Yesterday, as I was lying there in the dentist's chair getting high off goofy gas and trying not to giggle at everything the hygienist was saying, I started thinking about traditions.
Now, you know I've said before that I don't like change. Well, the flip side of that is that I LOVE traditions!
We had a million, bazillion (roughly) growing up, especially around the holidays. My favorite, though, was the Christmas sing-a-long on the way to the grandparents house on Christmas day.
More specifically, the 12 days of Christmas sing-a-long.
There were four of us and we would each take a verse. Of course, I wanted to be 5 golden rings each year, so I could bust out my best Miss Piggy impression. Danny and I would inevitably whisper the word "dancing" to tease my mom and eventually he would just start singing the entire song like Beaker from the Muppets.
It is still one of my favorite memories from Christmas, because it repeated year after year.
My favorite new tradition that we have started with the girls is the opening of a present everyday. The presents are actually all the holiday movies, books, and cds that we own. We get them out of their big tub and wrap them in special paper (this year it was Tinkerbell).
Each morning the girls go open one of them. If it's a movie, they know we'll all watch it together with popcorn or hot chocolate (okay, both) and if it's music we'll dance, and if it's a book we'll have extra time to sit down and read during the day.
It's sort of like the Ramsey version of Advent.
Now, I want to know about your traditions! We are always looking for new things to try.
14 comments:
That is a great idea, we may have to steal that one from you!
Chad and I started a tradition when we got married of taking the photo from our holiday card that year and placing it in a small ornament frame on the tree. This way - in 10 or 20 years our tree will be full of photo memories from "Christmases Past."
Our kids wear matching (but different colors, obviously) from Gap on Christmas eve.
My side of the family brings an ornament(each adult and child)for our christmas celebration and we do a dirty santa game w/ the ornaments. Their are 17 of us..so it's alot of fun. (the kids are worse than us..we do a lot of coercing, if you know what I mean. We want the cutest ornament, duh!)
For almost 9 years, we bought each other a hallmark keepsake ornament for christmas, but somehow they get uglier so we stopped.
We drive around the neighborhood almost every night to look at christmas lights. the kids are not buckled in, so its a treat for them.
Is that enough for you???? I've got more.
What a cool idea!
The kids get a special ornament each year. We put the Christmas card pic into an ornament frame. Santa (my brother) calls the kids Christmas Eve night.
We do favorite finger foods dinner the night we decorate the tree. We eat breakfast at Waffle House on Christmas Eve morning (Last year we parked next to and was getting out of our car as Dale Earnhardt Jr was getting in his car-I know big deal, but we live in race car city and so does he-apparently this was a big deal. Wonder if he'll be there this year?)
We have Grandma's sticky buns for breakfast Christmas morning, Ham for lunch. That's off the top. I'm a tradition nut. Love yours.
A few years ago we started a tradition of choosing a few of the angel tree kiddos and taking the boys to shop for the kids we picked. They pick out the gifts and we wrap them and drop them off. Hopefully it will help instill a spirit of giving. Also, we take the boys shopping for each family member seperate... it is a special treat day for them... like only me and Jake go shopping... we eat lunch, go see a movie and then do some shopping for the others. Then, another day it's Luke's turn. They rarely get to do stuff individually like that, so it is fun. Also, I am starting a new tradition this year. I am making them all matching flannel pjs to wear during the holidays. I think that years from now I will make a quilt out of them. that's the plan anyways:)
Great Post and a great idea to get other people's traditions! One thing my family does it started with my dad's sister when they were very little. Every year, for Christmas Eve dinner, instead of dinner we have a tea party with all of the cookies and goodies and finger foods and appetizers,tea and eggnog of course. It is really fun. This year we are having the tea party and then doing our adult gift exchange game. I bet your girls would love it! Even the boys and men like it!
I love the opening a present every day idea! One tradition we have started is that each year (about a week or so before Christmas), we go out as a family and have "dollar night". We eat off the dollar menu at some fast food place, then head to the Dollar Tree. The boys each pick a present for Pat and me, plus each other, their grandparents and cousins. We have loved seeing how their "thoughtfulness" in gift choices changes each year.
I love your tradition. I might have to try that next year (maybe then I will have more time?). Katelyn and I made sugar cookies every year for Santa (an us) to eat and I let her help with the icing and sprinkles. Let me tell you they are beautiful and Santa always enjoys them!
My other comment is missing. It makes me sad.
I have two more traditions!!!
Ramsey version of Advent. Love it. :)
The only tradition we have is going up a pant size by January. We've got to get a new one.
Here's another:
Tape the Christmas cards you receive on the back of the front door.
And most important around here, devos about Jesus birth and Angel tree.
Oh-
Jordan and I take turns taking the kids to the Dollar Tree to pick us out a gift-cheap and fun. Last year Kennedy got-uh, I mean I got a fake barbie-SWEET! I'm already excited to see what awesome gifts I'll get this year!
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