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Attachment Parenting
I'm getting excited for the holidays... lets talk about holiday traditions!
What were your favs growing up? Any new ones you plan to start with DC?
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Re: I'm getting excited for the holidays... lets talk about holiday traditions!
We all dressed up and went to church on Christmas Eve and then were able to open just one present that evening.
We still do, I LOVE it!
I love making Christmas brunch and having everyone arrive early. Also, we do stockings for all the children under 18 and let them open them first.
I don't know if I really had a fav growing up...I will say that I hated our 1x/year church visit on Christmas eve. Even as a kid I thought it was so superficial to go to midnight mass when you did nothing to acknowledge the religion any other time of the year. My parents were divorced and no one could ever get along, so we spent a lot of time running around from one place to another just to fit everyone in. I did like that we always got to open presents at home on Christmas eve -- they told us santa had to visit us a day early because he couldn't fit everyone in in one night. lol.
Because we had so much family to visit, we always ended up with So.Much.Stuff - really a perfect example of the excessive consumerism our society lives and with DD I want to try to get back to the meaning of the holidays (not so much the religious side, but doing good for others).
Three things I'd like to do are: 1) We will do stockings and 1 other "big" present. Yes, when I was a kid I loved coming downstairs to a living room full of presents (literally you couldn't walk through it), but in hindsight, I would have rather my parents put money into a college fund for me or spent more time doing things with us. It makes me sad to look back at our videos and watch us tear through presents, tossing each to the side as we look for more and grumbling when we opened clothes, etc. I'd rather give one really special gift that she will remember and actually get use out of.
2) For each gift she gets, she has to choose one do donate. We won't be evil parents and there may be some lenience on this, but it's just the general idea that she is giving some toys she doesn't play with anymore to kids who don't have many toys. This will also help keep down the clutter in our new teeny home - bonus!
3) Each year, I'd like for us to pick a place to volunteer as a family.
Man I'm long winded today...happy monday all!
My favourite tradition is our family Seafood Extravaganza on Xmas Eve. Lobster for sure... sometimes crab. Shrimp cocktail, scallops. We have so much seafood we don't need side dishes. Just a good salad and some french bread and butter. Mmmmmmmmmmmm! And? We're selfish about it. Immediate family only.
Another tradition is that there are very few (if any) presents under the tree till Xmas morning. "Santa" comes during the night, and when we wake up, there's a whole pile of stuff. That was always fun... but I hear the PP when she said that it was just a major greedfest. My mom *really* goes overboard. Always has, always will. We're keeping things much simpler for DD. Of course, my mom sends hordes of stuff. But we're not afraid to put wrapped presents away for a few weeks and even months until DD is ready to have something new.
One thing about our Xmas that is kind of gross is Xmas 'breakfast' (we nibble while opening presents). Coke on the rocks and chocolates. Seriously. But there is something so ridiculous about it that I'm hesitant to let it go completely. Judge if you wish. :P
The rest is pretty standard -- turkey dinner (a divine one if my family is cooking) and lazing around.
DH had zero experience with Xmas till he met me. We first met on Dec 22 -- and he graciously did his best to show me a good time for the following week. He succeeded. Not a thing was traditional about it. But we had a great time.
A year later we were married and I showed him a little about a real Xmas.
William and I make an ornament every year for the grandparents and aunts and uncles. When he was a baby we did a footprint in paint, when he was 1 we did a reindeer with his hand as the face, and this year we are going to make salt dough ornaments and hopefully he will be able to help decorate them without eating too many art supplies.
We also bake and decorate sugar cookies. W. loves this as he loves eating raw cookie dough (takes after his mama!).
We open 1 gift on xmas eve- xmas pj's.