and today's topic is....Holiday Traditions!!! 12/13

[Ashelen]

Sorry I missed the daily topic yesterday guys, as some of you know it's been a bit hectic.

So, what family traditions are YOU going to practice this year? Were you raised with anything that you absolutely MUST pass on to your children as far as traditions go? Do you have a traditional cookie recipe? A story that you tell every year? A special designated present elf who hands out gifts to open?

I'll post a "share anything" topic post tomorrow but since I don't know how many of you will be here, I wanted to wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, a HAPPY HOLIDAY, A HAPPY KWANZAA, HAPPY BELATED CHANNUKAH, HAPPY BELATED WINTER SOLSTICE...whatever else everyone might celebrate!!!




Our traditions have always been to stay at my parents' house on Christmas eve...but this year we're coming home so the kids can wake up to their own tree/presents/stockings. It's also a tradition in my family that all the kids put on a nativity story play when they're old enough, and hopefully I can get my SIL and BIL on board so that our 4 (possibly 5 or 6 by then ;-) ) can do it in a few years.

I can't wait to spend the holiday surrounded by my babies and the magic of the season...Christmas eve we'll open one present each for the kids, then tell the story of Santa coming...then Christmas morning we'll open presents "From Santa to celebrate Jesus's birthday" and after the presents we'll sit down with cookies and tell Jesus's story when the excitement has settled and the kids can focus (yes they're too small now but it's never too early to start!) and then we'll go to my parents' house for Christmas Day dinner and stay overnight Christmas Day Eve.


I'm so excited..I love this holiday. I really do. I'm such a little kid! lol

[HeatherLF16]

I have a huge family and when we were growing up all of my aunts and cousins would come together at my grandparents on christmas eve.  There were so many of us presents were actually filling up about half the living room...lol.  On christmas eve we were allowed to open one present, and we would have an appetizer type dinner buffet style, and adults would have champange kids apple cider in fancy glasses.  As kids we loved all of the finger foods, and now that we are older we realize it was because the grown ups were so busy cooking for the next day.  It would be a big party with the fire going... christmas music, dancing ect.  When we would all go to sleep we would map out a plan to catch santa.  We would draw a map of the house and have stake out spots.  We would pass out before midnight reached...and never follow through with the plan.  lol.  When I was old enough I loved to stay up and help my grandma finish up wrapping the gifts the santa brough and fill all the stockings (except mine).  Some of my best memories with my grandpa were during these times... and it's where I aquired my professional wrapping skills :)  

I have continued the christmas eve tradition as best as I can....  but my grandma has passed away and I feel like my family is all over the place since.  So, I have family...friends whoever would like to come over join in.

[SunWorshiper_26]

We always make traditional potato pancakes (latkes) the first night of Chanukah. And invite over lots of friends and family to eat and celebrate. It's wonder to be surrounded by loved ones at the holidays. We are very much looking forward to celebrating with our baby next year as it will be our first child. I'm sure baby will be spoiled at Chanukah bc well I give our three dogs a gift for every night of Chanukah (one present every night for eight days). My dogs are my babies right now.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate and Chanukah was a few weeks ago but to those who celebrate I hope it was beautiful this year :) I hope that 2011 brings us all much luck and many blessings!

[alaysha]

We do the elf on a shelf tradition and have done it since I was little so I'm having my girls do it as well. There is a story you read and then a little elf doll that you move somewhere new in the house. The story is that the elf was sent to spy on you to see if you are naughty or nice the month of December and each morning you wake up and find him and the next day he is in a new spot.

We also have the tradition of opening 1 present Christmas Eve and Santa's present first thing Christmas morning. Also leaving out cookies and eggnog and reading Twas the Night Before Christmas before we go to bed.