Memory Monday...with a twist
What are some of your holiday traditions or ideas you have heard of that you would like to share? We know the family traditions we grew up with but what have you began within your own families? Megan, as you begin your own family, this is for you. :) Merry Christmas!
posted by Shelley @ 12:31 PM
9 Comments:
Just a few...
Heartfelts - we are starting this after hearing it last year. We will be drawing names and beginning an exchange of a "heartfelt" gift. The may or may not cost a penny but are purely from the heart. Our friends had envelopes stuffed in the center of their tree last year. After questioning them, these were their "heartfelts" for eachother. We will keep and continue this tradition as our kids grow and have their own families.
Nativities - most of you know we collect a new one each year. These are quilts, ornaments, figurines, pictures, crafty ones, etc. We love them!
Ornaments - we give each of our children a new ornament each year. They USUALLY have to do with something representing that child's life that year. Each year decorating the tree is a trip down memory lane. I have recorded them each year as well.
Christmas Letter - our annual letter is purely for my journaling benefit. :) I am not good at that so I like making sure I have this each year. I have them in a book we add to each year as well.
Paper chain - still do these for a count down to Christmas.
Christmas stories - a friend of mine wraps Christmas books and they open one each night as Christmas approaches. They all drink hot chocolate while hearing the story just before bed. Cute!
While my kids were going up they had their own tree in their bedroom. They got to decorate it how ever they wished. They also got a new ornament each year for their tree. I love Christmas enough that I have a tree in almost every room of the house. This year has been difficult as not living in my own place I have not put any Christmas up at home. I elected to put one of my trees up at work.
One thing that I did with the kids once we moved to Utah was that the years they went to their dad's we had Christmas a week later. Santa would come on New Year's Eve and we opened gifts on New Year's Day.
When Megan married Jeff I started the tradition of stockings for extended family to be hung at my home. Over this next year I will be making an additional 17 stockings. This is a tradition I want to continue so all the kids & grandkids to have a stocking at MiMi & Grandpa Nick's home.
Advent calendar -
I always have had an advent calendar. One year I started one where I placed the little stocking on the wall. In each they had an activity to do. Examples...Decorate the house, Christmas light drive, going to one of the kids concerts or plays, ward christmas party, baking cookies, making candy, delivery goodies to neighbors, etc..I still do this.
I so love this time of year! It brings back so many memories of Christmas with mom&dad and siblings and then later years with my own kids. Now I get to look forward to Christmas with a larger family with more kids & spouses, & grnadkids.
My main Christmas tradition that i have stuck with since I lived at home with mom... is that after Thanksgiving we decorate the tree. I really enjoy having the tree up. I just really enjoy the lights.
Another that I have kept from being younger was the lights drive. Jeff and I have gone a few times driving in different areas to see all the lights people have up. It seems to be that people this year would rather put up just a tree and decorate inside though... as we do this drive we listened to Christmas music. The entire drive Mackenzie had been kicking me as though to say she enjoyed to drive and music.
We haven't really come up with too many of our own traditions. But, I do believe that when next year comes we will be starting new traditions as that will be Mackenzie's first Christmas.
Lisa, do you fill the stockings for extended family? If so, that might be my new favorite tradition to start. - Nick
I do! Right now it is only my son-in-law. Next year I will not only have Nick's and my kids, the extended family will be at least 3 spouses and 7 grandkids.
With Megan & Jeff I mail them the stocking stuffers in a Christmas bag.
I love Christmas time too...I have great intentions but not all my traditions have been observed lately. Here are a few
*christmas tree skirt gets worn and twirled before it gets on the tree (amy and I used to do this when mom decorated the front room tree) no one would do it this year
* Christmas eve present
* hot chocolate and cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning
* new Christmas ornament each year
* we always make hershey kisses "kings hat" cookies
* when my kids turned 12 they got to choose their own nativity
My friend does advent calendars too and I want to start that next year. One of her activities is to sleep under the Christmas tree, how fun would that be.
Since moving to Colorado we now cut down a tree and bring it home to decorate. We try to do this Thanksgiving weekend, although this year it was the week after. This year instead of the whole family going to get the tree Daniel, Porter,Shannyn, Jonathan and Analynn went. The rest of us were in Denver for a State high school football game.
We always put out the nativities first.
Paper chain, this year we started 67 days before.
Christmas Eve gift (pajamas)
Pork chop, eggs, bacon breakfast. Daniel's grandma use to do this.
12days of Christmas for someone,(new, in need, or a friend.)
Sugar cookies
We have the missionaries over Christmas morning for presents and pork chops, Santa even remembers them. This year they're going somewhere else since we'll be in AZ.
Yule log to burn Christmas morning
Cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for his reindeer
I forgot Christmas morning we gather our kids in our room first and have family prayer and talk a little about true meaning Christmas.
Connie, I like the idea of having the missionaries over Christmas morning and also gathering in your room to talk about the true meaning of Christmas and having family prayer. I'm sure that added to the spirit of the day.
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