GTKY favorite holiday/season

meatballs37

Our board definitely needs some activity! So I am going to start a bunch of threads to get things going!

What is your favorite season/holiday? Why? What are your favorite activities during it? Any traditions you want to pass down to your LO? 

lainikins

my favorite is Thanksgiving with my family. It is super relaxed and we just spend all day relaxing and minimally working on cooking. It is not about the food for us, though it is a delicious addition. It is about laughing around the table with family. It is not the most kid friendly event in my family and I only started enjoying it post kids again last year when my son was 4, but I think that had more to do with going to multiple thanksgiving dinners in one day and not being able to relax. Last year we just picked one (first time since having my son, we normally have at least 3) and it was glorious. 

awb1216

Fall!  I am looking forward to fall so much, it's my absolute favorite time of year.

I love the weather getting cooler, the way it smells during fall, college football, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  I'm especially looking forward to it this year since the nausea and heat combo has made summer extra miserable.

clc515

Christmas/winter is my fav simply cuz everything is sparkly and its right around my birthday! Sure I got ripped off as a kid with joint bday/xmas gifts, haha, but the music, family parties, cookies and sparkly lights and decor make it worth it! Also I host an annual cookie swap and its so fun

ETA Traditions i want to pass on... filipino food xmas eve family party, yum. 

SunflowerMama428

My family celebrates Noche Buena which is Christmas Eve. We actually don't do santa clause. This is a huge problem with DH but I hate santa clause. Everything in my culture is tied to our religion and family and I just understand why we never got into santa clause. Like elf on the shelf makes me cringe. We eat drink and dance until midnight and the kids open their presents. We usually spend Christmas Day sleeping off the night before. Three kings day is also meaningful and I'm excited to share that with LO. My dad use to let us make a straw bed outside for the camels and we would leave carrots and apples. We would get three meaningful gifts in our shoes. Those were some of my favorite presents. 

the_other_mother

Christmas!! I love everything about the Christmas season. I need to get my kids/future kids on board with my Christmas spirit because DH is a total downer lol. One tradition my family had was celebrating 12 days of Christmas. Our stockings would have 12 gifts and we got to open 1 gift each day. There will definitely be no elf on the shelf in my house. The whole concept is something I can't get on board with. I'm on the fence about even encouraging the whole Santa thing. My family never did it and I definitely don't feel like I missed out on anything. Christmas was more about the religious aspects and celebrating family for us. I'd like to maybe start some new traditions with our kids. I like the idea of new pajamas and a movie every Christmas Eve or something along those lines.

JandJ62914

My favorite season is fall...I love all things fall! Apple and pumpkin picking, hayrides, the leaves changing, cooler weather, Halloween, Thanksgiving. My favorite holiday is Christmas though. I do a marathon Christmas cookie baking session every year and make 4-5 different cookies to share with our family. 

Traditions I started passing down to DD include giving one gift on Christmas Eve. We always got Christmas PJs. I'm doing the same and also including a Christmas or winter book to read before bed that night. 

winnie1122

Geez I love every holiday way too much. But fall is definitely the season I have the most favorites during, so bring on the pumpkin, soup, sweaters, and cider! I love Thanksgiving and Christmas but my parents got divorced last year after 35 years so now it's kind of stressful and not as cheery, but I am looking forward to creating some new happy traditions with my little family. Once we get a new 'norm' on my side of the family I'm sure those holidays will be the best ever again. I also am really wanting to avoid Elf on the Shelf, but DH thinks it's hilarious and really wants to do it so I might humor him as long as he doesn't tell our kids that the elf is really a real elf creeping on them. Cuz that is just not my thing. 

meatballs37

@JandJ62914  same. Christmas and fall for the win! 

I love fall walks and the change in cooler weather. Basic girl right here, sign me up for everything pumpkin and boots with leggings. 

For Christmas my parents always got us a movie in our stocking (I am one of three children). And the rule was we could get up early Christmas morning, but could have our stockings only. We would watch our movies until our parents got up. To this day, my parents still get us one movie. I plan on doing this with DD and these little nuggets. 

alice0218

My favorite holiday is Passover and season is spring. I love the rituals and the history of doing the Seder. It is really beautiful. Plus before, you usually do spring cleaning, which I don't love, but I like the results of! Lol. One thing I hate is my dad always rushes through it as if he's apologizing for how long it takes. Like he reads very fast and skips a lot. I think because his grandfather was known to drag it out all night and he doesn't want that to be him. I'm excited to finally be a mom and have my own family and do my own Seder where he can't rush it. We'll lead it how we want it!

soulcupcake

meatballs37 said:

What is your favorite season/holiday? Why? What are your favorite activities during it? Any traditions you want to pass down to your LO? 

