Since the holiday season is coming up and the LOs are old enough to understand some of the holidays, I thought I would put this out there again. Does anyone have any traditions that they are going to start?
We are going to take Lily to this Santa/Shrek experience thing at the mall. I'd like to continue that as long as it goes on. Also, I've decided that every year, starting this year, Lily will pick out a gift for a kid her age and give it to Toys for Tots or the Angel Tree or something along those lines. This will be on top of the other stuff that H and I already do, like a new ornament every year and things like that.
We do a few things. I started a tradition years ago with my oldest, and have since gotten ds2 involved now that he can help and he understands. We spend a day or two baking cookies and making up cookie plates and we hand them out to the homeless. We do that every December.
We buy a new ornaments for the kids every year for the tree.
I make up a box that the kids open on Christmas eve. It's got new jammies, a movie (this year Owen got a Christmas book) hot coco, popcorn, and a candy. ... (This year fruit snacks. ) I have them open them before bath time, after dinner and they watch a movie, eat their snacks and go to bed.
I do Christmas Hampers every year, so once she gets a little older she will help pick out toys for all the children in the family receiving our hamper.
For home traditions, we do PJs and a book on Christmas Eve. Milk and cookies for Santa and reindeer food for his reindeer. I was really on the fence about the Elf of the Shelf but since all the other kids in the family do it I think it's easier just to play along than try to explain why we don't have one. So now I actually have to read the book or whatever it is and get the whole story on the Elf. We will also be doing an Advent Calendar filled with different christmas activities. This year will be pretty basic, but I'm hoping that as the kids grow we can incorporate more fun projects and some charitable ones into our countdown.
@subliminalrabbit I really feel the same way about Elf on the Shelf. But we do a big family christmas every second year and all the cousins have elves who all make their way to great-grandma's house for Christmas eve. Rather than be the only kid who doesn't have one, we will start it with Madeline next year or the year after once she's old enough to notice. I have no plans to do anything too crazy with our elf. It will be pretty tame, but still around.
@subliminalrabbit I completely agree with the Elf on the Shelf thing. H asked if we were going to do it and I told him flat out no. That thing is creepy and I don't want it watching me...EVER!
We probably won't ever do elf on a shelf. I agree- it's creepy.
When I was growing up, the tree went up on dec 18 and down on jan 6. The 18th is my Grammys birthday and the 6 my grandpas. We will probably tear down the 6th- but decorate a little earlier.
Also, both kids will have an advent calendar with little candies in it. But I'm not starting that until next year.
When I was younger, our stockings were hung on the footboard of our parents bed, so we would go in their room, wake them up and open our stockings before breakfast. I will continue that tradition with my kids.
We do new PJs on Christmas Eve and a new ornament for each of us when we decorate the tree.
In our town, they have a big event where they turn on the lights the day after Thanksgiving and the fire dept 'rescues' Santa off the roof of a local store. We're taking DD for the first time this year and would like to make it a tradition. We will also do cookies and and advent calendar. I can't wait to introduce DD to all of my favorite Christmas movies.
Re: Traditions
I started a tradition years ago with my oldest, and have since gotten ds2 involved now that he can help and he understands. We spend a day or two baking cookies and making up cookie plates and we hand them out to the homeless. We do that every December.
We buy a new ornaments for the kids every year for the tree.
I make up a box that the kids open on Christmas eve. It's got new jammies, a movie (this year Owen got a Christmas book) hot coco, popcorn, and a candy. ... (This year fruit snacks. ) I have them open them before bath time, after dinner and they watch a movie, eat their snacks and go to bed.
When I was growing up, the tree went up on dec 18 and down on jan 6. The 18th is my Grammys birthday and the 6 my grandpas. We will probably tear down the 6th- but decorate a little earlier.
Also, both kids will have an advent calendar with little candies in it. But I'm not starting that until next year.
When I was younger, our stockings were hung on the footboard of our parents bed, so we would go in their room, wake them up and open our stockings before breakfast. I will continue that tradition with my kids.
In our town, they have a big event where they turn on the lights the day after Thanksgiving and the fire dept 'rescues' Santa off the roof of a local store. We're taking DD for the first time this year and would like to make it a tradition. We will also do cookies and and advent calendar. I can't wait to introduce DD to all of my favorite Christmas movies.
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