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What sort of holiday traditions do you whip out at this time of year? Is your Christmas tree themed or traditional?
I think my family has finally had enough time to heal from losing my grandparents, since they were the source of all holiday fun and frivolity and togetherness. Their home was our center for get togethers and now that it's locked up and empty; we've had to readjust. So now my mom and her newly built house have the honor .
But I have the bug, oh yes. I used to spend days and days baking with my grandmother (we're talking MOUNTAINS of cookies and pies and candies and cakes) and I've been catching myself looking through my cupboards and coming up with ideas in the back of my mind for what I could bake. A lot of it has to be done by memory, because she never finished writing everything down (I got her recipe box. Went through it the other day and cried like a baby).
So I've got a baking plan to figure out. If DH gets my tree out (I have a thing for white trees) soon, I might consider violating the "no tree before thanksgiving is over" rule, but we'll see. I think he's hoping I'll go with an college football theme (Alabama) on the tree..lol. We shall see.
One of my favorite traditions is every year on Thanksgiving during the parade (in the morning) we put up and decorate our tree. DH is allergic to real trees, so we have a fake one that is pre-lit. It only takes a few minutes to put it up, and then we can decorate it.
I have been collecting ornaments for years. I even have some ornaments from my childhood. I love bringing out the ornaments and looking at each one and remembering why they are special. Some of them are from trips we have taken, some of them are from when the kids were born, or from when we bought our first house, or from our honeymoon, or when we got married. But, I love to buy unique ornaments wherever we go so that every year at Christmas, I have a memory of that place or time in our lives. I have also started purchasing them each year for the kids so that when they are grown, they will have some ornaments for their own trees.
I am also a huge baker, and I make a ton of cookies at the holidays. The kids even like to help, and we usually have a great time in the kitchen. I love spending that time with my kids making yummy treats.
I have been collecting ornaments for years. I even have some ornaments from my childhood. I love bringing out the ornaments and looking at each one and remembering why they are special. Some of them are from trips we have taken, some of them are from when the kids were born, or from when we bought our first house, or from our honeymoon, or when we got married. But, I love to buy unique ornaments wherever we go so that every year at Christmas, I have a memory of that place or time in our lives. I have also started purchasing them each year for the kids so that when they are grown, they will have some ornaments for their own trees.
I love that sort of tradition. Special ornaments are always so neat. I very rarely see anyone with trees like that anymore, and I don't have any simply because we've honestly never had the opportunity to start buying our own. But I'm thinking with the new baby, I might start buying special ornaments and such. Since DH's Nana buys one special thing for each child for Christmas (DD gets the Holiday Barbie, etc), I was going to suggest that for the new baby we start doing snow globes.
I love that sort of tradition. Special ornaments are always so neat. I very rarely see anyone with trees like that anymore, and I don't have any simply because we've honestly never had the opportunity to start buying our own. But I'm thinking with the new baby, I might start buying special ornaments and such. Since DH's Nana buys one special thing for each child for Christmas (DD gets the Holiday Barbie, etc), I was going to suggest that for the new baby we start doing snow globes.
It was just something I started when I was in high school. I love Christmas, so I just started purchasing ornaments each year that I liked. Then, as I began to go places, I could never find a souvenir that I liked, so I turned to getting ornaments from those places. Every year for my birthday, DH has been buying me a Swarovsky ornament, too, which are gorgeous. My tree is a huge mix of old and new ornaments, expensive and hand made.
I really just started back into the Christmas thing. But I like to change the color scheme for the tree each year. And now that I live closer to my mom- we go pecan crazy! We make pecan candy, chocolate clusters, and experiment last year we did a citrus burst pecan brittle yummy!!
We have a tradition of going to Arizona for Thanksgiving every year to visit my Grandpa and Grandma, and Aunts and Uncles. I love it, I look forward to it every year. This year my plans have to change because Ive been advised not to travel too far. Anyway, Grandpa always make sure to get me a cheese cake, its our special thing.
This will be mine and Nicks first Christmas living together, and I plan on starting the 'special ornament' tradition then. Growing up my mom always had a tree full of special meaningful ornaments. Nothing matched, and everything had a special meaning, she still has those ugly little ornaments my brother and I made when we were in grade school, and she adores them. I always thought our tree was ugly growing up because I remember my Aunts beautiful gold and purple tree that matched and was so elegant, dont get be wrong her tree is still just as beautiful today, but I love and appreciate my mom's so much more. I cannot wait for Carson and his future siblings to make ornaments at school that I can hang every single year, until they crumble apart, then Ill glue them back together and hang them some more.
Oh and our tradition is to go to Mom's the eve of xmas eve and we each make at least one sweet dish, if we want we try out new things but mostly we stick to our traditional cookies and pies.
I don't know if we will be decorating this year b/c I don't know what house we will be in..but when we have our new house I def plan to go all out christmas..I love Christmas...My favorite tradition DH and I started is every year we buy the kids new PJ's and they open them on Christmas Eve so they can wear them to open christmas morning.. Have to say I started this b/c all my christmas morning pictures were my DS#1 in his undies LOL
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Married to Matt for 7 years
Mother to Amaya(11), Cameron(9), Jameson(2)
and Dashiell born 12/26/11
Our tradition was always to go to my mom and granny's house (they live together) but we've migrated to my house because it's bigger. Since they're getting older I have been given the honor of cooking Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner with them sitting around drinking coffee and supervising lol. I absolutely love it. We make the kitchen/dining room off limits to boys, we cook, talk and just have a girls day.
For Christmas they come over to the house usually later in the afternoon, closer to dinner time so we can open presents and then eat. It doesn't feel right to open presents with the sun up because then you can't see the lights on the tree.
We also have tons of random ornaments and lights that we've had since I was a little girl, some that my brother and I made in school and some that we're bought for special occasions.
This time of year is my favorite. I love the cold weather and the decorations and just the general atmosphere of the season. I can't wait til Thanksgiving!
YAY! These are fun. I forgot that in my family we open only one present on Christmas Eve (and it's usually something for the girls to wear, like a brand new coat or pajamas). OR they can open their stocking, because that was what my mother allowed me to open as a kid. Such fun memories.
Oh wow, we have a lot of traditions for the holidays! We do the special ornament each year as well. It's something that my mother started before we were even born and I've done it on my own since the first year that I had my own tree. . We also decorate like crazy, covering everything that stands still with decorations. Christmas eve we each open one special gift and the rest get saved for Christmas morning. There are lots more, but I'm just too tired right now to think of them.
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Special ornaments are always so neat. I very rarely see anyone with trees like that anymore, and I don't have any simply because we've honestly never had the opportunity to start buying our own. But I'm thinking with the new baby, I might start buying special ornaments and such. Since DH's Nana buys one special thing for each child for Christmas (DD gets the Holiday Barbie, etc), I was going to suggest that for the new baby we start doing snow globes.
and we each make at least one sweet dish, if we want we try out new things but mostly we stick to our traditional cookies and pies.
. We also decorate like crazy, covering everything that stands still with decorations. 
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