October through December. I love fall and cooler months. Always have. I love the changing leaves, cooler weather, crisp air, fall foods, fall smells, holiday season, holiday movies, etc. We like to expose our kids to different cultural traditions. I've read Yule, Chanukka, Diwali and Kwanzaa stories to my kids since they were young. We observe Yule/Winter Solstice and visit the in-laws on Christmas Eve and Christmas. We also like doing a theme for gifts we give the kids: need, want, wear, read. We don't "do" Santa, but the kids have long known about the history and folklore and still appreciate it for what it is. My youngest loves all things Santa, but she sees him in the same way she sees Batman and Superman. And she likes that he wears red.

I grew up going to a December festival in my city and always had a blast, and we made gingerbread houses in early December. We also get them new pajamas to wear on Solstice and Christmas Eve. There are also a lot of must-watch movies. We're a big movie family. Holiday season always drew big crowds for family get-togethers. Growing up, my extended family would go to the movies on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, and I continued doing this when possible. I also love Halloween. Horror was one of my favorite film genres growing up (thanks, mom) and she loved Halloween. We always had a blast. 

There's a big winter wonderland festival that my city hosts that we're planning to attend. I'm really looking forward to it. I know the kids really love the holiday season. I hope to pass on our appreciation for a variety of cultural traditions/holidays and the little things we do as a family. 

ETA: My five kids are all Nov/Dec babies. I was pretty excited about that. My first son was due on Solstice, but ended up a November baby. My second son was born on Kwanzaa. Four of my five were due in December. 

karcerplus3

I love fall. Between football, Halloween, thanksgiving and Christmas there is so much going on. Christmas is the biggest. The kids love to help decorate and hang the lights outside. We bake sooo many Christmas cookies.  The boys get to open one gift on Christmas Eve, PJs that they wear to bed that night. For Christmas dinner  The family gets together at my parents house (my ILs, my sisters IL, the ILs family, its crazy) and all the Cousins play together and it's just a mad house but everyone has such a good time hanging out.  

eggplantface

I love fall for all the changing leaves, pumpkin stuff, and Oktoberfest beer, but I wish it were cooler where I live. It doesn't start to get cold until late October, if then, so I'm still sweating through fall when other people get scarves and boots! I love winter because it's actually cold, and Christmas is my favorite holiday. I love the foods and the decorations and music. I think with the kid it'll be more special because H and I will start our own family traditions rather than piggy backing on our parents'. I've been looking for winter festivals in my area but they're not very good, mostly just there to sell stuff, not create the Christmas atmosphere. I went to Belgium and Germany in December five years ago and it was AMAZING. I really want to take our kid there when he's older, or at least go back with just H to experience it.

spb27

I like Spring. Especially in the beginning when the weather gets warmer but not too hot yet. Also all the flowers are starting to bloom. Thankfully, I don't have allergies and I can enjoy it. DH hates it bc he's constantly sneezing. 

MrsJ2410

I love that for the most part everyone is fall winter and we are having winter babies! I LOVE fall and pumpkin everything. I am a knitter so I love big cozy knits and there is a big Sheep & Wool festival in Oct. that I can't wait to take my kids to. I like the holidays, but they still seem to get super stressful, so I mostly like the build up and prep we do in our home more than the days themselves. Hoping that a LO and eventual new house will allow us some autonomy and less stress in the future. I just love cold weather in general, I love making soups and stews and baking bread. 

Starynightsky24

I'm hopping on the fall train as well!

LOVE apple picking, pumpkin picking/carving, soups, fire in the fire place, hay rides, state fair, boots, sweaters... it's the BEST. 

I also love Christmas! Cookie decorating,holiday parties, going to shows like the nutcracker (I'm thinking I can finally take DS this year!), gingerbread houses, making reindeer food, last year we did a polar express train ride with DS and DD and that was amazing. We are thinking of taking them again . 

alwayssomethingnew

Starynightsky24 said:

I'm hopping on the fall train as well!

LOVE apple picking, pumpkin picking/carving, soups, fire in the fire place, hay rides, state fair, boots, sweaters... it's the BEST. 

I also love Christmas! Cookie decorating,holiday parties, going to shows like the nutcracker (I'm thinking I can finally take DS this year!), gingerbread houses, making reindeer food, last year we did a polar express train ride with DS and DD and that was amazing. We are thinking of taking them again . 

I took my daughters to see the nutcracker a few years ago.  About 15 minutes in...

DD2: When are they going to start singing?
Me: Shh!  This is a ballet.  There is no singing.
DD2: There is in the Tom and Jerry version.
Me:

SquirrelsRWatching

September to February! I love crisp fall days! 

Starynightsky24

olitwinturbosnprincess said:

Starynightsky24 said:

I'm hopping on the fall train as well!

LOVE apple picking, pumpkin picking/carving, soups, fire in the fire place, hay rides, state fair, boots, sweaters... it's the BEST. 

I also love Christmas! Cookie decorating,holiday parties, going to shows like the nutcracker (I'm thinking I can finally take DS this year!), gingerbread houses, making reindeer food, last year we did a polar express train ride with DS and DD and that was amazing. We are thinking of taking them again . 

I took my daughters to see the nutcracker a few years ago.  About 15 minutes in...

DD2: When are they going to start singing?
Me: Shh!  This is a ballet.  There is no singing.
DD2: There is in the Tom and Jerry version.
Me:

Bahaha!!! I use to take my students for a field trip when I taught pre k and most of them did okay! I always prepared them by watching videos/reading the book first though.

TattoosandLace

I love everything from September to Jan 1. 

ETA: I miss the way the leaves turn colors in autumn. They don't really do that much here in Oklahoma. 

magnolia305

I love Fall and Winter.  We pretty much covered what is great about Fall.  Winter is a hidden gem.  I LOVE cold weather and snow.  My favorite is being snowed in, how the cold takes your breath away, cold weather clothes, and snow days.  There is NOTHING better than getting that "no school" call!  

smorzandoj

If we could just rotate Oct through Dec four times I would be a much more pleasant person. The weather is perfect. And the family time is fabulous. 

neener*neener*

Season- Fall! I love fall festivals, mums, pumpkins, jeans, boots, sweaters, beautiful leaves changing colors, crisp cool weather, soups/stews, bon fires... sigh... we spend so much time outside during the Fall. Riding bikes, raking leaves and jumping in them, and snuggling under blankets by the fire. 

Holiday- Christmas. There is something so magical about Christmas. We focus on giving to others, sponsor a couple angels from the angel tree and spend time selecting just right gifts for them. We all get christmas pajamas and sip cocoa/snuggle/listen to christmas music around the fire. Friends and family come over for a meal at our house and we hang out all day. 

neener*neener*

@smorzandoj
I just need to have an automatic "love" click for anything you say... I constantly find myself agreeing with you. Can we start our own little bubble world that is Oct-Dec? I'd live there with you  

atalante

Team fall with the best day being Thanksgiving!!! I love the cool weather, comfy sweaters and boots, and food that comes around in fall. And as far as holidays, there's nothing better than a day where you're simply supposed to sit arpubd a table sharing food with people you like (hopefully  )

smorzandoj

neener*neener* said:

@smorzandoj
I just need to have an automatic "love" click for anything you say... I constantly find myself agreeing with you. Can we start our own little bubble world that is Oct-Dec? I'd live there with you  

Let's do it!!!!! 

mbirdie

I feel like the odd one out here but my favourite season is definitely Summer! I grew up with a rainy cold fall and now live where there is a cold dry fall. I like winter when I'm inside and it's pretty out, haha. I love Summer though, most likely because it is when we always take our family holiday. I like just riding in the truck with my DH and DD and stopping at fun tourist places and visiting my extended family. Plus nothing like a good tan.

kbrinks2

My favourite season is winter! It may be -40 Celsius some days but I love skating with our family, flying home for Christmas and spending the holidays with family! We go to mass as a whole family on Christmas Eve and then meet at my parents house Christmas morning so all of the nieces and nephews can open their gifts from the family members together! 
I want to pass on our love for sports! And love for the outdoors! And I want to show my kids how special family can be! 

mamab92

My favorite holiday is Christmas. I feel like that's a lot of people's favorite, but I go all out and love every second of the Christmas season. It's also my birthday so that helps haha. We do a ton of different traditions. Some that I made up/found; some passed down. We do Christmas Eve pjs because DH's family did them. We do a big party with just our family on Christmas Eve evening and do a big snack bar and eat treats and open the pjs/etc. we got that tradition from my family except we used to open all the gifts except santas, but my husband didn't like that idea. i also made my kids Christmas stockings, so we use those every year. I have to start working on this baby's because I do them by hand.

Halloween and Easter are close seconds for me. I love doing Easter Baskets for the kids and egg hunts. And we do a little Halloween party every year and I love going costume shopping with the littles. Thanksgiving is good because of the food but that's all we really do other than a thankful tree and a grateful Basket. I'm a big holiday person haha

my favorite seasons are fall and winter. But mostly fall, because I actually like full season

gymmonkey95

Season- I love the fall/winter but only because Las Vegas doesn't really have spring and summer can be downright miserable! I enjoy being able to wear comfy clothes, going to pick pumpkins, hot chocolate, all the baking my family does, and just all the family time in general.

Holiday- Thanksgiving because it gets spread throughout three days. My Mom works on the actual holiday so my siblings and I usually spend it with grandparents or our aunt and uncle, then Friday we go Black Friday shopping and prep for Saturday when we have Thanksgiving as a little family. It's a close tie with Christmas because that's the only day my Mom makes her amazing lasagna and we all just relax and enjoy each others company.

Traditions- I'm hoping to continue only making lasagna for Christmas. Also making homemade pumpkin pie in the fall. I would love to when DD and this bean are older start to do a Christmas Eve box and gingerbread houses at the beginning of winter. 

MrsJ2410

@mamab92 Is your birthday on actual Christmas? Mine is the 28th! Also we started doing xmas pjs when DH started joining us for Christmas, the first year because my grandfather had just passed and my grandma would be waking up with us and I thought seeing the three "kids" (us and my sister) in matching jammies would make her smile. But now I just want to do it all the time and can't wait to include the kids! 

Acreativephipps

Fall /Winter

it doesn't really get cold or even cool here until Jan/feb but we still love it and go all out for Halloween, thanksgiving, and Christmas. I love all the baking, decorating and family memories. Our town has a Christmas stroll every year that's awesome. We always try to celebrate the religious aspects of the holiday alongside the popular aspects. 

It probably helps me and me and my son are December babies so it makes that season even better.

rainafire77

I love the fall and I love Halloween! Pumpkin spice, multi colored leaves, spooks and goblins, leggings and boots, I love it all! 

rainafire77

rainafire77 said:

I love the fall and I love Halloween! Pumpkin spice, multi colored leaves, spooks and goblins, leggings and boots, I love it all! 

Almost forgot this gif!

seitzy3

Fall not necessarily winter but I live in Texas so winters here aren't too bad. Jeans, boots, baggy sweaters ...#basic. I go ALL out decorating the inside and outside of my house for Christmas. The girls love to help and it's becoming our tradition to decorate the days after Thanksgiving. 

alwayssomethingnew

@mbirdie I'm with you on summer.  I don't like to be cold.  I do really love fall, but only while it's cool.  Once it's cold and I have to put on a jacket I'm done.  I'm hibernating until the following April or May.  I'm in the south, so I get plenty of summer and lovely fall weather.

I love the 4th of July and Halloween.  I'm a sucker for a bar-b-q and fireworks.  And Halloween is just so much fun.  Love the creepy decorations and seeing all the kids dressed up!

ETA: I also LOVE baseball and college football, so that lines up with my summer and fall love.

sgio7485

Fall! I love Halloween so much. It's like my Christmas! DH just doesn't understand. 
I do love summer because I'm a teacher and I'm off, but I'm pretty miserable in this heat this year and I'm looking forward to cooler temps. 

ash0625

rainafire77 said:

Almost forgot this gif!

This is my favorite gif right now. This girl is READY for fall! 

mamab92

@MrsJ2410 Yes! It's on Christmas Day!

JaymeMac

SunflowerMama428 said:

My family celebrates Noche Buena which is Christmas Eve. We actually don't do santa clause. This is a huge problem with DH but I hate santa clause. Everything in my culture is tied to our religion and family and I just understand why we never got into santa clause. Like elf on the shelf makes me cringe. We eat drink and dance until midnight and the kids open their presents. We usually spend Christmas Day sleeping off the night before. Three kings day is also meaningful and I'm excited to share that with LO. My dad use to let us make a straw bed outside for the camels and we would leave carrots and apples. We would get three meaningful gifts in our shoes. Those were some of my favorite presents. 

I get this totally. My DH family celebrates this way...its super fun!

jessilee15

mamab92 said:

@MrsJ2410 Yes! It's on Christmas Day!

I'm also Christmas Day! And it's my favorite holiday, though I'm Team Fall in general. I hate that I'm currently living in Las Vegas - I miss my four seasons!