December/Christmas traditions

[beckyritchie04]

What are some of your most favorite December/Christmas traditions? Last year my son was only 4 months old at Christmas so there wasn't a whole lot he could do...lol. So this year I would like to start some new Christmas traditions. Tell me what yall do in your house :)

[mrsmbm]

On Christmas Eve, we drive around looking at lights (if the snow isn't too bad!). When we come back, Mrs. Claus has left new pj's all wrapped up on everyone's pillows. :)

[scrappinsweetie]

we put up the x-mas tree the day after thanksgiving.

we make gingerbread boys/girls and decorate them

we get clear glass ornaments and decorate them with all sorts of things

we used to have a book with little stockings for each day of december (well till x-mas eve) and it came with a little hanger thingie that you put each one on a hook and inside the stocking was a little story that we read each night. i am still trying to replace it so if anyone finds something similar please let me know we really miss it :(

on x-mas eve night we sprinkle reindeer food mixed with glitter so that santa can find the kids (we also leave him a note at home under the tree letting him know that we are at grandma and grandpa's) we always travel to my parents for x-mas so santa visits there :)

[dballance]

I've always done gingerbread houses with my kids. I get those Wilton kits for each of them, put the house together myself and then give them an icing bag, a bowl of icing, butter knife and alot of candy and leave them to it! They are 12 and 9 and 2 now and still LOVE doing it and really do a great job. We give them to my mom and preacher's wife and keep one for the house (they draw straws as to who gets whose).

[Mama-to-Elle]

On Christmas Eve, we drive around looking at lights (if the snow isn't too bad!). When we come back, Mrs. Claus has left new pj's all wrapped up on everyone's pillows. :)

Mandy, I LOVE LOVE that PJ idea!! So Cute! :wub:

[mummytothree]

On Christmas Eve, we drive around looking at lights (if the snow isn't too bad!). When we come back, Mrs. Claus has left new pj's all wrapped up on everyone's pillows. :)

That's one of our traditions too except they are from mommy and daddy and 2 kids ago I actually use to hand sew them for my girl's every year!!! I miss that....I might have to re instate that part of the tradition!!!!

[kscwgirl]

We do advent calendars, and on Christmas Eve the kids open one present and it is always new pajamas. :)

[iJenny]

We do the pajama thing too. There's just nothing quite as sweet as excited kids in new jammies on christmas eve/morning. :)

We also have a traditional breakfast on xmas morning. Its this super-delicious super-easy monkey bread that I make the night before and just pop it in the oven to bake while we do presents and stockings.

We also drive around and see x-mas lights which is always fun since we live near a lot of wealthy neighborhoods that go "all out" every year. :)

Oh, and one more thing. We always sprinkle "reindeer food" on our lawn (granola, cheerios, raisins, anything we find in the pantry lol) and hang our "santa key" on the doorknob so Santa can get into our house (we don't have a chimney). :)

Oh, I'm just getting SOOOOOOOO excited just thinking about it! Christmas is my favorite time of year!!

[beckyritchie04]

We do the pajama thing too. There's just nothing quite as sweet as excited kids in new jammies on christmas eve/morning. :)

We also have a traditional breakfast on xmas morning. Its this super-delicious super-easy monkey bread that I make the night before and just pop it in the oven to bake while we do presents and stockings.

We also drive around and see x-mas lights which is always fun since we live near a lot of wealthy neighborhoods that go "all out" every year. :)

Oh, and one more thing. We always sprinkle "reindeer food" on our lawn (granola, cheerios, raisins, anything we find in the pantry lol) and hang our "santa key" on the doorknob so Santa can get into our house (we don't have a chimney). :)

Oh, I'm just getting SOOOOOOOO excited just thinking about it! Christmas is my favorite time of year!!

What is the recipe for that monkey bread (if you don't mind sharing it)? I would love to make something like that.

[kscwgirl]

ooooh I need to do the reindeer food this year!!!

[Emmy]

We do a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas Eve and sing and everything LOL. For really little kids it really helps them "get" that we are celebrating Jesus' birthday on Christmas!

[ColleenSwerb]

Well our Christmas traditions have changed somewhat. Last year was the first christmas I was away from home, and it was actually really hard. It seemed like Jordan's family didn't make a big deal out of it, whereas my family loves it and does all sorts of things. So, it was a big adjustment.

Since we don't have kids yet, we can't force our parents to come to us, so we alternate holidays with each side of the family. When with my family, we get together with friends and do a huge dinner/all day celebration on christmas eve. Then I usually go with Jordan, my brother, and my best friend to midnight mass. Then Christmas morning we wake up and open presents, and then my dad makes bacon and eggs for breakfast. Then my dad, mom, and sister go to noon mass (dad and sis sing) while my brother and I clean up the house and make preparations if any of the family is coming to our house for dinner or dessert.

Jordan's family is always random and up in the air. Lol.

[Stacey42]

We put the tree up on the first Saturday in December (assuming we are home and not on our way back from Thanksgiving in Florida). It's only a 3 foot tree but it takes forever to decorate because we go through nearly every ornament we own and talk about the story behind them. We have ornaments from DH & I's childhoods, ornaments my mom made, my grandmom made, I made, special event ornaments, we try to buy one new ornament a year that holds some significance for the year. Even though only about a third of the ornaments fit on the tree it takes us most of the day to go through them because the boys want to hear all about each ornament.

