Hawaii Babies
MrsNJSwimmer
member
XP - Holiday Traditions
MrsNJSwimmer
member
Do you have holiday traditions without your extended families?
Do you watch movies? Football (We're looking at Thanksgiving and Christmas here)? Have a special meal? Go out to eat somewhere? Go to the movies?
DH and I want to start some traditions of our own with DS. We're getting to the point where we want DS to be home at Christmas and we're trying to get some ideas of what to do, without ending up being just another day.
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Re: XP - Holiday Traditions
Without extended familes...no, we don't. We travel up to my parents in WI for Christmas (5 1/2 hour drive). so everything is with the extended family. I had thought perhaps we'd stay home this year, being that my grandma passed away earlier this year and things just won't be the same. But I know that as hard as this year will be on me, it'll be even harder on my mom. And she has expressed she'd like us to still come, so we will.
I'm interested in seeing what everyone else says, though, since maybe next year we'll start staying home.
As of now, the only major tradition we have is getting the tree a week after Thanksgiving and having our friends come over and help us decorate it and drink cocoa and play music. Oh, and we do travel back home on Christmas Day (I have a very German family, and we traditionally celebrate together on Christmas Eve. Not much goes on on Christmas Day, so we drive that afternoon when no one else is on the road). Once we're home we do the Jewish (MH's) thing of Chinese food and a movie that night.
We watch the original King Kong while decorating the Christmas tree. Weird, I know, but it's something my Dad always did when I was a kid, so now Ben and I do it with our boys (not that they really watch - or decorate lol - at this point).
Other than that, the only thing I can think of is opening one gift each on Christmas Eve.
life in oz
We do, especially since we live in OK now and even though DH's family *could* come see us at the holidays, they don't. So it's me, J, my mom and Libby (for now, Theo soon!)...
1) We decorate the tree and put out holiday decorations on Thanksgiving weekend. I make mulled apple cider and we play Chritmas Carols, etc. Our decorations are up from Tday weekend until the weekend AFTER New Years.
2) We do an advent calendar/countdown to Christmas. I want to make one...maybe stringing up mini stockings or single mittens, etc. I've pinned a lot of ideas to Pinterest.
3) We read holiday-themed books to Libby...like The Night Before Chritsmas, Santa's Little Elf, What is Hannukah?, etc. We own some and check others out from the library on our weekly visits.
4) J and I watch holiday movies like White Christmas, Elf, The Grinch, etc. and DH's favorite of ALL time...Planes, Trains and Automobiles (he can quote it word for word! LOL!)
5) We bake throughout the holiday season and I plan to let Libby help this year.
6) I try to play the piano a few times a week and we sing Christmas Carols.
7) We plan special holiday meals even though it's just us. I scour the internet for recipes and J pulls things from magazines (he's a total foodie) so we pull together a special menu for both Tday and Christmas Eve dinners. Christmas morning we do brunch and Christmas night we do Chinese Takeout and more movies!
8) We take Libby for holiday portraits and to also to see Santa...I get her special outfits for both and plan to do the same with Theo.
9) We drive around at least once a week and look at the neighborhood lights, decorations, etc.
10) I want to do a version of Elf on the Shelf for our kids...not sure if I'll start that this year or next. I am planning on DIY or getting a cute elf from an Etsy Seller and making up our own storybook (I want to leave out all the "naughty and nice" mumbo jumbo...)
11) We try to get to holiday events in the community...like tree lighting ceremonies, parades, etc. This year I want to take Libby to see the Nutcracker (they have matinees for kids on the weekends)...we shall see how that goes! I play the music for her all the time and she loves it and dances around to it.TTC/PG Blog | Mommy Blog
We always have a homemade family meal that I prepare. For Thanksgiving, it's either the day of or the day after since we've been going to my parents' place for Thanksgiving and his parents' for Christmas and my parents aren't particular about the actual day on which we celebrate it. But for Christmas, we always celebrate as an immediate family on Christmas Eve since MIL has a big thing on Christmas Day so we go to my ILs' place the day of. So Christmas Eve is also when we do our presents and we have a tree, Christmas decor (mainly lights), and stockings too. Then we usually go to my parents' sometime after Christmas and exchange presents then.