Post by dizzycooks on Oct 14, 2016 13:59:19 GMT -5
We started doing fondue with our girls on Christmas Eve. It was fun last year, I imagine we will continue that again this year. We also always give the kids books. We have so many books... I have started buying gifts, but I'm not sure what is Christmas vs bday. So far... Dd1 toy camera, Jammie's, book on cd with a small CD player, new outfit, leap pad with 2-3 books Dd2 frozen themed flannel sheets, Jammie's, book, new outfit, some sort of toy... Dd3 contigo water bottle, Jammie's, that's not my monkey touch and feel book, stuffed animal
Post by silverspoon on Oct 14, 2016 14:11:36 GMT -5
My favorite tradition is every year we meet my parents at the same restaurant before we head to the largest Christmas store in the world and wander around and check out what's new and everyone picks out a new ornament. We always go on a weekday because going anywhere near that town on a weekend in December is not enjoyable.
We all also get together and watch Christmas Vacation. I also make it a point to fit in Love, Actually and Home Alone sometime during the season.
I got a few things for him already on Amazon Prime Day. I think he's probably going to get more clothes because he'll be growing out of his current ones and has very few 18mos clothes. I want to get some more puzzle toys for him also.
One of my favs: santa comes a few weeks early to drop off a new wrapped ornament and leaves it in our ornament box for the kids to find. My mom did this with us and I really looked forward to it every year and now I have all of the ornaments I got through the years.
This year I hope to cut down our own tree and make a big deal about decorating it with Christmas music and (spiked) hot cocoa.
I would also like to get the kids matching jammies and a new Christmas book.
Also, maybe an advent calendar...we'll see how that goes.
Does anyone do Elf on the Shelf? My mom keeps asking if she can buy it for my DD. I'm not sold on it.
Post by dizzycooks on Oct 14, 2016 20:08:04 GMT -5
kelltothekell I that that's the one toy we didn't have. Dd3 found it at my sils house and loves it. We brought it home a few weeks ago. I had joked they could give it to her for her bday, but she's just so Into it that I had to have it now. Your dd will love it!! My big's actually play with it too.
Post by scorpioscuba on Oct 14, 2016 23:08:32 GMT -5
Honestly, Lsquared, I totally regret doing Elf on the Shelf with DS. It's a pain in the a$$. Sometimes it's fun but it's too much. He doesn't always do crazy things either. That's like once a week. Normally he just gets moved.
Post by scorpioscuba on Oct 14, 2016 23:11:27 GMT -5
We do the Polar Express every year in December and I do Christmas Jammie's too. I'd like to get matching ones this year for DD and DS. I just ordered DD's stocking to match the rest of ours since PBK had a sale and free shipping. I have bought a few things for Christmas already as well. I got DS a Lego advent calendar this year I can't wait to give him.
Post by silverspoon on Oct 15, 2016 8:53:25 GMT -5
I'm just going to tell my kid that he's SOOOO good the Elf on the Shelf doesn't have to come to our house to check on him. Just no to Elf on the Shelf.
Adding activity cube to Christmas list.
I want to get him pretty much all of the Melissa and Doug puzzles. Along with their other toys, but definitely the puzzles.
I'm going to have to revisit Ikea for toy storage solutions.
Post by tinydancer on Oct 15, 2016 22:57:10 GMT -5
In a moment of excitement last year, I bought matching jammies and gave them to H for Christmas - pairs for him, me, the baby (I bought 12 month size) and the dog. Hopefully we'll all get into them this year.
I bought a handful of things for the kiddo in a Melissa and Doug sale on Zulily - some puzzles and one of those pound tower things. I'll probably buy him some clothes, and I'll need to get him a stocking too.
We're due to travel for Christmas this year (last year we stayed home) and I'm not really looking forward to it. My parents live pretty close to H's parents and so we always end up driving around like mad people trying to see everyone. And of course, they all want to see us on Christmas Eve. Maybe once the baby gets old enough to understand Santa we'll stay home every year.
Re: traveling. We decided the year DD was born if family wanted to see us they could come to us. I made brunch and gave an open invitation to grandparents and our siblings. Everyone came! We've been doing it every year since. No hard feelings if they don't show, we are just happy we don't have to drive.
I like elf on the shelf in theory but That is not something we will do. I just can barely keep up with the basics. This will be the first Christmas hubs hasn't worked in 15years. I hope we start some sort of tradition for the three of us. He is also very anti holiday so won't hold breath. All our family is close. This means we will do the annual run around to all the houses in a flurry. Need to think about what traditions we want to build for L. Cookie making, ornaments, Christmas pjs. Any good ideas? I would love if we had something for all 3 grandparents to do with her.
Holiday talkOct 17, 2016 12:01:29 GMT -5via mobile
Post by Lollipop on Oct 17, 2016 12:01:29 GMT -5
My favorite tradition is going to Candy Cane Lane to look at the Christmas lights. We take travel mugs of hot chocolate, and bundle up and walk up and down the road. You *can* drive, but the city prefers that you don't, you can also take a hay ride through, but it's expensive.
Another favorite tradition is on Christmas eve, we each open one present. When I was a kid it was usually pj's. We've continued that tradition in our little family. H and I each get Pj's and S gets Pj's and a Christmas movie. Then we cuddle up on the couch in our new jammies, and watch out new movie. After the movie is over H reads The Night Before Christmas, which was his family tradition as a kid, and then we put out cookies and milk for Santa and S goes to bed.
A new tradition I'd like to start is a book advent calendar. I made an activity one a couple of years ago. I'd also like to add a fire to our Christmas eve/morning rituals.
I haven't started shopping yet. We never do until December. H and I always get someone to watch S and knock almost all of it out in one day. The exception is shopping for each other, we each take S to shop for the other one separately.
I have no idea what the kids will be getting other than pj's and a movie. Last year I tried to do the "one thing they wear, one to read, one they need, one they want" thing with S. So I'll probably try it again this year. I'm not sure how that'll work for M though. And that's not including what Santa brings.
Honestly, Lsquared, I totally regret doing Elf on the Shelf with DS. It's a pain in the a$$. Sometimes it's fun but it's too much. He doesn't always do crazy things either. That's like once a week. Normally he just gets moved.
That's how we do it too. Sometimes the elf (ours is named Bernard) leaves notes with instructions or special missions from Santa. I'm more excited about this year because we have so much more room to play with. It got boring at the apartment.
We do the Polar Express every year in December and I do Christmas Jammie's too. I'd like to get matching ones this year for DD and DS. I just ordered DD's stocking to match the rest of ours since PBK had a sale and free shipping. I have bought a few things for Christmas already as well. I got DS a Lego advent calendar this year I can't wait to give him.
That reminds me that I still have to make M's stocking. That's another thing my mom started. She was always trying to save money when we live in NB, so she frequently made gifts for everyone, usually one thing for the men, one for the women and one for the kids. When I was 5 or 6 she made all of us kids (there were 9 of us at the time) stockings. As more kids were born she made them stockings too. But now her eyesight is bad, so she can't see to thread the needle, so I made S's for his first Christmas. This year I'm making one for M and one for my BFF's DD.
Post by dizzycooks on Oct 17, 2016 13:32:02 GMT -5
I'm just going to put this here. Do NOT feel bad giving your littles items they need or items you find at a garage sale. They do not care. They like the excitement of opening a package. My dd1 thought a pack of princess undies was the best thing ever last year and they never noticed that their Legos were in a big random box instead of a sealed store box. Seriously. Don't stress yourselves out over this stuff!!
Post by NellieOleson on Oct 17, 2016 19:50:52 GMT -5
dizzycooks - Totally agree with that. Little kids love everything. You could get them a bunch of things from the dollar store and they would be thrilled.
I think we're going to do M&D puzzles, books, cute jammies for E. We're going to do a new ornament every year.
I need to order E's stocking. No Elf on the Shelf for us.
We are going to host Christmas Eve dinner at our house this year. We also all get together with my family, and my sister and BIL and go cut down our Christmas trees the day after Thanksgiving.
tinydancer where did you get matching Jammie's for you all? I have been looking and can't find
I ended up getting them at Target. I had looked at Pajamagram and some other company, but I didn't want to spend quite that much, and it was hard to find sets that included the pup. Target came through!
tinydancer where did you get matching Jammie's for you all? I have been looking and can't find
Also not tinydancer, but I'm planning to make us each a pair of bottoms. And maybe a whole set for the kids. I'm not sure if my skills extend to making footie jammies for M though. So she may be the odd one out. Or I might do a different fabric for each of us, to reflect our interests.
tinydancer where did you get matching Jammie's for you all? I have been looking and can't find
I ended up getting them at Target. I had looked at Pajamagram and some other company, but I didn't want to spend quite that much, and it was hard to find sets that included the pup. Target came through!
Just bought stockings and the cutest santa advent calendar from PBK.
And we host Christmas at or house so I just got these candlesticks with faux greenery to put on them...sounds fug but they are so pretty! They're for my dining room table. I'm pretty much starting from zero with decorations for the house so I figure I could add flowers, berries, etc to coordinate with the season for those.
Post by dizzycooks on Oct 22, 2016 14:45:38 GMT -5
Those are super pretty! You'll need to post a pic of your table when you're done. I would love a long wooden table that seats at least 10. I've got one in mind, but we just don't have space. Those candles would be perfect on it!
Post by crimsonandclover on Oct 23, 2016 7:53:37 GMT -5
I refuse to start Elf on a Shelf - it sounds like so much work, and I don't really get the purpose. We do Advent calendars every year, although the last two years we've gotten lazy and bought them. In the future, I want to do our own again and fill them with little "coupons" (good for one time cleaning their room, or reading a book when I wouldn't usually have time, etc.) and then little chocolates so we don't end up with tons more little toys.
I'm also considering asking the relatives to contribute to a new swingset fund instead of getting too many presents this year. Or a smaller present and a contribution toward a swingset. We'll see.
I refuse to start Elf on a Shelf - it sounds like so much work, and I don't really get the purpose. We do Advent calendars every year, although the last two years we've gotten lazy and bought them. In the future, I want to do our own again and fill them with little "coupons" (good for one time cleaning their room, or reading a book when I wouldn't usually have time, etc.) and then little chocolates so we don't end up with tons more little toys.
I'm also considering asking the relatives to contribute to a new swingset fund instead of getting too many presents this year. Or a smaller present and a contribution toward a swingset. We'll see.
We always give a few gift suggestions when asked and then end with "or I'm happy to give you a deposit ticket for their college fund". People have been happy to do that and give them a small gift so they have something to open.
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