Traditions Part I

As part of my 25 Blogs of Christmas I thought I would do a blog about Traditions. They play such a big part of the Christmas holiday. Family traditions are extremely important. "It isn't necessarily what you but simply that you do something" (Kimberly Bytheway and Diane Loveridge in the book Traditions-Creating Memories to Draw Your Family Close).
Think back to Christmas when you were young. What stands out most? The gifts you received or the traditions your family had? For me it is the traditions. Some of our traditions were unofficial, others are a definite this is what we do.

My family always opened one present on Christmas Eve. (Mike's opened all on Christmas Eve)

We always took turns opening presents, youngest to oldest.

We rotate who we have for Christmas every year. That way you always know who you have a year ahead and you get a chance to have everyone. Every 7 years you have the same person who has you. That is always kind of fun.

Santa never wrapped the presents he brought to my house when I was little.

We always would wake up really early (2 or 3 am) and play with our Santa gifts and put them back before my parents got up for the paper route, hoping they wouldn't notice we had been up.

Certain ornaments were always put in a certain spot on the tree. Don't know why we did that but every year we put the 3 wise men in a certain part.

Ham, not turkey is what we had for Christmas dinner.


Some traditions Mike and I have:

Setting up the tree the weekend of Thanksgiving.

Opening a present from each other on Christmas Eve

He gets me a nativity almost every year (I collect them) Last year it was the large Jim Shore one. The year before that it was one made of the Olive Tree wood.

I try and suprise Mike every year with a present that makes him go WOW! I can't get as big a reaction as 2 years ago when he got his TV but that is okay.

Christmas breakfast unless he is working. Usually going to Elmers for that.

A movie Christmas night.

Those are some of my traditions. I will do another post on traditions tomorrow for my post.


MERRY CHRISTMAS!