When I think back on Christmases as I was growing up, I don't remember a ton, but I do have memories of the traditions our family had that signified Christmas. Heidi and Jamie inspired me to think about the traditions that mean Christmas in our little Stokes family. Here are a couple that Nate and I do with our kids:
- Last year I bought one of those gingerbread house kits from Costco. The boys loved it and I realized that it was not as impossible as I had once imagined. This year Jacks and Miles started asking about the gingerbread house making months ago.
- Every year on Christmas Eve day while we are busy with preparations, 'Santa's Elves' slip a wrapped Christmas book to each of our kids. Sometimes the gifts show up in the morning, at the foot of their beds, sometimes throughout the day the kids will notice them under the tree. It has given us quite a collection of Christmas books that stay packed in a box all year round until the day after Thanksgiving. The kids love picking one book to read each night throughout the season and it keeps all of us in the spirit of the holiday.
- We have a tiny manger for baby Jesus that we fill with straw throughout the month. Whenever anyone does a good deed, whether in secret or not, they add a piece of straw to the manger. Hopefully by Christmas Eve, the manger is full. The kids run to check it Christmas morning to see if the baby Jesus has come to lay in his manger.
- We do a sub-4-Santa every year. This year I think Jacks finally grasped the concept and he took it so seriously. It was so sweet to see him in search of the perfect gift at the store.
- Nate and I always open our gifts to each other Christmas Eve night after all the Santa jobs are done. I love having a moment alone with him, aside from the chaos that Christmas morning brings.
- We have a lot of little traditions like: Christmas jammies, Temple Square lights, my moms famous Gooey Buns for breakfast Christmas morning, Gingerbread cookies, Christmas Light drives and nothing but Christmas music from Thanksgiving day on!
I want to hear everyone else's Christmas traditions. So if you're reading this post, you must leave a comment with at least one tradition (even you blog readers that never leave me a lovely comment!).
7 comments:
I love your Christmas book idea! Like I said in my blog I have a friend whose family reads a story every day during the season, but I really like the idea of a fun way to collect them. Also, we decided to give the gingerbread house tradition a go. Elise was a little young to really catch on and just ended up with a sugar high for the rest of the evening. I'm sure it gets better every year!
P.S. We added your link to our blog. I hope that's ok. I figure that I'm reading it anyway, so I might as well save myself an extra click.
I LOVE that you posted this, I was thinking the other day about what traditions I wanted to create for my little family. We haven't really had a year of our own since we had kids but this year we are not coming to Utah until after Christmas, so we have plenty of time to create our own traditions. Tyler and I have always opened our gifts to each other on Christmas Eve night too, even before we had kids. Mostly because I couldn't take the suspense anymore. I love your traditions and I think I may try incorporating a few!!!
This isn't really a tradition... more of jenition, because it's my crazy craving that make this one happen.
So there are lots of Christmas treats I like to make every year, too many to make in one or two nights. And always lots of neighbors and friends to take treats to. So every other night or so I'll make a different treat, not in huge quantities, just enough for a plate for our family and enough to take to one or two friends. This way we get treats all month long and giving treats to our friends isn't a stressful event. And its nice to ensure that I'll be eating at least one cube of butter each week if I'm going to put on those 10 Christmas pounds I count on each year.
We've been friends for how many years now and I've never even had a tiny taste of Granny Sue's gooey buns! (they sound delicious) I knew I could count on you to always have stellar traditions! You know I know you're the best mom EVER! Also can I just say that I am rolling after reading Jennie Lynn's (I think its her) post. I must intake about 5 cubes of butter a week during Christmas and yet I still wonder where the 45extra lbs are coming from. Although I love her tradition too. Cute stuff!
i can't believe you haven't posted our party YET...HA HA HA HA HA!!!
mandy, alli, jacque..HELLLOOO my fellow aggies!!! and hi jamie..it was super great to see you in target. Mandy..katie told me you left me a message on her blog...i would LOOOOVE to keep in touch...i'm a TOTAL blogging novice, and don't remember how to add people...my friend Marisa has been giving me blogging lessons...so I will have her, or katie or amber remind me how to add people...i did great for about 4 days, and then dropped off the blogging world...but now I'm back in full force!!!!! not really, but i'll try. so how are allll of you...we must have a party, and I nominate Amber to plan it...how do you feel about that Am?
I found your recipe and I'm excited to share it with Josh's family on Sunday.
Steff
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