With Christmas right around the corner, our family indulges in many holiday routines that make Christmas so special for us. We also love adding new ones to our list. Some traditions are easier to keep up with than others. Some I kinda... **gulp** dread but I smile thru the mess and let the kids roll out the sugar cookie dough and decorate. (I can feel the anxiety creep up just thinking of my flour crusted table.)
But, as I tell my hubby, we are making our children's memories so I will grin and bare it.
Every year we make and decorate gingerbread houses. We have 2 but once Penelope joins the crew we will up it to 3. The older girls decorate one and the 3 younger ones decorate one. I buy extra toppings and they go to town. Thank God for a big kitchen table!!!
We make cookies, cookies and more cookies. Butterballs, Sugar cookie cutouts and daddy's favorite... raspberry thumbprints. Tomorrow we start the baking. I fill my tins and re-bake when they are empty.
Christmas morning we have chocolate chip pancakes. No if ands or buts... chocolate chip pancakes!!!
Christmas Eve we exchange our secret Santa gifts and love it. We also sometimes open gifts from the relatives that sent packages.
Our church puts on 2 plays. A preschool play (that was today actually) and an adult performance. We are in both.and since we always have small children, we really enjoy that.
We also go to the next town and see a house that has a gazillion lights on it. They serve hot chocolate and popcorn and we tour the set up. My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
We watch Elf and Charlie Brown Christmas and eat popcorn with M & M's.
we wake up early on Christmas Morning and open gifts. Years ago we decided NOT to go anywhere on Christmas day. We spend it with just the 8 of us and we relax, hang in our pj's and nap.
Christmas Eve is the BIG night for us. We get together with family and party. This year we will be getting together with my Aunt, Uncle, Cousin and friends at my friends beautiful home just down the road. Then we all will caravan to an evening candlelight service. I have a feeling this will be a new tradition for us.
Im sure we have more and my kids will be quick to remind me of them but its late and im tired. Another busy weekend has passed and my comfy bed is calling.
But I would just LOVE to hear some of your traditions that you enjoy this time of year???
We all enjoy decorating together. We bake tons of cookies.
ReplyDeleteWe always try to go to a Christmas performance and my girls are in the Christmas pageant at our church, they also sing in the choir.
We go to the Family Worship on Christmas Eve, I organize the Nativity and ask different families to bring up one statue from the nativity as it is mentioned in the Gospel. Then, at the end of the service the lights are turned down and everyone is given a candle and once the candles are lit, the lights are turned completely off, and we sing Silent Night. I really feel the presence of the Spirit then, the full impact of what Jesus did for us just hits me and I am overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness.
Then we go to my mom's house for a Feast of Seven Fishes (Italian thing). My aunt and uncle, brother and sil and neice and some friends are there. We eat and open gifts and have a great time.
Then my uncle sleeps over our house, we get up in the morning and the girls open their Santa gifts and we eat sticky buns, then the rest of the family comes over and my husband makes a HUGE dinner for everyone.
I just stopped by because I saw your picture on my blog frog thingy on my blog! lol! I wanted to see who was visiting me! Okay...you must know my favorite color is RED and my living room and kitchen are painted RED! If I ever own a home, I'd love it to look like yours ! RED!!!
ReplyDeleteSo nice to meet you! Thanks for stopping by!!!