The next day we make sugar cookies. I make a lot of different cookies throughout December. We have this big, multi compartment cookie bin from DH's mom that she always kept full of different cookies all of December & I try to do the same thing.

We tell the story of the longest night of the year and goddess giving birth to the sun/son on the Winter Solstice and there is a family ritual that goes with it.

On Christmas Eve we track Santa on NORAD online.

Daddy, or Grandpa, depending on where we are, makes a big breakfast of bacon, eggs and pancakes after the gifts are all opened on Christmas morning.

We have a big bonfire and New Year's Eve party every year (if we are home and not in FL) as well because it is DH's birthday

[AllieP]

We do a lot of the same ones mentioned, and we also buy an ornament for each of our kids that usually symbolizes something that they did that year (soccer ornament, first day or school, etc.) That way when they move out and get married they can have some ornaments to start off their tree with.

[iJenny]

What is the recipe for that monkey bread (if you don't mind sharing it)? I would love to make something like that.

I'll get it to you later tonight. I'm at work and can't remember everything exactly. But its yuuuuuuummmmmmmyyy!!

[iJenny]

We do a lot of the same ones mentioned, and we also buy an ornament for each of our kids that usually symbolizes something that they did that year (soccer ornament, first day or school, etc.) That way when they move out and get married they can have some ornaments to start off their tree with.

Oh yes!! We do that too! My parents did that for us growing up and now I have a beautiful tree filled with ornaments from my childhood. :)

[beckyritchie04]

I'll get it to you later tonight. I'm at work and can't remember everything exactly. But its yuuuuuuummmmmmmyyy!!

Thanks so much!

[justmp]

I'm allllll about traditions and just love sharing the holiday season with my kids. Our traditions start with decorating the tree and house on the first or second weekend in December. We usually decorate the tree in the evening and after we're done, we go drive around and look at lights or take a walk around the neighborhood and look at lights. When we get home a present has magically appeared under the tree for each of the kids. It's usually something "Christmasy" like a Christmas "Polly Pocket" or "Little People" or Christmas craft - something along those lines so that they can play with them through the season.

On the first full day of Christmas Break from school, we decorate Gingerbread Houses.

Then on Christmas Eve day, the kids and Daddy bake a special recipe of cookies that we only have at Christmas. That night we go to a local Christmas Lights display and then come home and make homemade pizza. While the pizzas are baking we read "Twas the Night Before Christmas." After we eat, DH reads the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible and then the kiddos open one present from under the tree, put cookies, carrots, and milk out for Santa and his reindeer and then put on their Christmas jammies that they've been wearing off and on for the month of December, then they're off to bed.

Man...typing that out makes me so excited for the holiday season!

[Nikki Epperson]

We also have a traditional breakfast on xmas morning. Its this super-delicious super-easy monkey bread that I make the night before and just pop it in the oven to bake while we do presents and stockings.




We have the same thing! But my aunt makes it. I should call her and tell her I want some now!

[pbumbaca]

Hmmm, first weekend in December we go out and cut our tree down and decorate.
I bake about 15 kinds of cookies/fudge the weekend before xmas to give out as xmas gifts and the boys have started helping me.
Christmas Eve the boys always open one present which are xmas pjs
We have the big Italian Fish Feast dinner at my Godmother's house every Christmas Eve.
We always open stockings first on xmas morning and then have cinnamon rolls and coffee before opening pressies.

I think that's it. :)

[Andrea Gourley]

So I am almost 33 but still haven't grown up yet and I am the kid in our house :D

I still get new pyjamas to wear on Christmas Eve and I have a special bowl for Rudolph to leave him some food. We leave our stockings hanging up on the door handle of our bedrooms but in the morning when 'He' has been they are nestling on our feet and you can feel them all heavy and rustling and you just know 'He' has been :D

WhooHoo I am so excited :thumbup: :thumbup:

[nesser1981]

-Tree up the day after Christmas
-We have an advent calendar DH's made for him when he was little we use
-New PJ's on X-mas Eve, this year the kids will also get one gift a piece (the one they got for the other one)
-Sugar Cookies we decorate (I also baking pretty much every weekend in December)
-Gingerbread House, we decorate
-New Chrirstmas Ornaments for everyone
-We read the night before Christmas and a couple other x-mas books on x-mas eve if Keira will be still
-We watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas on Chrismtas eva and some of the other Christmas Classics on Christmas Eve
-Christmas Day we have a Christmas Movie Marathon on Christmas day
-We have Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve
-Christmas Day we have Gingerbread Waffles for Breakfast, I make them while DH puts the Christmas presents together/takes them out of their packages
-Christmas Eve we ride around looking at Christmas lights
-Milk & Cookies for Santa

[mrsmbm]

-Christmas Day we have a Christmas Movie Marathon on Christmas day


Oooo, we do this too, with A Christmas Story. 24 hours of that movie makes me happy. :wub: