The Great Big Holiday Thread

birdiejo

Share your decorations, traditions,  family holiday ideas etc here! 

birdiejo

Covid is getting worse everywhere so I’m trying to avoid any unnecessary trips but also... I NEED to go look at what target has to offer and stock up on all the goodies and stocking stuffers!! Maybe I’ll go this weekend as a solo trip. 

aaimee

Black Friday is spent decorating, my mom did that with me as a child so I continue it on. We have an Elf on the Shelf that we all enjoy. Dec 1st he shows up with his special mailbox, letter, magic elf dust, and a small treat for the girls every year. Christmas Eve is our Elf's final night so he's gone by Christmas morning. We always go to my moms and now we also go to my brother in laws Christmas Eve night and then spend Christmas day at home. 

I spent today making a solar light 'north pole' that our Elf Jacob is bringing with him. I ran out of time before kids got home from school but it's similar to this (though I couldn't find that solar light so I used a spare we had here and some red and white vinyl scrap.)  https://dollarstorecrafts.com/2010/12/make-a-north-pole-street-light/

hannahbananas11

@birdiejo I bet if you go at opening on the weekend, you’ll have most of the store to yourself! I miss Target. I bought a bunch of their kids Christmas decorations online this week, but it wasn’t the same.

Our fake tree has shipped already and will arrive next Friday! This will be bittersweet to not have a real tree, but I am looking forward to no sweeping and daily watering! 

I’m pretty much finished with Christmas shopping. My F19 bmb is doing a book exchange (for us adults, not for kids!) so I’m really excited about that.

Anyone else have an H who is terrible at remembering to get a Christmas gift? I have been married to my H for 9 years and I think he’s gotten me a Christmas gift on maybe three of those Christmases? I usually just buy myself something nice and tell him that’s his gift to me. 😆

aaimee

@hannahbananas11 I know the hubby struggle. Not that I ever expect things but man, it would be nice to feel like he was thinking of me. We've been together almost 18 yrs (married 12) so while I am use to it, I always end up just buying myself something as you do. 

WildMagelet

Thanksgiving is typically brunch with my dad and my brothers. (My sisters and my stepmom are usually out east for a "Thanksmas" with my stepmom's extended family, but my dad has had to work Thanksgiving/Black Friday every year until this year and couldn't make it out with them.)

Christmas Eve we host our family Christmas, which at bare minimum is DH & I, SD & SS, and my MIL & FIL. I'm glad we have a big enough house now that we can start inviting my family too. Next year we've discussed actually hosting all of our family Christmases as one big Christmas Weekend open-house.

It is requested that I make my Grandma's bake bean recipe for pretty much every family occasion. I've offered to share with my SIL, since she's part of the "family" and can know the "secret family recipe" now, but apparently they all like the way I make them just fine and have no interest in trying it themselves.

It's a requirement that I harass my dad at every family holiday meal about that one time he burnt the dinner rolls. It's probably been close to 20 years ago at this point.

All new members of the family are required to try "leather britches" (dried green beans) at my dad & stepmom's house at Christmas. Everyone has strong feelings about them one way or another - you either love them or hate them.

Every Christmas my parents buy themselves & all of us "kids" the same ornament. If you open the ornament first, you're required to hide it until everyone else has received theirs so it doesn't ruin the surprise. Part of me wants to start implementing this now that we'll have a little of our own - part of me regrets not doing it all along with SD & SS.

DH and I will have to discuss how this L.O. changes or adds to our current Christmas traditions.

@birdiejo - Do it! I agree that going right when they open should definitely help lessen the crowds.

@aaimee - We used to do Christmas trimming the weekend of Thanksgiving when I was growing up too. It may be something I have to implement going forward. The last few years' it's been mostly DH hauling and me decorating while he's at work, so including the little in the process going forward could certainly be a lot of fun.

@hannahbananas11 - I've got one gift left to purchase (but it's been picked out) and then we're done. I just have to take DH with me to get it because I don't know if I'll be able to lift it or not (more awkward over heavy). Even if I can, I'm sure he'd scold me for it. I'm about 75% done with wrapping at this point, too, although that's because I plan on dropping off all of the presents for both sets of my parents and 2 sets of my siblings + spouse/pets when I go out of town for my MFM appointment next week. 

mdfarmchick

I will be back here next week because as soon as my house is clean, we are getting all of Christmas up. 

@WildMagelet I love everything you listed out. It sounds like so many special family memories. 

tamalahoops

I'm so impressed by anyone that has Christmas shopping done! I have not even started

moguippy

@tamalahoops same. I have bought a gift for one of my nephews and a few stocking stuffers for DH. The good news is I love wrapping presents so that’s not a problem but I have to actually buy them. 

We usually cut down our own tree and we usually go on a Tuesday (less crowded and it gives my mom a break since she watches DS on Tuesdays). But my H is taking a class on Tuesdays at midday so we have to pick a different day. We’ll probably pull him out of daycare one day. 

jumpy57

This was the extent of my fall/Thanksgiving decor 🤣 

We were supposed to drive to visit my side of the family this year but are staying home instead. I figured we would affect Thanksgiving with DH's family but he's arranged to host my sister and her husband so I'm going along with it

We will probably decorate for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving

hannahbananas11

@jumpy57 You went all out! Even painted the walls!

We put up DS’s Christmas tree yesterday. He’s a huge fan. 

mdfarmchick

@hannahbananas11 that’s a super fun tree!

aaimee

Oh another thing we do is that the kids will tell/write Santa something they need, read or a craft, and then something that's a want. Santa  fills stockings with various little things/snacks and his presents do not get wrapped. The bigger things like a bike or an expensive toy (hoping this year for an old school Super Nintendo) and a few other things comes from hubby and I. 


Also, while I'm thinking about it, birthday wise, starting with birthday #1, we've painted their hands whatever color they seem to go more for (and then their favorite as they get older). We put their handprint onto paper, cut it out and write the year/age on the back and frame it, adding each year behind the previous. They both love doing that each year. I don't know how long they'll want to do it, but I thought it would be a nice keepsake. We get to watch their handprint grow throughout the years    I also save several onesies from their first year of birth (making sure there is a mom, dad, gma/pa and sister) and a receiving blanket from each of them. I planned to make them baby blankets out of their clothes for when they either move out or decide to have their own babies.