christmas tree shaped coffee cake, lol.

We also have a family game every year and all play it together.

 

[Vijoge]

We only have a couple that are written in stone. .

Each Christmas I buy my (now grown) boys a Lifesaver Sweet Story Book. They have been getting them ever since they were old enough to eat Lifesavers and one year I forgot to buy them and they were very disappointed. Now I buy them early, as soon as I see them in the stores. They say it's not Christmas without them.

We also open Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve. We started this when my oldest was a baby. He was born on Christmas Day and I was determined that he not feel cheated by having Christmas and his birthday all seem like the same celebration. Christmas Eve we have dinner and then open presents. Christmas Day we have whatever DS1 wants for dinner, eat Birthday Cake, and he opens his birthday presents. Still do this even though he'll be 31 this year!

 

[beansmom]

*bump* for the weekday shift

 

[Parksfamily5]

We only have a couple that are written in stone. .

Each Christmas I buy my (now grown) boys a Lifesaver Sweet Story Book. They have been getting them ever since they were old enough to eat Lifesavers and one year I forgot to buy them and they were very disappointed. Now I buy them early, as soon as I see them in the stores. They say it's not Christmas without them.

That is funny. I do this also! I remember my grandpa getting me these every christmas. Since my granpa is my hero I make sure that I get these for my children.
Heidi

 

[lattemomof3]

I had to laugh at the Lifesaver story books. My 3 brothers and I have been getting those from Santa since I was a baby, and I'm 37! One year my mo...I mean, Santa, couldn't find them, and it just didn't seem like Christmas (and I don't even LIKE Lifesavers !)

One sweet tradition we have is in early Dec. the kids each pick out a new Christmas story, we trace their handprints inside the front cover, and write their name and the date inside the handprint. We have a basket of Christmas and winter books we pull out and set under the tree each year, and every evening in the month of Dec. we sit around the tree to read their bedtime story by the tree lights. I also let them choose a Hallmark ornament each year, we even keep the boxes, so someday they will have enough ornaments for their own tree. My mom did this for me, and the year I moved away to college she gave me the box of ornaments and we went shopping together for an angel for the top. It's still our angel on our tree now.

 

[lovehoney]

My sister and her family live in another state and they always make waffles on Christmas morning. I'm thinking of taking up this tradition so even if we aren't together we can share the tradition.

My family always has a Christmas lasagna on Christmas day (been doing it since I was little). My four nieces that live here and 2 DS's always look forward to the Christmas lasagna. I make the sauce with bell pepper so it is very festive.

During the week before Christmas we bundle up the boys, get in the van and drink egg nog or hot chocolate while looking at the holiday lights.

 

[StillPinballFamily]

We have SO many - I'll have to post them later, but one I really like is our handprint tree skirt.

In 2000, I bought a large round plain gold cotton fabric tablecloth (70" or 90" - not sure) and cut a slit from the edge to the center and ran a quick hem along the cut edges. It became a tree skirt. Each December, we do a single handprint of each of the three kids (and now, the dog too!) and label the kid/year. We use different colors of fabric paint for each kid each year (they choose) - it's less than $1 a bottle from craft stores. After years of doing this, the kids LOVE putting their hands where their hands used to be and comparing the size difference! There is still lots of space on it, so we can use it for years and years to come.

It certainly gives me nice memories too! It will probably end up being the one Christmas heirloom they'll fight over some day...!

 

[dakcp2001]

When we put up our tree, we make a whole night of it. We get take out,AND put on the xmas music, then for dessert we make spiked hot chocolate, with a little peppermint Schnaups or with Baileys irish cream, then we decorate our tree and watch xmas movies all night. Usually Christmas Vacation, and A Christmas Story, etc etc. Its a fun Jammies night, and its just the two of us. Its very cozy.


Growing up my crazy family has a Thanksgiving tradition, after we ate turkey we would all rest, then decorate house with xmas lights and decorations. So my fam was that crazy fam that had the lights up first. It was fun when we were little, but its a little too early for me now. It would never work with a real tree! lol It would be dead by xmas.

 

[Mickeyorbust]

A tradition here is that my DD and I spend one Saturday or Sunday just before Christmas dropping off our holiday donations (food back, animal shelters, Goodwill, Toys for Tots, etc). We run through Starbucks early and get a holiday treat (that peppermint mocha thing is AMAZING). The day is entirely about the spirit of giving.

We always end up crying at the animal shelters. It's a bittersweet experience....

That's a beautiful tradition...I'm going to start doing that with my DD's.