Traditions

Recently I was asked to share our family's Christmas traditions to a group of friends at our progressive dinner. The main course was here in my home and we had well over 50 ladies! Can you say cozy??


I thought I'd blog the traditions I shared that evening...


I started off with my childhood since those were so magical.

٭ Christmas Eve was everything in our family! We did it ALL on Christmas Eve. My mom and dad both grew up doing it that way, so it just made sense we did it the same way.

٭ Because my parents were divorced, my sister and I would go to my dad's house early afternoon Christmas Eve where we would find Santa had already visited! We'd do Christmas with him and his side of the family and head back to my Grandma's house. On the drive to Gram's, Carly and I were on Santa Watch! He was out there in the sky somewhere and we were bound and determined to find him.

٭ My dad loved to sing (still does!) so the whole drive we would be belting out Christmas carol after Christmas carol with our eyes glued to the sky.

٭ One year, a memory both Carly I have very vivid in our minds to this day, we pulled up into Grandma's driveway. Getting out of the car, Papa SAW SANTA CLAUS and his reindeer fly behind the house and Carly and I heard the bells!!!!! No joke. It is the most exciting memory I have of my childhood Christmases.

٭ At my Grandma's house, we would walk in to find her living room FULL of packages because Santa had just been there, too! How lucky were we to have Santa visit us in TWO homes?!?!

٭ Every year we would play "I Spy" with my Grandma and the ornaments on her tree. What a patient woman she is. (I don't know how long I could sit and play that game today with my own children.)

٭ My Gram and I didn't have the best voices but we sure loved to sing together! In the newspaper one year, they had printed out a page or two of the lyrics of many Christmas carols. She saved that clipping year after year and she and I would sit and sing them. That is a very special memory/tradition just she and I shared.

٭ As I got older, into my teenage years, I loved going to Midnight Mass with Clyde on Christmas Eve.

٭ Cookies!! My mom and Grandma made holiday cookies every year, some of which were Spritz cookies, Thumbprint cookies, Chocolate Crinkles, Divinity, Peanut Brittle, Chocolate Peanut Butter bars (my fave!) etc... Grandma kept hers in tins in her cupboard or freezer and always had plenty to share.

٭ Christmas morning we would open our stockings... because Santa visited AGAIN while we slept. ☺

٭ In Martin's family growing up, one tradition they had was after opening all their presents Christmas morning, all 6 kids and 2 parents would leave the wrapping paper mess in the living room all day!

٭ Now as a family of our own, we have our own traditions... some we've taken from our childhood, some we've created on our own. Each year, the children get an ornament of their own to place on the tree. So far Olivia has 11 of her own ornaments and Morgan has 9. Their collection is growing for the day they get married/move out on their own and will have a good assortment of ornaments for their own trees.

٭ Christmas Eve the kids get to open ONE present, and it's always the one I choose for them: PJ's! I love when they wear their brand new pj's Christmas Eve, wake up Christmas morning and open presents in them. So snuggy!

٭ Each year for the past 10 or so years, my mom has purchased a village piece from Department 56's Dickens Village series for me as my Christmas present and my collection is rapidly growing. It is one of my prized possessions! Usually we display them all together on our buffet, but with Christian's fingers within reach this year, we separated them onto the tops of our piano and bookcase.

٭ Getting our Christmas tree: Wherever we end up getting our tree, we always end up at Dunkin Donuts afterwards for hot chocolate and donuts.

٭ Decorating the tree: We decorate as we eat Abby's Pizza and either watch a Christmas show or listen to a great Christmas cd.

٭ Egg nog!! This "Christmas Juice" as the girls called it when they were little or "Cookie Juice" as Christian has now dubbed it, seems to be a staple in our fridge every season!

I'm sure there are many more I'm neglecting to add ... but these are the ones that came to mind in preparation for our progressive dinner.

Merry Christmas to all of you! We hope your holidays are filled with festivity and traditions.