I'm curious about traditions you have as a family or ones you want to start.
H and I are thinking we'd like to take Miles on a trip each year for his birthday instead of buy him a present he'll forget about. We just started taking about this from planning a vacation for next year. His birthday is a great time of the year travel.
In the next few years when he's old enough to understand I want to do community service especially around the holidays. I think it's important to help him understand that the gifts aren't the important part of the holiday.
We currently have a tradition with or niece to paint ornaments each year for gifts for her to give. I think we're going to change that to making ornaments starting this year because the other gets so expensive.
Pajamas on black Friday has been nice. I really like the Christmas eve box idea with a movie, pj's, hot chocolate, and snacks.
i love the PJs on Christmas Eve, except I want my girls to use their Christmas PJs all month! We busted them out today, and we also stayed in our pajamas all day and put up decorations.
We do an activity calendar each year, but other than Christmas time we don't have a lot of traditions in our family. I want to start more, but I'm not really sure what.
Santa presents always in shiney red wrapping paper
Pj gift on Christmas Eve preferably matching for the whole family with a movie to watch and probably snacks in the future.
Dh wants to when e is old enough do Disney once per year. We honeymooned there and the last big family trip I had with my dad was there so it means a lot to me. It is my happy place.
Post by gingerygirl on Nov 27, 2015 23:04:02 GMT -5
Jammie Elf. We've done this since I was a kid. The Jammie Elf is a little Elf that leaves a biiig box on your doorstep, rings the doorbell, and runs away. It's the signal that Santa is on his way so everyone needs to start getting ready for bed. In the big box is new jammies for everyone and a new movie. We all get in our jammies and watch the movie and go to bed so Santa can come!
From the adult perspective, the jammie Elf came when mom and dad were tired and wanted all the guests to go home.
It's just been me and H at Christmas but for the past 3 years we have breakfast for dinner on Christmas Eve and watch The Santa Clause, Elf, or Home Alone. I definitely want to do the PJ think! When I was younger I got to open one gift but my mama picked out which one.
Post by tmclawchick on Nov 28, 2015 7:43:59 GMT -5
We do the Elf on the Shelf, he comes tomorrow! Every year he decorates the table and cooks a big North Pole breakfast for DS. Which means I need to run out tonight for decorations lol... We do the PJs/movie on Christmas Eve thing, and on Christmas Day we always order Chinese and leave the delivery guy a huge tip. It's been fun to see the looks on their faces over the years! We try to do Disney once a year but we skipped 2 years in a row (WEAK.) because we had our wedding to pay for and then I got pregnant. Looking at packages for 2016 and I CAN'T FREAKING WAIT.
We do elf on the shelf. He comes December 1st. We decorate together. We go to Wildlights at the zoo ever year. We spend lots of time with the family. For dd's birthday we have a party but instead of gifts we ask people to bring peanut butter and jelly. Children's services does the PB&J project. They collect it for local children in need and hand it out throughout the summer. Emma takes the Pbj to their offices the Monday after her party. Last year she donated/collected almost 40 jars.
We will decorate the tree together. We also have a pickle ornament that H and I take turns hiding in the tree on Christmas Eve, then the other finds it on Christmas morning.
I also want to do the pjs,Christmas movie, popcorn and hot cocoa box idea. We also bought a copy of The Night Before Christmas to read at bedtime.
I like the idea of making cookies and taking them to police and firefighters.
When I was growing up we got to open one present on Christmas Eve, but it couldn't be our big present, it had to be a small one and my mom could veto the present I chose (in case it was a big present in a small package).
I think stockings and one big present (unwrapped) will be from Santa and the rest will be marked from Mom and Dad.
I refuse to do Elf on the Shelf. That is too much work.
Post by motownthrowdown on Nov 28, 2015 14:41:19 GMT -5
You guys are all so charitable. You're making me feel bad lol.
I hate elf on a shelf. Those things are creepy as hell.
I'm totally stealing jammy elf gingerygirl. That's so awesome.
Since I love to cook, and I hope A does too, we will probably work a Christmas baked good into the tradition. Maybe cookies, shortbread, muffins, whatever. This will double as Santa's treat and possibly breakfast the next morning.
You guys are all so charitable. You're making me feel bad lol.
I hate elf on a shelf. Those things are creepy as hell.
I'm totally stealing jammy elf gingerygirl. That's so awesome.
Since I love to cook, and I hope A does too, we will probably work a Christmas baked good into the tradition. Maybe cookies, shortbread, muffins, whatever. This will double as Santa's treat and possibly breakfast the next morning.
We travel every year for Christmas, so H and I have our own celebration on the 22nd or 23rd...usually go out to dinner and exchange gifts. There's an outdoor shopping mall we go to here where it fake snows (bubbles) every hour so kids get to "play in the snow". Really cool lights and tree and I'm excited to take A this year, I think she'll love looking at the lights.
H's family is low key, our only tradition there is eating tamales for Christmas dinner, and MIL and I always go shopping the next day.
On my side, my mom still does stockings for everyone home for Christmas (you should see their mantle with 18 stockings from last year), and hides them around the house so we have to go searching for it Christmas morning. There's always a jigsaw puzzle on the counter that we all work on all weekend. And every night before the kids go to bed we all sit around the tree and pick a carol to sing together. We're that family, lol.
I totally felt pressured into elf on the shelf by DD'1's preschool friends. But ours is quite literally an elf on a shelf. It doesn't do crazy things. It just moves from one perch to another.
We do advent calendars for the kiddos in my family. When it first started it was candy but now it's activities, which is way more fun but also more expensive.
If anyone is Catholic there are a lot of advent things we do that I can share.
gingerygirl, your parents are freaking genius! Jammie Elf is awesome!
We've always gotten to open one "from daddy and mommy" present on Christmas eve. Its always PJ's and new house shoes.
We also always read the Bible story of Christmas and watch "A Christmas Story" and "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" at least one time on Christmas eve and/or Christmas day. We also cook a full breakfast on Christmas morning.
I hope it doesn't say too much about me that I hope I someday hear my kid tell someone "Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, kiss my ass. Kiss his ass. Kiss your ass. Happy Hanukkah."
I hope it doesn't say too much about me that I hope I someday hear my kid tell someone "Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, kiss my ass. Kiss his ass. Kiss your ass. Happy Hanukkah."
Years ago, my family started getting Chinese take out and then going to see a movie on Christmas eve. The theater isn't very full, so it's really fun because we either take up a whole row or spread out around the theater in little groups - whatever we want! I want to start doing that again when the kids are older. In the meantime we watch a movie (cartoon) at home.
Christmas morning is all about staying in pajamas and drinking hot chocolate/chocolate milk while we open gifts. Pajamas at breakfast too, which must include pancakes and potatoes.
How is everyone planning on handling Christmas morning and traveling? When they're old enough, I'd like to do Christmas morning at home, but right now we're still going to either my mom's or IL's house every year. We're thinking of staying home starting next year and maybe going to our family's houses for Christmas dinner. Both live 2 hours away though, so we'd be driving on Christmas day, which is not ideal.
Eta: basically, how do you balance starting traditions for your own family with continuing to see your parents and siblings?
How is everyone planning on handling Christmas morning and traveling? When they're old enough, I'd like to do Christmas morning at home, but right now we're still going to either my mom's or IL's house every year. We're thinking of staying home starting next year and maybe going to our family's houses for Christmas dinner. Both live 2 hours away though, so we'd be driving on Christmas day, which is not ideal.
Eta: basically, how do you balance starting traditions for your own family with continuing to see your parents and siblings?
I wonder this too. We had three Thanksgiving dinners (my dad's family, my mom's family, and my fil's family). For Christmas, all three of those groups will host a party on different days. Christmas morning, we go to my parents', then my aunt's for breakfast, then the in-laws.
I enjoy seeing all these family members, but I also like the idea of starting our own traditions. We haven't figured out yet how we'll balance this.
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