@Gretchypoo - I know, right? His little face freaks me out!
@Spicyweiner - I'm an atheist myself and I'm obsessed with Christmas. I start listening to Christmas music in early November. My husband says he's a Christian (but also thinks we might be descended from aliens, so I can never take his claim to Christianity very seriously) and he's crazy about Christmas, too. I can't wait!
+1 for celebrating Christmas as a secular holiday. H and I are both pretty agnostic-bordering-atheist but also both enjoy good food, family, pretty lights, and all the traditions. Planning a nice cozy PJ day with biscuits and gravy, holiday movies, music, cookies, etc.
We do secular christmas too. We seem to be in the minority and love going to my parents house. But their house is on Keystone Golf Course, right next to Keystone Ski Resort in Colorado. The golf course becomes a huge sledding hill and there is nothing more magical than celebrating Christmas at a Colorado ski resort. Colorado knows how to do x-mas. Christmas morning we wake up open presents and then go ski and of course we have festive hats we wear while skiing and everyone is dressed up with tons of skiing santas. We also all celebrate with doing a ski shot too. Here is some of our dorky pics, just for fun
I think someone else said it best, when it comes to the Elf, set the bar low! You do not need to be Pinterest worthy for your kids to enjoy it. Ours mostly just sits in different spots around the house. I do use him sometimes for things, like after we put the tree up, Santa has him deliver their new ornament for the tree. They used to be in their stockings and no one cared. He also brings them new pajamas for Christmas Eve and sends reminder notes from Santa.
Married - 7/29/06 Ben and Maggie - 4/10/09 Mia - 6/16/11 Surprise! due 2/23/17
Re: elf on the shelf: I kind of hate him, but we're stuck with it now. Ours arrives whenever we put our Xmas tree up - he'll be in it the next morning. We don't do anything fancy - just move him around - and he disappears Xmas eve eve. He leaves an Xmas eve present for DS of new Jammies, a movie, popcorn, and hot chocolate, all of which we enjoy the evening of Xmas eve
I know nothing about elf on the shelf... But, I am really excited to continue a couple of the Christmas traditions my mom and I had: - Each morning for the 12 days leading up to Christmas, I got to open a small present that I'd pick out of a box/basket. It was silly things like a pair of shoelaces or a pen, but it was my mom's way of building excitement for Christmas. - On Christmas Eve, we would bake and decorate a cake. On Christmas morning, we'd sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and eat cake for breakfast.
I never heard of elf on a shelf until my son started school. He started talking about it and it just went in one ear and out the other. Then my daughter has a friend who told her about it. Soooo last Christmas I asked the girls mom what it was and she filled me in, honestly I'm glad I don't do it because I can't even remember to collect the tooth for the tooth fairy, I could never keep up on that.
@skiingstark your family Christmas looks super fun. I'd enjoy going to my families house if it was like that! I normally drink heavily to get through Christmas at my Mammaws. Don't know how I'm going to survive this year. She lives less than a mile away, so I have no excuse for not coming
@MLRocha I thought my Inlaws were the only ones to celebrate Jesus' birthday on Christmas with a cake/happy birthday. Having the large family on his side (22 nieces/nephews, he has 8 bros/sis, and then 4 ILs), it's very easy to forget whose birthday is when. Every Christmas when he says we can't leave yet because we need to sing happy birthday, I stupidly ask whose birthday it is.
@MLRocha I thought my Inlaws were the only ones to celebrate Jesus' birthday on Christmas with a cake/happy birthday. Having the large family on his side (22 nieces/nephews, he has 8 bros/sis, and then 4 ILs), it's very easy to forget whose birthday is when. Every Christmas when he says we can't leave yet because we need to sing happy birthday, I stupidly ask whose birthday it is.
@MLRocha I thought my Inlaws were the only ones to celebrate Jesus' birthday on Christmas with a cake/happy birthday. Having the large family on his side (22 nieces/nephews, he has 8 bros/sis, and then 4 ILs), it's very easy to forget whose birthday is when. Every Christmas when he says we can't leave yet because we need to sing happy birthday, I stupidly ask whose birthday it is.
That is awesome! We made a happy birthday Jesus cake also growing up, though we didn't get to eat it for breakfast so I'm jealous on that front! DH and I aren't religious so we won't be carrying on that tradition but I do plan on having lots of desserts at Christmas time since I love to bake!
My parents live ~8hrs away and since I moved we've gone to see them for either Christmas or Thanksgiving alternating which one each year. This year I'm toughing out one last (and probably the roughest) Christmas travel and then I plan on telling them we won't be doing that anymore and will only travel every few years. I know they'll be pissed but sorry it's time to focus on the family I'm creating with my husband.
Me: 33 | DH: 34 Married: October, 19, 2015 EDD 2/22/17 DS1 born on 3/2/17 EDD 3/8/20 DS2 born on 3/10/20 EDD 11/24/23 (Formerly Marriedhamstermom Feb ‘17)
Re: UO 9/29
@Spicyweiner - I'm an atheist myself and I'm obsessed with Christmas. I start listening to Christmas music in early November. My husband says he's a Christian (but also thinks we might be descended from aliens, so I can never take his claim to Christianity very seriously) and he's crazy about Christmas, too. I can't wait!
Married to my Soul Mate since 09/06/09
Married to my Soul Mate since 09/06/09
Ben and Maggie - 4/10/09
Mia - 6/16/11
Surprise! due 2/23/17
- Each morning for the 12 days leading up to Christmas, I got to open a small present that I'd pick out of a box/basket. It was silly things like a pair of shoelaces or a pen, but it was my mom's way of building excitement for Christmas.
- On Christmas Eve, we would bake and decorate a cake. On Christmas morning, we'd sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and eat cake for breakfast.
ME: 25, DH: 27
TTC #1 since 09/2015
Miscarriage @ 10 wks 02/28/2016
BFP 05/28/2016!
Married to my Soul Mate since 09/06/09
My parents live ~8hrs away and since I moved we've gone to see them for either Christmas or Thanksgiving alternating which one each year. This year I'm toughing out one last (and probably the roughest) Christmas travel and then I plan on telling them we won't be doing that anymore and will only travel every few years. I know they'll be pissed but sorry it's time to focus on the family I'm creating with my husband.
Married: October, 19, 2015
EDD 2/22/17 DS1 born on 3/2/17
EDD 3/8/20 DS2 born on 3/10/20
EDD 11/24/23
(Formerly Marriedhamstermom Feb ‘17)