Jess and I have decided that our kids are getting old enough to remember having Christmas traditions, so we feel like we need to begin them. We have a few in mind that we want to implement, but I was curious about the traditions that some of you have. I would love to hear about them, and maybe even use them in my own family. Thanks for sharing!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Traditions
Jess and I have decided that our kids are getting old enough to remember having Christmas traditions, so we feel like we need to begin them. We have a few in mind that we want to implement, but I was curious about the traditions that some of you have. I would love to hear about them, and maybe even use them in my own family. Thanks for sharing!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
I’d like to share one with you that is new to our family as of last year, but I’m looking forward to it again this year. So much anticipation leads up the Christmas morning and then it seems like it’s all over in thirty minutes with everyone asking “Is that all?” even though there were more than enough presents for everyone. Our piano teacher, mother of seven shared this tradition with me and we had great success with it. On Christmas morning, one person at a time unwraps a gift. If it’s a game, we play it. If it’s clothes, they try it on. If it’s a movies, we watch it. If it’s a book, we read it….or maybe the first chapter. Our piano teacher said that one year they got several movies and had to just watch a part of each so it didn’t take the whole day. We really enjoyed our time together much more last year and I can’t wait to do it again this year.
We also read one Christmas book each night leading up to Christmas.
We secretly choose names and make each other a gift...well, right now Brian & I have to help the kids make gifts for each other and us.
Check out this really fantastic blog:
http://www.christcenteredtraditions.blogspot.com/
Oh I LOVE that first comment! What a cool idea! Most of our family traditions revolve around food. That being said, a tradition my family has always done and Kevin and I have done since we've been married is cooking a nice Christmas EVE dinner with cornish hens stuffed with stuffing. Each person gets a hen (except the kids of course). I love doing it on Christmas Eve rather than on Christmas when everything is crazy. Also having all girls in my family, we use to make 4-5 baby blankets and we would all tie them and give them away around Christmas time...maybe for a bit older kids though
Our kids get to open one present on Christmas Eve, and it's always a cute pair of matching pajamas to wear to bed that night. Kind of lame, but that's about all we do so far. I'm anxious to read your other comments to see what people do. I need ideas, too!
When we were first married, my VT gave me a book with a scripture, song and story to read each day leading up to Christmas. It also has a navitity we add a piece to each day. My girls still love it. We also decorate gingerbread houses, Secret Santa someone in need, and drive or walk around the neighborhoods looking at the lights.
Our family (growing up) always had lasagna on Christmas Eve. Like Nicole said, making a meal on Christmas day always seemed so hectic and overwhelming. Since being married I have continued this tradition.
After getting married I didn't realize that Santa doesn't always wrap the presents at each house. He did at our house, but in Jim's family he just made a pile on the couch for each kid (and adult). He also stuffed the stockings REALLY good. We always got candy galore, but Santa spoiled the Roe family by putting cameras, dvd's, gift cards, jewelry, and other "big ticket items" in there. They also open the stockings first, which convientely are laid right next to the pile of loot he left you. (This is to easily identify who's pile is who's.) I wasn't used to this because the stockings were always the last thing we opened in our house.
One tradition that we have started since being married is baking a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas day. It might get baked a day in advance, but there will always be a birthday cake and a Happy Birthday song.
One last thing (really, it's the first thing besides Christmas Eve dinner) is that we do Midnight Mass instead of Christmas morning church. Midnight Mass is awesome, such a production, and it's definitely something that we don't want to miss. We've been lucky the past few years (since having James) that he has either slept through it, or we have left him with someone (family member) who isn't going. (Not all members of our families are Catholic.) I'm not sure that we'll make it to Midnight Mass this year...we may do the children's mass earlier in the evening.
Those are just a few of our traditions. Not sure that you will get to incoorperate any into your family, but it's stuff that we have done and loved.
Jess knows a good one we keep alive in this Melin Fam is a yummy international dinner for Christmas Eve, and Cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning. Oh and Jess's fav is to buy a game system in October and say you are borrowing it from a friend and play it for two months and then wrap it up on christmas eve. Now that is a tradition! We haven't busted out our Atnas Wii yet but we are tempted.
Our family always drove around the week of Christmas at night and looked at Christmas lights.
Traditons are great! Some of ours are a Christmas storybook- we have a book with a special Christmas story or poem, and a scripture and song for each day of the month, it really helps put the the Christmas spirit in each day. Also we give a gift to Jesus each year- a promise or goal we write down and put in a gift box- something to work on in the coming year. And a fun one we do is a scavenger hunt! Since we get to open one gift Christmas Eve, Dad makes up clues for everyone to find their gift. its lots of crazy fun! whoever finds theirs first gets to open an extra one! Kelli, I enjoy being able to look in on you and your family! Have a wonderful and Happy Christmas!
We do the birthday cake for Jesus too. The kids get to help make & decorate it & sing happy birthday to Jesus. I think it helps them think of it as Jesus' special day. I think they're old enough this year to think of a "gift" to give to Jesus. At least the girls are...by the way, to answer your question, I'm due the 31st, but I don't think I'll make it that long...lots of contractions already but we'll see!
I love all these tradition ideas. I need to make a list for us or I'll forget!
Post a Comment