Growing up, our big family holiday happenings were a favorite...always filled with good food, lots of noise, the warm woodstove. Now that we are spread out in several states, it's hard to achieve that "big family" holiday. Between making our own traditions, and keep old favorites going, we get pretty close!
Our holiday traditions, old and new...
• My mom hosted Thanksgiving at our house and my brother and I always watched the Macy's Parade while we tore bread for stuffing! This one has proven to be a challenge since we don't have cable. Last year we were at my inlaw's and the girls sort of watched the parade {they are not nearly as excited as me!} while helping with stuffing.
• Kids making place cards...or some kind of craft that can keep them occupied once the Parade is over and the "eat whatever you want for breakfast" sugar rush is kicking in.
• The Post Turkey walk. I'm sure this is a tradition for many families, and it sure helps make room for pie! Sometimes, this turns into The Post Turkey Play Outside session.
• Pie for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving. If there's any leftover, that is.
• Handmade and home baked gifts. We love to make ornaments, pumpkin bread, and cookies!
• "Elf" on the shelf. Our elf is a Christmasy bear named Stan that I found in one of our boxes of holiday decorations. Sometimes he falls asleep and forgets to move at night.
• The Advent calendar. I've been dying to get a reusable one but for now, the girls love finding the days and eating the chocolate-ish squares.
• Family movie night with the original claymation Rudolph. We watch this at least three times between Thanksgiving and Christmas...it is my favorite!
• Making a yearly ornament with the three. I try to make something that will help show their age & growth through the years!
• Christmas baking day! Or days. We set aside a day to make a mess of the kitchen and make our favorite treats...thumbprints, sugar cookies, PB cups, buttercrunch, and chex mix.
• Christmas lights drive with cocoa and cookies. Really we just drive to a local home that does a super job decorating, and lets the kids run around to check out their display!
• New PJs on Christmas Eve. My mom always let us open one present on Christmas Eve. I swear she let us pick which one {I'm guessing she just convinced that we chose!}, and it was always new PJs! We wrap ours with a new {or old, if I find one we haven't seen in a while} Christmas book from the "Elf" and maybe a candy cane or treat for the girls.
• Four-ish gifts for the children...one thing they want, one thing they need, one thing they wear, one thing they read. And we usually do a joint present or two for them, and stockings.
• Only stockings for mama & dad. It is fun to get creative with the stockings for each other!
• Post Christmas trip to Maine. The week between Christmas and New Year's is awesome for visiting my family in Maine! The kids love seeing everyone and vast amounts of SNOW.
• Chinese food on New Year's Eve!
Some traditions I tried to start and failed...
Some traditions I tried to start and failed...
• "New" food on Thanksgiving...it did not go over well when I served potatoes au gratin in place of the much-anticipated mashed taters for Thanksgiving 2011.
• Delivering a plate of cookies to the sender of the first holiday card we receive.
• Reading Bible verses to correspond with the advent calendar. I would still like to do this, and hoping that the StoryBook Bible will be easier!
• Christmas alphabet...one activity for each letter on the 26 days leading up to Christmas. It was a lot to plan/prep for this and I decided to do it last minute so we were constantly behind.
• Waffles for Christmas breakfast. They stick, they burn, and honestly {after getting up at the crack of dawn}, a few cups of coffee and some toast/cereal/easy baked thing is perfect!
• Christmas PJs for the whole family...if you know my husband, you can guess why this failed. Just the wee ones get cute new PJs!
I'm sure there are a few I'm forgetting! What are your favorite holiday traditions?
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