Holiday Traditions

Third post in the link up series!  This week’s post is about holiday traditions that we have or plan to start. 

1. We always put up the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving day, or at least by the end of the weekend.  This started when Hubby and I lived at the apartment in NJ.  We do use a fake tree, and we didn’t really have the storage space for it there, so my parents would bring it and all the decorations with them on Thanksgiving since that was the only time they would be coming to us before the holiday and would have a way to transport all the stuff there.  So, now we still do that even in our house.

2. I always make a ton of cookies for people.  I usually end up staying up until 4am multiple nights to get them all done.  I don’t think that will be happening this year, but I am having a cookie exchange party with some friends, so maybe we can make that an annual tradition.

3. On Christmas day we always get up, open presents here at home, then meet my family at a restaurant for lunch.  After that, we head to my grandmother’s to exchange gifts there and spend the day with each other.  I’ve never been a fan of eating out on holidays, but this has become our tradition and my grandmother loves it, so it will continue.

4. On Christmas Eve we always go to the early church service, then afterwards go to my parents neighbor who is the mother-in-law to my mom’s cousin (follow that?).  My mom’s cousin and her husband stay there every year at Christmas, since they live across the state.  So, after church we head over there for some food, gift exchanging, and spend time together.  We’re usually there until very late in the evening.  I guess starting this year, we will have to do things earlier now!

5. Last  year Hubby and I drove around looking at other people’s Christmas lights while we drank warm beverages and ate gingerbread man marshmallows.  Bean probably won’t appreciate that very much until at least next year, since he sleeps during car rides a lot yet, but it’s something I would like to continue to do.

6.  Bean isn’t allowed to watch much TV (he does get some TV time though, due to us watching something), but Polar Express is one of my favorite Christmas movies, and Hubby gave me the DVD for Christmas last year, so I’d like to watch that with Bean at least once every year during the season.

That’s all I have for now.  Maybe we’ll start to come up with new traditions as Bean gets older.  I love Christmas season!